I removed the Eurobrace. Mistake?

[graihg]

Aqeuon 125g with dual overflows. The eurobracing was blocking the light for some new acros... so I eliminated it.
I suppose I should have researched first - hopefully eurobracing is not totally, completely, 100% required for structural integrity??
Anybody have experience with a sudden amount of water in the living room because you removed bracing?

 

[jkrohn]

Do you mean the center bracing?

 

[exnisstech]

I don't know of anyone who has removed it. It not something I would do. Too many tank failures are rimless without euro brace

 

[MoshJosh]

Do you mean the center braces? The 125 Gallons Aqueon with dual overflows I have seen (and googled) have center braces not eurobraces, can you link or show pictures of your specific tank?

That said I would not remove any braces (center or otherwise) on a tank of that size.

 

[Keithb22]

I feel like they put the bracing there for a reason. I’m sure the tanks without them have other provisions in place to make sure the structural integrity is maintained. Especially on a aqueon.

 

[jkrohn]

If it's the center bracing, yes you likely need it.

I had a 90 gallon where the center brace broke (it cracked) and when filled the front of the tank would bow and there would be ~1/2" gap where the center brace cracked. I was not comfortable with that level bowing in the front glass and imagine it would eventually lead to a seam failure.

 

[graihg]

There were two. I kept one.

 

[graihg]

 

[graihg]

Lol. Oh, man. I didn't even question it at the time... I was like: "I need more light here. This is clearly in the way. It has to go."

 

[Reefer1978]

It's there to prevent bowing. If you didn't throw it away, but it in there and see if now there's a visible gap. That would worry the heck out of me, as braced tanks use thinner glass, the brace is what adds the strength.

 

[exnisstech]

Hmm I can be a bit reckless (have a 40g breeder on a 1x3" wood stand) but not sure I would remove a center brace on a tank that size. The cross braces do block a lot of light so I get it. When I had my rimmed 180g with 2 cross braces I ran 6 noopsyche k7 pros and had two over each opening.

 

[graihg]

Well...I'll keep y'all posted.
Fantastic.

If this thing breaks - we'll just have to go bigger and better.
But, I hope it doesn't break.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

There were two. I kept one.

That brace was there to provide structural support to the tank. You essentially created a weak spot and could potentially lead to seam failure.

It's hard to tell in the picture if the braces are clear glass, if it is, the reward for more light seems like an extreme risk. Even if it was black, it's still not worth the risk.

 

[MoshJosh]

Well...I'll keep y'all posted.
Fantastic.

If this thing breaks - we'll just have to go bigger and better.
But, I hope it doesn't break.

I can appreciate the "I'll just go bigger approach", in fact getting a bigger tank is almost always a good idea. . . but I would not wait till it breaks, I would actively plan on repairing the brace or making the upgrade cause the failure could very well be catastrophic. . .

 

[I never finish anythi]

Wow , good luck with that . You are brave

 

[Marinus]

I personally wouldn't modify the aquarium if it was engineered that way.

 

[PotatoPig]

There’s no way I’d have water in that thing if it were in my house. Check your homeowners insurance to see if you’re covered for a flood from an aquarium.

So…

The water pushes on the side of the tank. This bends the glass both horizontally and vertically.

Braced tanks can use relatively thin glass because the braces limit the horizontal distance the top of the pane has to span to 2 feet. Where you removed the brace that span is now 4 feet.

This doubling the span causes approximately 4 times the bending stress in the tank. Which is bad.

This is made worse because the top of the pane is in compression, but it’s also bowing out. The compressive force on a bowed line causes even more bending. Take a ruler and squash it. It takes force. Now bend it a little before squashing and it’ll buckle easier. That’s what’s happening to the top of your tank right now ow.

You’re well into the safety factors the manufacturer used when designing this tank.

 

[Mattiejay6]

Definitely going to be a ticking time bomb now. Especially because it’s a mass produced tank with minimum thickness glass. Hey maybe you’ll be the one person that doesn’t run into an issue. Hopefully your tank is on a solid surface like a cement subfloor, where no floor deviation can cause vibrations etc.

 

[Marinus]

If you hold the brace back in its original position can you check if the aquarium is wider? (front to back) That would show if any bowing has started.

 

[dlaird76]

Sorry for being so blunt but imo what you've done isn't brave, it's reckless and stupid. Again apologies, I would try and rectify this ASAP. I really hope you are lucky and I am being a drama queen !!!!!!