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08-31-2004, 12:49 PM
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#1
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Aquarium Advice Newbie
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 4
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Cautions Buyers! Light problem... Help
I'm very new to this forum and I really hope I could recieve some advice on what to do here. Hopefully I will be able to offer up some of my own to someone else.
I Just bought a new Coralife for my 75g all-glass tank. It has the moonlights in it. I was so excited about getting them on!
Anyway, I got home with it yesterday, put the light on.... only to realize I'm too blonde for my own good! My tank has a crossbar at the top (which I believe is only made to hold the glass panes) (I dont use glass up there my tank is open) So.,.. the crossbar is completely blocking the way of the Middle LED and it looks like *#&% 
Does anyone out there know if this Crossbar is a supporting piece or not? Can I cut it out? (I would really appreciate some help on this one) the last thing I need is for my tank collapse.
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08-31-2004, 12:57 PM
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#2
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Malaysia
Posts: 607
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Yes the cross bar is very important. Without the crossbar, after some time the tank's front and back will "bend" slightly outward due to the water preasure which is REALLY uncomfortable with....
HTH
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08-31-2004, 01:01 PM
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#3
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AA Team Emeritus
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Virginia
Posts: 2,256
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Please please please dont remove that middle brace. As vega mentioned that brace is there for a reason. The purpose is to support the front and back glass. Many years ago tank makers realized they could use thinner glass (saving money of course) if they put a center support brace on the top and bottom of the tank.
If you remove this while the tank is full you could very well bust the tank totally. If you drain the tank and cut this brace and then fill the tank up again the glass may very well hold but the brace will noticably be spred apart where you cut it in half. Over time this will put excessive strain on the sylicon joints and cause eventual tank failure.
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08-31-2004, 01:01 PM
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#4
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Aquarium Advice Newbie
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 4
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Are you sure of this? I just cant imagine that because its just a thin plastic piece....
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08-31-2004, 01:04 PM
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#5
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Aquarium Advice Newbie
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 4
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Do you all have any suggestions then? I really wanted the moonlights they look great at night in my house but i really cant turn them on this way.
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08-31-2004, 01:06 PM
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#6
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Aquarium Advice Regular
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 58
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Might it be possible to put a small hole in the crossbar to let the moonlight through? Anyone have thoughts on what that would do to the structure?
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08-31-2004, 01:17 PM
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#7
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Rosemount, MN
Posts: 1,091
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i had the same problem with my csl hood. so i took the thing apart and moved the center moon light about 3 inches or so. you will have to drill som hols in the reflecter for it to work but that is that i did. after some time i remove all of the unit guts and put it in to my own home made top. now i only have 2 moon ligts and they really work great.
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A 46 gal bow front (Soft coral) reef tank with a 10 gal sump. And a 30 gal ( SPS and Clam) reef tank hooked up to the sump of the 46 so they share water.
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08-31-2004, 01:29 PM
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#8
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Malaysia
Posts: 607
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Drillling a hole in the cross bar will weaker the structure and its quit imposible without proper equipment (not std power drill). Driling a hole through a glass been discuss before in DYI section. Drilling through the coralife is much simpler and easier.
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08-31-2004, 01:33 PM
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#9
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Aquarium Advice Newbie
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Florida
Posts: 4
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Good Idea! Thank you... I'll try that and see how it works...
I really appreciate it!
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08-31-2004, 01:52 PM
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#10
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AA Team Emeritus
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Virginia
Posts: 2,256
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by cavewoman
Are you sure of this? I just cant imagine that because its just a thin plastic piece....
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Yes. The plastic does not have to do anything but resist the outward push of the water. Companies are all about producing tanks at the lowest possible cost so they would not put something in the tank that was not needed for some reason.
You say you have a 75gal tank. How thick is the front and back glass? I have an OLD 75 gal tank that does not have a center brace. Never did and you can tell by looking at the top frame. This tank was built in the early 90's. By looking at the photo below you can see my front/back glass is 5/8" thick.
I suspect your glass is less than 1/2" thick.
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08-31-2004, 02:01 PM
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#11
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Savage, MN
Posts: 7,889
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Coralife also makes some single moonlights that slide on the track on the back of the light housing. They also come with suction cups so yu can put them on the glass if you want. They sell them in 3/4 watt or 1 watt. Might be an option for you. I have them on mine and they work great. DO NOT remove the center support...very bad.
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08-31-2004, 02:12 PM
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#12
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Malaysia
Posts: 607
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Woah, great thickness you have there. Cant find one these day unless a custom order ($$$).
All my lfs 55-75 gal using 1 cm thickness glass.
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08-31-2004, 03:37 PM
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#13
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Aquarium Advice Addict
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Nebraska, USA
Posts: 6,703
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If you do anything to that center brace it'll void the warranty on the tank...and if the tank breaks and dumps 70 gallons of water onto your carpet, the manufacturer isn't responsible. Those braces usually come with a sticker on them saying "Do not use this brace as a handle!"
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Former advisor and planted tank geek...life's moved on though.
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08-31-2004, 03:58 PM
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#14
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Toano, Virginia!
Posts: 716
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Im not sure which light fixture you have, but Im assuming its either about 250 bucks or 450 bucks, depending on the power rating. Id rather void the warranty on my tank than the warranty on my light fixture. Now, I would make two metal straps, heavy steel and painted to resist corrosion; each long enough to sit on top of the tank from front to back. Each end should hang over about an inch....bend the ends down at 90 degrees so you have a bracket that fits snugly on the tank and will prevent any bowing of the glass. Id put one on either side of the center and then remove the center plastic brace. If your tank is open top, this should work fine although I cant be held responsible for broken tanks! Id try the straps myself, before I cut into my 450 dollar light fixture.
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I almost dated a psychic.....
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08-31-2004, 05:57 PM
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#15
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Aquarium Advice Regular
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Scottsdale, AZ
Posts: 58
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by vega
Drillling a hole in the cross bar will weaker the structure and its quit imposible without proper equipment (not std power drill). Driling a hole through a glass been discuss before in DYI section. Drilling through the coralife is much simpler and easier.
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Yup. Much better idea then mine.
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08-31-2004, 06:29 PM
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#16
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Aquarium Advice FINatic
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Northwest Indiana
Posts: 711
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by cavewoman
Are you sure of this? I just cant imagine that because its just a thin plastic piece....
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The tensile strength of that thin plastic piece is probably 1,000 lbs or more.
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We'll be fighting in the streets with our children at our feet, and the morals that they worshipped will be gone.
And the men who spurred us on sit in judgment of all wrong, they decide and the shotgun sings the song.
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