Is the center brace necessary?

Discussion in 'Fish Tank Brands and Kits' started by YellowBelly, Sep 22, 2007.

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  1. ZachB

    ZachB Giant Squid

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    wow, lots of very old threads being dug up lately. Didn't even notice the date when I replied. Sheesh.
     
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  3. capnjack17

    capnjack17 Plankton

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    The center brace is VERY necessary. If it wasn't, it wouldn't be there. I had a similar issue with my tank. I have a 56g column marineland tank. I put a 250W HQI fixture above the tank, and although I wasn't concerned about the shadow of the brace (I actually kind of like it because I can put my "moderate light" corals under it,) I was concerned about the heat from the metal halide causing it to stretch or crack. Here's the two cent fix that is foolproof. You know that thin aluminum tape they use to seal up heat ducts? It has a temperature rating of around 250 degrees. It is also 100% reflective. I put three strips of that on the top of my center brace, and now not only is the brace cool to the touch, but it reflects the light back into the fixture so it can go back into the tank. Pretty neato, huh? You may need to replace the tape every few weeks, but it is a foolproof and cheapo fix to a potentially serious problem.
     
  4. SushiGirl

    SushiGirl Barracuda

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    Wow, a 2 1/2 year old zombie thread! LOL
     
  5. Mr. Bill

    Mr. Bill Native Floridian

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    LOL... it actually started 4 years ago and was dug up once before. :)
     
  6. IhasFish

    IhasFish Plankton

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    I'm an idiot and cut mine to make my filter fit:-/ Any other ideas besides the steel bar?
    [​IMG]
     
  7. oki_reefer

    oki_reefer Astrea Snail

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    It may appear that it may not be necessary but it is there for support to keep the front and back from bowing and breaking. Removing it will case you much headache and much money to replace all the damage. don't do it.
     
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  9. coylee_17

    coylee_17 Fire Goby

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    If you use the search function on here you should find a thread that was on here not too long ago about replacing the top trim on a tank. There was a link on there to a guy that sold replacement trims, you could then just replace the whole thing and not have to worry about fixing the brace.
     
  10. WhiskyTango

    WhiskyTango Eyelash Blennie

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    Yea, you order a new trim top for the tank. Your local LFS can order it for you. I've done it before. Good luck removing the rest of the existing brace. A heat gun worked well. I bedded the new one with black 5200, and then put about 50lbs of 4x4s across the top for a week.
     
  11. saltyfresh

    saltyfresh Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

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    i saw that to!!