Cracked crossbrace

[unclesalty]

Originally Posted by lockrookie

dont set halides on glass while turned on
besides you will have led's so unless you are dancing on your bracing bud you will be ok. halides have been known to overheat bracing and cracking.

and sphelps his main support is the cross bracing the "euro bracing" really isnt as much as a level surface that they silicone the trim to to keep it level and in between the cross braces and is only 1"1/2 wide and would shatter in an instant. it would have to be 3" or greater to have any structural signifigance but if he re does teh whole tank 3 to 4 " all around he should never have to worry again of halides heating the cross bracing

I guess I could fill it up with RO waste water and see how it goes. Yes you are right my LED's give off nothing for heat. The one downfall with Euro bracing on mine is that it would cover a good portion of the overflow and my type of overflow is a "priority" must have for me!

[lockrookie]

you have nothing to worry about. in either case. your good to go. i hve to takemy tank apart anyways i bought itwith a huge crack in it and it must be rebuilt thus why im going euro brace.

btw jameswhen you read all this ask dave how much tonotch the onne euro brace where the overflow is to give you more room for the overflow

[-=James=-]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Honestly I would wager the center brace is not needed, many tank builders know little regarding what's actually needed for structural integrity and those "center braces" are often just scraps put in to support lids and not actually even put in for structure. If you want send me the glass thickness of the front pane and the thickness and width of the euro brace and I can tell you if the center braces are needed.

Glass thickness is 1/2" I believe, eurobrace is also 1/2" thick and 1.5" wide on the front and back pane and about 2.5" on the sides.

Originally Posted by lockrookie

btw jameswhen you read all this ask dave how much tonotch the onne euro brace where the overflow is to give you more room for the overflow

I will, thanks. I never thought about that. Kicking myself for not thinking about the glass cracking to heat.

My dad suggested I take the black trim off, clamp the tank, remove the broken crossbrace, then silicone a new piece in its place. Does this sound feasible? Its about 10x cheaper than getting a shop to redo the whole eurobrace. He also said he would rather not compromise the tank structure further by removing both crossbraces and redoing the eurobrace.

Thoughts? Thanks again everyone, the replies have been very affirming.

[lockrookie]

Originally Posted by -=James=-

Glass thickness is 1/2" I believe, eurobrace is also 1/2" thick and 1.5" wide on the front and back pane and about 2.5" on the sides.



I will, thanks. I never thought about that. Kicking myself for not thinking about the glass cracking to heat.

My dad suggested I take the black trim off, clamp the tank, remove the broken crossbrace, then silicone a new piece in its place. Does this sound feasible? Its about 10x cheaper than getting a shop to redo the whole eurobrace. He also said he would rather not compromise the tank structure further by removing both crossbraces and redoing the eurobrace.

Thoughts? Thanks again everyone, the replies have been very affirming.

sounds very feasable and definately cheaper. as you wont be setting lights on the bracing again

[-=James=-]

Originally Posted by lockrookie

sounds very feasable and definately cheaper. as you wont be setting lights on the bracing again

Perfect, I think I will be going that route. Although I would love to get real eurobracing done, its a little expensive at this point...I might as well spend a bit more and get a new tank. Live and learn.

And no halides will be going near the glass anytime soon haha. There should be a sticky for newbies to learn from others mistakes.

Lesson 1: Get tempered glass for crossbraces
Lesson 2: Get eurobracing done and no cross braces if possible.

[lockrookie]

dont beat yourself up too much things happen and it could have been worse.. in the end your tank had a minor glitch that is soon to be rectified. and you will carry on and enjoy. in this hobby everyone has an issue of some sort i know a guy just in the first fill his eurobracing broke. just a flaw in theglass.

[sphelps]

lockrookie is correct regarding the tank not actually being euro braced so the centers are structural. However it is still overkill and I can suggest two new options that may not have been discussed yet.

1. Leave the tank as is and silicone a 6mm center brace directly on top of the existing cracked brace. Requires no removal of trim or other modifications and will provide enough reinforcement to the crack brace. By far the cheapest and easiest solution but not the prettiest and could disrupt light depending on how they are setup.

2. Remove both center braces. Install new euro brace, however all the tank needs is the front and rear pieces, not sides. The 1.5" current brace can also stay in place, install a new 4" euro underneath the current 1.5". Not sure how easy this option is but to me if you're already willing to remove one center brace the outcome of this option is best.