does anyone know?

[aquabod]

i just brought my new 180 rr aquarium home,its a perfecto,and i love it...just one problem.the center braces x2 (not sure if thats the correct name) on top of the tank will block some of my lighting which is a 72'' mh,with 4 hqi's 250w.the light will be hung above the tank so the braces may not affect the light that much but will they melt under the mh"s and does anyone know if its possible to cut them out and perhaps replace them with glass?...is this a good idea or am i about to do somthing that i dont need to?? when i line the lights up above my tank only one of the hqis are half blocked by the braces,doesnt seem to create a shadow in the tank. your suggestions and help will be greatly appreciated

 

[NicoleC]

A lot depends on the thickness of the acrylic. It's it's 1/2" and eurobraced, you could probably remove the brace safely, however I seriously doubt the acrylic is that thick on an off-the-shelf tank. Therefore...

The center braces are there for a reason and are not safe to remove in a tank of that size. You cannot just cut them out. Depending on how close the lights are, they have been known to melt acrylic, but this won't happen in a few minutes, so don't panic. If there's a problem, you'll be able to see it and make adjustments accordingly. If the acrylic is safe to touch, it's not too hot. Covering the halides with a splash shield will help, as will vigorous fans.

If you can't move the lights so that none is directly over the braces, and the acrylic gets too got, your only options are to a) move the lights further away or b) have an acrylic manufacturer look at the tank and tell you if the tank can be modified to be braced differently (like a single center brace instead of two.)

 

[aquabod]

thanks for the advice nicoleC...everything i have is new,i havnt even put the splash shield on the lights yet.the lights have three fans,one on each end and one larger fan on top so maybe with all that going there wont be a problem? i have seen several tank with a clip on type fan blowing across the tank under the mh's,i guess i could do tha too,but i was worried that that would create a lot of evaporation?

 

[aquabod]

i forgot to mention one other thing....im not sure if i made this clear or not but my 180 is a glass aquarium,made by perfecto and has 2 plastic or acrylic braces on the top.how do you if a tank is eurobraced??

 

[NicoleC]

Clip-on fans DO cause more evaporation -- and are therefore the easiest and cheapest tool in fighting excessive tank heat. They're a good thing.

If the tank is glass and is not eurobraced (you would have paid extra for this), it definitely needs a cross brace. I am not aware of any safe way to replace a cross brace in a glass tank that doesn't involve replacing the entire top trim section, and any manufacturer replacement is likely to be plastic as well.

Seriously, if it's going to bug you to death, return the tank and pay the extra $$$ for a eurobraced tank.

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Can you exchange your light fixture to 3 bulb set up? 3 x 250W HQI bulbs should be more than enough light for that tank (72 x 24 x 24) IMHO.

I have 2 x 250W HQI over my 120G (48 x 24 x 24) and I can grow just about any corals without any problem.

Tomoko

 

[8BALL_99]

You can replace the ABS black braces with Clear Acrylic,, But Since this is new equipment we are talking about I would just get a tank and light fixture that go together better.. I would also agree with Tomoko a 3x250MH would be plenty for that tank.. Why add an extra 70 bucks to the annual bulb change if its not needed..JMO

 

[aquabod]

thanks again for your help...the problem is i had ordered the light before i bought the aquarium and didnt even think of the center braces.3 lights would have fit just perfectly!!....i wont be able to return the lights,i had them custom made....plus its my fault for overlooking this problem.3 of the lights are lined up just fine,just one of the hqi's is half blocked by one brace.from the sounds of it im just going to have to live with it.id hate to mess up the tank.i have seen tanks that have glass braces siliconed into place,but dont want to do that unless i new it was going to ok.the light seem to be even reflecting into the tank with no shadow when i hold the light up so maybe it will be ok??? i wonder how bad it would be to cut out just one brace?

 

[NicoleC]

i wonder how bad it would be to cut out just one brace?

Do you want to find out how many buckets of water you wring out of your mop?

 

[aquabod]

:mad2: i'm just so mad at myself,it probably wont hurt anything but when you buy new stuff you want it to be right!!

 

[8BALL_99]

Well really your talking bout a 250 watt De Mh 6-9" above a black plastic brace... I would be worried about it also.. I've seen them melted before.. Also you have 4x250 over that tank. It will be very warm above the tank.. On top of that you will have a Black brace under the hot spot of a bulb.. Again I would try to match your tank to your light best you can.. Maybe look at getting different tank since your stuck with the light.. My 180 is Euro braced and I love it.

If the light isnt right above the brace your probably ok.. But if it is right above it I'd keep an eye on it.. Plastic+heat+Stress=Bad

 

[H@rry]

How would it look if you just burned 3 of the 4 MHs? If you plan ahead you could arrange the area that is in the "shadow" as an area for lower light corals.

 

[8BALL_99]

Another thought have you looked at the fixture very well.. Some of them you can move the lights.. Not sure what kind you have, but I know I've seen several that were made like this.. Heck even the Coral life fixtures. Ofcourse they have plates between the lights you would have to pull out and cut.. But it can be done..

 

[TheGriffin]

You can cut it out and replace it with clear acrylic like 8ball said. Here is a pic. The white things are nylon screws.

The person has the acrylic piece on the bottom, the ABS plastic in the middle, then another piece of Acrylic on top for extra support. A nylon nut is on the back side of the screw.

 

[aquabod]

thanks for the ideas guys. i dont know what to do!...i may have to set the tank up and just keep a close eye on the lights,and put a fan blowing across the tank but i dont realy want to rely on a fan to keep the acrylic from melting!!.....thanks for the pics griffin,do you know waht thickness the acrylic is in the picture? only half the bulb is being blocked by the brace like i said above.....maybe i ll hav to raise the light a little higher than i normally would have with the adjustable hanging kit i have??

 

[Tomoko Schum]

Fastening with nylon bolts may be convenient for replacing the acrylic plate as it ages and gets brittle with the strong light and heat over it.

Tomoko

 

[TheGriffin]

I would use at least 1/4". Not that cheap stuff the have at Ace, Lowes, or HD either. I was going to use 1/4" Lexan when I though about doing it.

 

[8BALL_99]

1/4 would do fine.. Need to use large nylon bolts since this will be where the stress is..If you do go with cutting the brace, You should be able to call a glass shop or maybe even an Acrylic shop in culman and have them cut you a peice the size you need. If you lived around here Id say I'd cut you one for the price of the Acrylic.. But Culman to Athens is a little bit of a drive lol...

 

[aquabod]

you have given me some great ideas and i appreciate your time.the lighting i have is a custom made unit from catalina aquarium....great people and great quality products,i think im going to try and call him and find out if the hqi's can be moved where they wont be hanging over the brace before i start cutting on the brace,just hate to start pulling apart and cutting on a new light.....it has 3 cooling fans and doesnt seem to get too hot under the lighting especialy when i place the protective lens over them.......another idea i have is calling the perfect manufacturer and see if they could custom make me a brace to replace the one i have????- has anyone ever tried that before????

 

[aquabod]

perfecto aquarium made by marineland....i made a mistake above