I know this sounds a bit stupid, but has anyone ever removed their center brace from their bowfront aquarium? I believe that my 30g bowfront aquarium is made by All-glass (no manufacturer tag), and the glass thickness is approximately 1/8" thick. The black plastic trim along the top edge of the aquarium is in continuity with a center brace.

I will be removing my glass canopy, and changing to MH lighting (clamp on), so that I can experiment with an emersed plant setup. However, the center brace may block out some of the lighting, and it also interferes with the aesthetics of an emersed setup.

So, ideally I'd love to cut and remove the center brace, but I'm unsure in practical terms, whether this would affect the integrity of the aquarium. Any personal experiences (or structural engineers?)?

Thanks a lot.

No personal experience with it, but I heard/read that you should not remove the brace b/c it is needed for structural support.

dont do it unless u need your floor cleaned lol

I don't think you'll find anyone with experience doing that. Makes me nervous to think about it. Maybe you could paint it to be less obvious?

Braces exist on aquariums to provide structural integrity to a tank at a low cost. A much more expensive option is to leave off the brace and increase the thickness of the glass. This is a lovely option, but doing it increases the cost of a tank.

So if you remove a brace, keep in mind that if it wasn't required for that thickness of glass, it wouldn't be there. Remove it at your risk.

As mention it is for strength and if removed will void any warranties. I doubt that it will block significant amount of light in your aquarium.

Thanks for all the replies. I've been throughly convinced to leave the center brace intact. Not worth taking the risk to have all my water, fish and plants on the floor!

If I ever get the space for another planted tank, I'll be sure to make sure that it doesn't have a center cross brace then.

Looks like I am chiming in late again, but here goes:

I have two 55 gallon tanks, one was made a few years ago (probably AGA) and has fairly thin glass. I was considering getting rid of the center brace, but my friend showed me pictures of when he tried it on his old 55. His tank bowed out more than an inch at the center when filled with water, yikes.

My other 55 gallon was one that I found in an old crate. I have no idea when it was made, but the glass is at least twice as thick as the AGA tank and it has no center brace. I did measure for bow and it was less than one eight of an inch - so Scolley is correct about glass thickness. Interestingly, THIS TANK DOES NOT GROW ALGAE ON THE GLASS EVER. I don't know how, and I don't question, I just say thank you to the aquarium fairy that put that tank in the crate.

Hmmmmm, I wonder???