# Removing center brace/how thick should glass be?



## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

So someone recently told me with my AGA 46 Bow I would have thick enough glass to remove the center brace so I did.

Now I see some bowing and Im wondering if it will be ok and only bow out a bit or if I should begin to worry.

How can I reinforce it with out a center brace? I needed to remove it for a light.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

You should worry. Removing a center brace is never a good idea. If the tank didn't need it, the manufacturer wouldn't have put it in there - everybody likes to save money! At the very least, you are living risky now, and 46G of water could pour onto your floor at any moment. I'd put that center brace back in - actually, if it was me personally I'd probably get a new tank, but then my wife tends to be really touchy about large amounts of water flooding through our living room, and I wouldn't want to go through a divorce 

As an aside, side braces work just as well as center braces, but I'd imagine making one for a bow front tank ould not be easy, since you would have to cut the glass with the exact curvature of the front glass.

Frank


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## 12 Volt Man (Sep 22, 2008)

I would replace the tank.

my LFS took the center brace off of a Perfecto 120 in order to make it open top (has plants that grow up and out of the water).

when you look lengthwise down the tank it is bowing considerably in the middle.

it hasn't broke yet, but it probably will eventually..

the braces are there for a reason.

its only the older tanks made with much thicker glass that dont need them..


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

The funny part about it is that the brace always had slack in it. To be honest I dont even think its bowing I think its just my imagination. I made a line in the glass top to see if it does bow out further. If it does then Im going to drain it down and put in a glass brace. A friend of mine has a brother that works at a glass shop and said I could stop by tomorrow to grab something.

If I push on the back I can feel the back glass flex but I actually went out to my LFS that has a bow front like mine as a display and it had that same amount of flex. That person also reassured that the AGA 46 Bow should be ok without cause he _claims_ he had the same situation as me. He wanted a open top cause the one canopy that fits the tank didnt match and he wanted to suspend a light.

Anyway, I'll keep my eye on it and see if it does bow out further since I marked it ad if it budges even the slightest Im draining it for a new brace. Also these things have a very solid thick set of frames for top and bottom that I dont think will let it bow much at all if it is. Oh it also has a bottom brace but it also has a bottom pane of glass for support.


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## 12 Volt Man (Sep 22, 2008)

just be very careful.

this is straight from Aqueon's website:



> *Can I remove the center brace of my aquarium frame?
> 
> No! Removing the center brace on the frame is not recommended. Removing or cutting the center brace will affect the structural integrity of the aquarium. The brace is needed to reinforce front to back support and modifying the brace may cause the aquarium to fail and leak over time. Most of our glass canopies and full hoods require the center brace to be intact to keep them from falling in the tank. In larger aquariums, removal of the center brace can cause the tank to â€œbowâ€*


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

If anyone knows more specifically what the thickness should be around I would appreciate it. These tanks are pretty thick and generally have a thick nice seal.

Like I said if anything I can put in a glass one like some other people do.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Well I found a calculator that says Im good so.....

.....lt see how things go. I have good faith in the thickness of this tanks glass. I really like how well put together these AGA bows are.


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## I3lazd (Dec 29, 2008)

is it acrylic cause glass bowing is a big no no one slight bump could shatter your tank, I see through reading this you have been trying to justify you are ok but I would say you are not and are giving yourself a false sense of security. I know I wouldnt want my expensive fish to flood my living room. Also if it is glass and bowing then it is not tempered so when it does shatter you will have sharp shards of glass that could injure.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Trust me, I have made plenty of replies in threads similar with people questioning if it is safe since they bought one with out a brace. I say the same thing, if it looks like it was meant for a brace then dont bother unless the glass is thick enough so Im not justifying anything for myself really Im just asking if anyone knew the thickness of the glass,... ie. someone that built a tank and say built with a open top?

I found a calculator here-on this site-that tells me I should be safe....http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=173596&highlight=center+centre+brace


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## artkelli (Dec 16, 2003)

Could it be different because your tank in a bow front? Maybe the calculator is for straight fronted aquariums. It seems like the bow would make a difference.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

I am taking that into consideration and still giving it all some thought.


