This is how I see the tank from the chair in front of my desk. When the photo was taken, the tank was well established, and had been running for more than a year.

My tank is a standard size 125G tank measuring 72"x18"x20", and I bought it used via Craigslist for $200. The deal included glass tops, two big HOB filters, two 3' single tube lights, a decent heater, airpumps, a box full of junk like dirty nets, useless algae scrapers and ugly plastic decorations, and even a bucket full of ghastly gold fish. Matching glass tops are always a nice thing to have with a tank. The HOBs were sold promptly - I hate HOBs, but luckily there seems to be no shortage of people who think differently and buy them! The lights, heater, and airpump found uses with my breeding setup in the basement, the box of junk entered into an auction, and the goldfish went into my neighbors pond - and were never seen again! 🙂

Since I don't own a truck, transport of anything bigger than a 55G is always a bit of a problem for me. So I was particularly delighted that the seller threw delivery of the tank from Cleveland to my place in Kent into the deal! I drove up to his place together with my dad and brother who happened to be visiting from Germany at the time, helped him load the tank onto the truck, and he followed me to Kent were we unloaded the tank and put it in my garage.

This used 125G tank sat in my garage for about a year until I finally got around to setting it up.

The tank is an Allglass tank dated 5 March 1990. It's a heavy beast using half inch glass but neither side nor center braces. In the aquarium hobby it's a well known fact that the construction of 125G tanks has changed somewhat over time. Older tanks were made with half inch glass without braces, newer tanks use thinner glass and braces. I am asked frequently what's better, and a lot of people who have just bought a tank without braces wonder if they need to ad one, while people who own a tank with braces would like to take them out for one reason or another. The short answer to these questions is that you do not want to mess with the braces of your tank. If a manufacturer built a tank without a brace that needs one, the resulting warranty claims and bad publicity would force them out of business very quickly. Also, if they put braces in a tank that does not need them, the competition could offer the same tank without brace and undercut their price, which would also force them out of business. The logical conclusion is that as long as you buy a tank from a manufacturer that has been in business for a while, it will have all the braces it needs, but not more braces than it needs. Side braces seem to work just as well as center braces, so whatever your tank has - center braces, side braces, or no braces at all - as long as it doesn't look like a previous owner has tempered with them, try to be happy with what you have got and leave the things alone!

There are countless calculators available online that allow you to calculate the necessary glass strength for your size tank. If you are one of those people who pride themselves for their maths skills, you might be tempted to use one of these calculators to convince yourself that your tank is plenty strong enough without the braces installed by the manufacturer and knock them out just to prove a point. Do yourself a favor and use those calculators along with your maths skills only to marvel at the safety factor the manufacturer has built into your tank, and leave the braces alone regardless of what your calculations reveal.

If I still haven't convinced you not to mess with the braces of your tank, you probably won't listen to one of the world's largest aquarium manufacturers either, but here is a quote directly from the FAQ page of Aqueon's (formerly Allglass) web site:

Can I remove the center brace of my aquarium frame?

No! Removing the center brace on the frame is not recommended. Removing or cutting the center brace will affect the structural integrity of the aquarium. The brace is needed to reinforce front to back support and modifying the brace may cause the aquarium to fail and leak over time. Most of our glass canopies and full hoods require the center brace to be intact to keep them from falling in the tank. In larger aquariums, removal of the center brace can cause the tank to “bow”. The extent of the “bow” could make the lighting products not fit properly. Please note: Removing the center brace or otherwise tampering with the structure of your aquarium will void the manufacturer's warranty.

Some of our smaller aquariums do not require a center brace, so if your smaller aquarium does not have a brace, this is normal.