Braceless/Rimless Tank

[adrian912]

Hey guys, so I have a question. I have read online that if the glass is 1/2 inch thick that a brace or eurobrace is not needed. Interestingly my long panels are 1/2 inch thick while my sides seem to be 3/8 inch thick. Since the long ones meet the criteria and since I imagine they get the most stress, can this tank work without a brace. It is a 72"L x 18"W x 20"H. I appreciate your input.

 

[axio]

Adrian912;1111679 wrote: Hey guys, so I have a question. I have read online that if the glass is 1/2 inch thick that a brace or eurobrace is not needed. Interestingly my long panels are 1/2 inch thick while my sides seem to be 3/8 inch thick. Since the long ones meet the criteria and since I imagine they get the most stress, can this tank work without a brace. It is a 72"L x 18"W x 20"H. I appreciate your input.

Glass thickness is not the only thing that needs to be considered... quality of the glass, type of silicone used, how the aquarium was made, application of silicone, tempered or non-tempered glass, etc.

Why are you asking? If you are intending on "de-bracing" your own aquarium I recommend against it. Especially one that large. Also the glass under the plastic brace is usually pretty ugly and not cleaned up or beveled since it was hidden under the brace. If your aquarium was rimless when it was purchased new then you shouldn't have any to worry about.

 

[adrian912]

aXio;1111680 wrote: Glass thickness is not the only thing that needs to be considered... quality of the glass, type of silicone used, how the aquarium was made, application of silicone, tempered or non-tempered glass, etc.

Why are you asking? If you are intending on "de-bracing" your own aquarium I recommend against it. Especially one that large. Also the glass under the plastic brace is usually pretty ugly and not cleaned up or beveled since it was hidden under the brace. If your aquarium was rimless when it was purchased new then you shouldn't have any to worry about.

I was so tired last night I didn't even think to add all that in there. This is the silicone

 

[dapperjman]

Sounds iffy to me.

Is there a way you can just trim out the plastic where the overflow is? How long is it?

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[adrian912]

Dapperjman;1111691 wrote: Sounds iffy to me.

Is there a way you can just trim out the plastic where the overflow is? How long is it?

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The overflow? 16".

 

[axio]

Well I guess it will ultimately depends on how confident you are with your re-sealing work. We can't answer that question for you, and you can't put a price on peace of mind. Personally I couldn't do it, I would have that thought in the back of my mind constantly worried about it busting on me.

Now with a tank being 25 years old hopefully you stripped and cleaned then entire tank down of old silicone and built it back up from scratch with new silicone. If you just beaded new silicone on top of old silicone I personally would not be confident in the aquarium holding. With a aquarium that old I don't even think its enough to even scrape the old silicone bead and put down a new own. It needs a full rebuild of the aquarium to be safe.

I personally at this point would be very against doing it unless you did an entire strip down and rebuild of the aquarium and even then you have to be very confident in your work. I just don't think 125 gallons worth of potential damages to your home is any where near worth the risk. I say if you are planning on upgrading any way just be patient and wait.

 

[adrian912]

aXio;1111693 wrote: Well I guess it will ultimately depends on how confident you are with your re-sealing work. We can't answer that question for you, and you can't put a price on peace of mind. Personally I couldn't do it, I would have that thought in the back of my mind constantly worried about it busting on me.

Now with a tank being 25 years old hopefully you stripped and cleaned then entire tank down of old silicone and built it back up from scratch with new silicone. If you just beaded new silicone on top of old silicone I personally would not be confident in the aquarium holding. With a aquarium that old I don't even think its enough to even scrape the old silicone bead and put down a new own. It needs a full rebuild of the aquarium to be safe.

I personally at this point would be very against doing it unless you did an entire strip down and rebuild of the aquarium and even then you have to be very confident in your work. I just don't think 125 gallons worth of potential damages to your home is any where near worth the risk. I say if you are planning on upgrading any way just be patient and wait.

Yes, the silicone was removed and cleaned up. People really do that lol? My upgrade plans are like two years down the road. So I guess eurobracing would be the only way then?

 

[axio]

Adrian912;1111694 wrote: Yes, the silicone was removed and cleaned up. People really do that lol? My upgrade plans are like two years down the road. So I guess eurobracing would be the only way then?

Like I said this isn't something I can just give you a direct answer on. It all depends on your reseal work and your confidence in that work.

If you want a just in-case peace of mind then yes I would euro brace it. But even with the euro bracing I'm personally not going to tell you if it will hold or not.

 

[adrian912]

aXio;1111696 wrote: Like I said this isn't something I can just give you a direct answer on. It all depends on your reseal work and your confidence in that work.

If you want a just in-case peace of mind then yes I would euro brace it. But even with the euro bracing I'm personally not going to tell you if it will hold or not.

Understood. Thank you.

 

[billsfan]

I have a standard 120 rimless 1/2 thick and there is a 1/4" bow in the front and back glass. Also I think they use a thicker bead of silicone in between the glass pieces when it's rimless.

 

[adrian912]

In order to be as safe as possible I am going to rebuild the tank and place the bottom trim back on it. I will obviously have to remove the new silicone seam that I just put in there as well and then reseal. Then I will do some euro bracing as I have some 3/8 inch thick glass laying around that I can cut to size.

 

[torqued]

I have a factory built rimless 180g and it's panels are 3/4". The only panel smaller that is acceptable is 5/8". 1/2 is def not ok for a 72" run without a brace. Do not do it

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[adrian912]

Torqued;1116560 wrote: I have a factory built rimless 180g and it's panels are 3/4". The only panel smaller that is acceptable is 5/8". 1/2 is def not ok for a 72" run without a brace. Do not do it

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I am not, doing a euro brace on the tank. Or so I have been saying to myself these past couple of months.

 

[torqued]

Adrian912;1116607 wrote: I am not, doing a euro brace on the tank. Or so I have been saying to myself these past couple of months.

good idea

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