Center brace Quandary? Please help

[Kerrie]

Hi Everyone,
I've been lurking for a while reading the posts. Have just brought a 4' x 2' x 2' tank that has a quite wide center brace. Now that would normally not bother me but yesterday I went and brought a massive and I mean MASSIVE piece of golden vine that is roughly 3' long x 2' x 2' and as you can imagine very heavy and brought it without thinking how I would get it into the tank. I can trim the root stock a little to fit the width of the tank, but it will not go in with the center brace there. Does anyone know if it would be ok to take the centre brace off all together if there is a glass lip around all the sides of the top, will this be enough bracing, or should I take it off with a razor, then silicone it back into place after I put the wood in then fill the tank for the first time?
Thanks guys, your help would be greatly appreciated as I am not very good with structural stuff. Have put a pic although not very good of the tank in question.
Cheers
Kerrie

[022690]

i'd like to see the results of this too! :D i bought some used aquariums which had drilled holes on the bottom but the previous owner cut a square glass to silcone over the whole.
it would make my life so much easier if the bottom holes were blocked off
i just cant see how i'm going to remove silcone between a piece of glass ~2.5inches by 2.5inches

[Ghoti]

Fishing line, or better still a guitar 'e' string can be used to slice through the silicone in places you can't get a blade.

Cheers,
Scott