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Possible to take out a center brace and replace with eurobrace


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I have a 125 with no center brace and that makes me a tad nervous would it be possible just to add glass around the underside of the rim and euro brace the sucker?

 

also what is a source for cheap glass? or what should I type into google when looking for glass

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I've seen broken ones fixed by sandwiching them between two pieces of acrylic and using nylon bolts and nuts to hold them together. Could be hard getting a piece of glass or acrylic to hold with the pressure it'll receive up top. Does the tank have a little lip around it that you could attach a piece of acrylic to on both sides with some sort of fastener?

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I have a 125 with no center brace and that makes me a tad nervous would it be possible just to add glass around the underside of the rim and euro brace the sucker?

 

also what is a source for cheap glass? or what should I type into google when looking for glass

 

 

You could make a brace for the center with angle iron or aluminum from HD and paint it real good.

My 220H has been that way for 6 years.

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Look over on RC... there are a couple discussions of this, and the opinion is that it is doable. You'll need to use glass b/c acrylic doesn't bond to glass strong enough. As far as cheap sources of glass, I'm not sure. NAGA said he's been experimenting with building glass tanks, so he may be able to get the glass and cut it to fit for you.

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(edited)
which the euro bracing or adding my own brace?

 

I wouldn't feel comfortable owning a tank that was originally manufactured with a center brace that does not have the center brace, no matter what was added to it.

 

Again, not saying it isn't possible, I just wouldn't do it. I would constantly be worrying about it.

 

Edit: Ordering a whole new top trim/center brace like Stephen has suggested is something I would consider.

 

tim

Edited by extreme_tooth_decay
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The brace doesn't have to be too complicated. A 2x4 with slots in it (one for the front glass pane, one for the back) would hold just fine.

 

 

For looks, of course, I'd use a couple pieces of glass across the middle of the tank, one from inside pane to inside and one above the rim from outside to outside. That way the silicone bond area is 2*(glass thickness)*(brace width). Eurobracing should work fine too, but it'll never rival a center brace cost-wise. Make sure you consider overflow access, too.

 

 

And finally, to answer your question, I've always gotten good prices from Circle Glass in Fairfax - smooth ground edges are included, polished costs extra.

 

Paul

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Hope I am not diverting too much from the topic but I too have my center brace break. It has been almost a year and no problem, does this imply it would be ok ?

So let me ask this question a different way.

 

Has any one have a tank of larger than 100G fail on them due to a missing or broken centerbrace ?

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