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## 12 Volt Man (Sep 22, 2008)

for rectangular tanks, its easy - because there are still lots of older tanks in service out there.

eg. braceless 125's were made with 1/2 inch

braced (modern) ones are only 3/8 inch.

same with the new 90's.

my new 150 (braced) is 1/2 inch all around

the old ones were 5/8ths I believe.

but there are no 'old' bow fronts, so it is hard to say..

I would email a tank manufacturer to find out for sure.

46 gallons of water will ruin a lot of stuff..


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

JWerner2 said:


> I am taking that [bow front] into consideration and still giving it all some thought.


How you can gain any insight from that calculator for a bow front situation is a complete mystery to me. If you wanted to do that, you'd have to read the original article and see if you can adapt the underlying formula. I am not enough of a math geek to go and check if that could be done with reasonable effort.



JWerner2 said:


> Trust me, I have made plenty of replies in threads similar with people questioning if it is safe since they bought one without a brace.


If manufacturers did built tanks without a center brace that need one, the resulting warranty claims and bad publicity would force them out of business very quickly. Also, if they put braces in tanks that didn't need them, the competition could offer the same tank without brace and undercut their price, which would also force them out of business. The logical conclusion is that as long as you buy a tank from a manufacturer that has been in business for a while, it will have all the braces it needs, but not more braces than it needs.

Enough said :wink:

Frank


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

> How you can gain any insight from that calculator for a bow front situation is a complete mystery to me.


Consider the mystery solved. You can also calculate it by the thickness of the glass, the most important part :wink: Also, if I was to calculate the safty factor by LxWxH I would do so by using the farthest most point in the width, that easy.

I have talked to quite a few people on reef keeping forums also that said I should be ok. Its all in the thickness of the glass they use for most Bow Fronts. As I said, I am taking notes from people that did this either to replace it with a glass brace or just do away with it for good now. Another point is the frames they use on these tanks are pretty solid and well secured which helps hold the glass back from bowing. Now that means there could still be pressure for causing cracks but going by the thickness of the glass I am fine.

Again, I tell people the same that has been told to me in the past when I asked a simillar question. I asked if a 33 long needed a brace cause one I was going to purchased didn't and the majority as always ruled that if the glass was thick enough I was in the clear. Seeing how I have a question I thought some other Bow Front users here have faced I thought I would ask again for this specific sized and type of tank.


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## iceblue (Apr 27, 2004)

With your tank empty use a square to check the back corners of your tank laying the square on top of the the corner. It should be an almost perfect 90 degree. Now fill the tank up and check it again. If you are getting deflection in your bow front most likely it could show up at the back corners as being under 90 degrees. If the bow is in the back it will show up as over 90 degrees.

I'm not saying this is an end-all test and I certainly don't recommend anybody removing factory installed bracing. They put it there for a reason.


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

I ran a ruler across the back and a yard stick down holding it in the middle and it stayed level/didnt teeter. Manufacturers claim they do lots of things for a reason when its really to satisfy the public's paranoia and stay within safety guidelines :thumb:

They can make these tanks without a brace I know it how ever someone somewhere told them they must have it.

Tanks still standing and looking good.


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## 12 Volt Man (Sep 22, 2008)

> They can make these tanks without a brace I know it how ever someone somewhere told them they must have it.


no, they figured out that by using a center brace, they can use thinner glass and thus make a cheaper product and still sell it for the same price..

a braced tank with thinner glass is much cheaper to manufacture than an unbraced tank with much thicker glass.

if you could see the Perfecto 120 gallon at my LFS that is literally turning into a bowfront tank because they cut out the center brace, you might not be resting so easy right now..

however, you do have an Aqueon tank which are much better built than the Perfecto's so you might be okay.

good luck


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## JWerner2 (Jul 7, 2008)

Thanks.

Yes they make tanks with braces so they can make tanks with thinner glass how ever as a example my tank has thick glass and still has a brace to fit certain requirements and safety guidelines as a precautionary.

Once agencies that set up these requirements find out about the benefits they tend to enforce it more.

Again I will not suggest this to anyone and don't think you can use me as a example. Know what you are getting into and do the research I have to find out if the tank would be safe or not if you insist on doing so.


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