Lighting Question kinda

[D&KSac]

My question is on top of my 37 gal is the plastic strip that goes from the back to the front of the tank, does that have to be there? im getting a large shadow right down the middle of my tank from the 250w HQI lighting i just installed. Can i take that strip out without losing the strength of the tank?

 

[Avalanche Wolf]

something like that you would have to post a picture of the tank. I have seen clear but not black before. But usally unless the tank is made /designed without it , then it needs it.

But like i said a picture will help those with the knowhow a better idea.

 

[D&KSac]

I have tried to post pics on here but everytime i try RC says my file size is exceeded lol get a nice dig camera and it makes the pics files to large lol

 

[Avalanche Wolf]

You can upload them to photobuck for free or use MS paint with the CTRL+A then CTRL+ W and size it down , this will drop the file size as well.

 

[D&KSac]

pics

pics

Here are pictures of my tank. I got some bad information about a brass fitting so my tank is finally getting healthy again. I did add a pic of that plastic piece on top and of the shadow.

Pic 1 Pic 2 Pic 3 Pic 4 Pic 5 Pic 6 Pic 8 Pic 9 Pic 10

 

[xia]

Yeah I have a tank like that. The middle partition's all warped from my lights, but it's still there. You can try removing it and replacing it with a glass or acrylic piece. Should be easy with a tank that size. It almost borders on not necessary. But I'd do it just incase. Just silicone the glass partition to the glass sides and under the plastic trim.

 

[D&KSac]

ok so it is needed at least somewhat? To help reinforce the tank or something? If i take it out i need to replace it with something else?

 

[dots]

Yeah I know those are a pain to deal with, and manufactures are realizing this and moving to tanks that are eurobraced like the new tech line from Oceanic, and most acrylic are already this way.

However, these braces are there for a reason and to remove it is not recommended and could cause a problem that could lead to failure at the seems or by cracking. Now I know your going to get 10 people telling you...."I did it and mines O.K.!!" which I will simply respond to by saying......."In Russian Roulette you get lucky 5 times out of 6"

Looking at it from a manufactures point of view: Would you take the time to put something smack dab in the middle of the only opening of a box if you didn't have to? Would you want to spend the extra money to produce this?

Looking at it from a design point of view: Glass is a very rigid and brittle material with very little elastic modulus.......meaning it doesn't bend like say.....plastic......it just breaks. So what this brace is doing is a ONE piece system to reinforce the glass box to help resist the force of the water trying to push this glass box apart. These braces transfer and distribute the load.

I am willing to bet these braces are so commonly used because it is cheaper to produce them rather than use a thicker piece of glass.

Regardless, cutting it and removing it changes the way the stress is distibuted and could cause a stress concentration that won't appear until it breaks, cracks or leaks at the joints..........I don't know about you but I have seen many people especially kids hit the center of the front pane with there hands..........impact forces like that could be the proverbial "straw that breaks the camels back."

To remove it and replace is a design chore in itself. You have to make the connection points as strong or stronger than before.....which means mechanical fasteners.......to replace it with equal to or greater than load transfer would probably be unsightly and to much to deal with and in the end look, well........cheap and cheesy.

Its there for a reason, don't cut or modify it. Odds are you will get another tank that is bigger eventually and then you will know what you are looking for in a new one......but until then I suggest living with it and modifying your lighing to work around it.

In addition, its nearly impossible to get rid of a modified tank for just these reasons. That way at least you could recoup about $40 in your upgrade....

 

[Nu2SW]

I Was going to ask the same question for my tank.

Hope you dont mind a thread hijack

I have a 12 gallon acrylic tank that has a plastic peice that runs all the way around. On that plastic piece. I have a center brace. I am thinking that I can take the center brace off because I have the edge that would hold the top.

It is also a 1 piece molded tank.

 

[D&KSac]

Ok thanks for the feedback. Im sure your right and that they designed it that way for a reason.

 

[Solitaryensis]

If it really bothers you, im sure it wouldnt be a problem to remove it (no guarantees, and dont take my opinion to be a reliable source.) In the past, ive cut the center brace out of smaller tanks (up to 40 gallons) with no problems at all, but yes, they do put them there for a reason. In most cases, i think this is extra, more than it is necessary. If it were my tank, id prob do it, but i prob wouldnt do it with a bigger tank. Cut it off, leaving an inch or two on both ends and get a clear piece of acrylic and weld it on there. Should make for a comparable hold. Good luck either way.

 

[MrMikeB]

I am with Doug on this one - in one hand you have aesthetics and on the other you have - well dead fish on the floor and a flooded house. Hmmm...

 

[D&KSac]

real lighting question

real lighting question

Sorry guys if im turing this into my catch all question session. I'm too new at this and i act like a new father at times. The 250w HQI retrofit i added to my tank was running for the first time yesterday and i was keeping an eye on the temp to see how it affected it. During the 7 hours it was on it raised my temp from 80 to 82 degrees is that temp shift to drastic for my livestock should i install a fan or 2 since it is under a hood?

 

[Solitaryensis]

A fan would be nice, and obviously, having your tank as stable as possible would be nice. However, a 2 degree jump is nothing to be worried about.

 

[D&KSac]

well the main reason im asking is because of the heat and also because i was thinking about encloseing it somewhat the light really lights up the white wall behind the tank and its a bit annoying. Which would of course really lessen the airflow. Any ideas where to get 120v fans that would work?

 

[Solitaryensis]

I personally dont use fans, but do a search on here and youll find a TON of info on them. I think most people are using comuputer fans and wiring them up to 120v.

 

[Reefugee]

As Solitaryensis stated, a 2 degree (F) fluctuation isn't bad at all. What you do need to worry about though is the high temperature you might get during the summer.

In my opinion, computer fans are good for constant air flow through the canopy. However, if you want to really remove the heat, you will need a bigger fan blowing across the surface of the water to cause evaporation cooling. The computer fan would then be used to remove the moisture inside the canopy. So I would use a combination of computer fans and larger fans.

Minh