Center brace blocks light can I drill holes ?

[Pike]

So my 65g marineland tank has a centre brace on top which is blocking some light from my 24" Maxspect razor. It blocks light from the center puck. Im am going to build a cover which will block even more light because both frames will widen the centre brace. My question is can I drill say half inch holes along the centre brace with adequate spacing of course ? Will this weaken the brace or cause any problems? I would obviously protect the water from the drilling