Necessary Bracer?

[Nano_Steve]

hey all,

im wondering if my bracer pane of glass at the top of my corner tank is actually necessary or not? its a corner with the sides 23" the two front panes 8" and the large viewing pane 22" and its 19" tall. i dont know much about the structural integrity of glass so im hoping someone who does can.

id rather not put it on because it will block some of my lighting from the tank.

-steve

[::pete::]

Its not permanent? If its not what purpose is it serving?

[Nano_Steve]

it was permanent but i have taken apart my tank and am in the process of rebuilding it. i have the choice to silicone it back in or not and i wanted to know whether it would make a diff?

-steve

[captexas]

If it was on there before, the manufacturer put it there for a reason. I would be very nervous about not having it there. The tank might be alright for awhile, but the pressure on the outer glass could eventually be too much for the silicone to handle. The structural integrity of the glass depends on the thickness and height of the tank. The structural integrity of the tank all depend on the joints between the sections and its bracing.

[RobertG]

Not something I want to worry about! I would reconsider abit.

[Nano_Steve]

well i had thoughts of making a tight fitting canopy also and wondered if that would make a difference. the extra support of the wood would add extra grip to the top of the tank and since i will be setting the tank INSIDE the stand that will cover the bottom's structure.

i used black silicone to re-seal it all up and i used quite a thick portion of it(didnt come out looking as pretty as i wanted but darn good for my first try with black silicone).

thanks for the opinions so far guys!

-steve

[captexas]

Black silicone? That's very unusual. Is it made for aquarium use? I've never seen any and some of the silicone/caulk that is out there has nasty stuff in it.

[Nano_Steve]

well i saw a 18 gallon at petsmart a couple months ago that had black silicone and it looks really incredible! even with my shady silicone job it looks awesome! plus i have a black theme going for my tank(black silicone, sand, backing, overflow) so i figured might as well :)

not to mention i will be in the market for some black sun corals very soon so if anyone has any ideas where to get a frag i will pay some good money for some.

the silicone itself becomes harmless after it cures. the curing is what has all the harmful ammonias and whatnot coming from it. its been a week since i finished the main edges now im wondering how much the bracer will take away from my lighting?

-steve

ps ill have btacker take some pics when he comes over of the tank im putting back together.

[captexas]

The glass will reduce the light some, but it is a common problem, especially on Oceanic tanks so I wouldn't worry too much about it. The main thing is keeping the glass piece clean of salt creep.

[::pete::]

Black silicone? That's very unusual. Is it made for aquarium use? I've never seen any and some of the silicone/caulk that is out there has nasty stuff in it.

My neighbor in SA had FW tanks all from Germany w/Eurobracing and black silicone.

Hindsite: You could have used tape and peeled off later to keep the edges clean on the black silicone.

[Nano_Steve]

i used the tape and filtch brush method but the problem was i used too big of a bead so when i went to peel off the tape it left edges rather than the smooth look that you get from no tape.

it still looks rather good if i do say so myself and im confident that me using too much silicone will add to the structure making me more confident in its stability.

-steve

thanks for all the tips guys! and like yall said, i think i will throw it back on, like chris says if its there its there for a reason.