replacing tank braces

[Gaidin]

I have these two plastic braces across the top of my tank. It sections my tank top into three equal spaces. These braces are molded from the same piece as the tank trim around the top and front of the tank. I have 4 400w halides evenly spaced on the top of my tank and i am getting an undesired shadow from the braces, i am going to try to move the halides a little but they seem to be basically mounted over the top of these two braces. I dont think moving them would make much of a difference. These shadows are in crucial parts of my aquascaping that leaves large parts of my rock structure where i would be placing large amounts of corals and frags in a shadow. I want to remove these braces and replace them with clear acrylic so that i wont have the dark shadows. Anyone have any thoughts, comments on going about this? this is what i have planned.

purchase some sturdy acrylic in 3/8 " thickness (maybe larger?), same size and length as the braces....at each end drill holes and tap them for two nylon screws, mount the acrylic pieces underneath the existing braces, silicone to the glass, and the tank trim at each end then drill holes for the nylon screws through the existing braces screw the plastic brace to the acrylic brace and then cut out the majority of the brace that spans the tank... so what i would be left with is an acrylic brace that is screwed to a small section of old brace maybe a couple inches but its also siliconed into place.

[Casey]

Wow never heard of anyone doing that before that is your main tank braces to stop splitting please before careful and let me know how it goes very interesting,sorry I cant help good luck with it.

[Nate C]

Instead of drilling, you could talk to one or two of the acrylic shops in town and get pieces that are bent at the end? Start with a 24"x3" strip, then have them put 2 90degree bends 3" long on each end. You can wedge it over the top and It'll hold, for sure. I did the same thing with a 2" strip of stainless steel a few years ago when the top broke on an old FW 55.

I bet if you call over to envision acrylic they'll have some ideas.


Either way, you'll need to mount the new brace(s) while the old top is still on! then take the old one off after the new ones are in place. If you just take the old top straight off you'll get enough bow that installing the new ones gets real tricky, real fast.

Have fun and let us know how it comes out.

[Ryan Mackey]

Silicone wont stick to plexi well, however, your idea might work. R2

[Gaidin]

my coast to coast overflow is siliconed into place...I didnt seem to have any problems with the silicone sticking to the acrylic. Anyone else have any thoughts or ideas on what else to use to glue the acrylic into place.