In the many things that I have built, not only with this hobby but others as well, you always get a better result when you do more than what you feel you should. I figured that there was plenty of surface area to hold the fan on my tank We all now how that turned out. So if you are going to mod the center brace you will get much better results doing it as meticulous as possible. Draining the tank and properly prepping the area is a lot less work then cleaning up the water and trying to find temp housing for your livestock. and buying a second light would be a lot cheaper than having to get a new tank set up again. It is your adventure so do as you will, but feel free to let us know if you need any help.