My Cracked TANK....What Do You Think?

[Kindredspirit]

Some of you know my new 55gal cracked this morning! I got up and turned the light on as this tank is in my room ~ all was fine ~ I went down stairs and did some things and I went into the garage and there were these numerous leaks from the ceiling! All over the boxes! I thought ...why? It was very frosty out and all was starting to melt with the sun but it has been raining for two weeks here in Cali and no leaks...!

So I went upstairs to my room to get my cell and OMG! I see that this tank was cracked from corner to corner! and water all over the floor! It was leaking into the garage~

I remember in retrospect that a few days ago the water level was not level....on top...I thought.. I wonder why...

Also ~ I took out a thread re the stand for this tank as it is not the typical 55gal...is is tall and deep and didnt fit my standard 55gal stand I had bought for it so I improvised with large piece of wood and centered the tank...according to some posting on my thread...

But ~

There were some that said do not do it Marie~ sooner or later it will crack! But for months at the old house it was fine ~ and the water level at the top was level....

So was the floor at the old house ~

But the floor at this house had a tad bit of slope to it in my room...upstairs..


That ...combined with an improper stand ~ improvised by wood ~ I believe is what caused this tank to crack ~ or it was a bad tank? I know one thing...no more tanks upstairs for me! You can feel the piece that looks like it will pop out as there is about an 1/8inch you can feel! ....it was a matter of time before it all just let go! Thank God we were home ~


Any thoughts??


Marie ~ :(


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[White Worm]

Yep.....its cracked :o I'd say with a crack like that, there was a combination of some sheer stress and poor manufacturing on the tank.

[FishLover888]

I cracked my 55 g back about 1 1/2 years ago. It was because I was adding cold water to the tank, too cold since it was Winter time. At that time, I did not know I was suppose to match the temp from source and tank water. Also, I was adding cold tap water directly into the tank. I notice the crack before it leaked so it was not a big issue other than came up with the money to buy the current 125 g.

I did not have discus in the 55 g tank. When I saw the crack, I told my wife either we had a new tank ASAP or we would have a mess floor with dead fish all over the place. I got the new tank in few days. My wife thought I might have cracked it to get the bigger tank. I don't think so.

[AquaticRay]

It depends on a couple of things. You can fix it, replace that pane or get a new tank. If looks are important you can replace the tank or the pane. If looks are not as important, you can glue(silicone) a pane over the cracked pane.

[dandestroy]

if its new like 60 days or less I would definitively ask for a refund if I was you.

I glad for you to see that the crack was at the top and not the bottom of the glass. (still a lot of water on the floor I guess)

Maybe you're all wrong with your stand, and level, and manufacturing...
... maybe one of the baby that was in it has a very very stong forehead and a quik powerfull swim, and slammed into the glass so hard that...

[Timbo]

its always important to make sure a tank is level and supported evenly along the bottom!

any variance will cause stress points and possible breakage because of the uneven pressure stress on the glass and joints. i doubt it was a flaw in the aquarium itself. i would not bother to try and fix the broken pane, just toss the tank.

make sure you address the leveling prob when you re-set the new tank.

[Polar_Bear]

I would have to agree with Mike, it sure does look cracked to me also.

[traco]

You guys!:p

[traco]

All this talk about uneven floors, stands, etc... If the water level is uneven in your tank, should a person worry about the stand? Thread stealer here but awhile back I had a drip leak which soaked the carpet and stand on one end of my 90 gallon. Wet vacced it well, dried out well, the stand is made of particle board. I always wondered if it is now compromised? I ask because the end that got wet is the end where the water level is higher which means .... ?

Sorry Marie, for hijacking.:o

[Polar_Bear]

Which only means that side is lower Barb. As long as the tank itself is on a flat surface it doesn't matter too much if the whole stand is slightly out of level.

[swinters66]

Wow Marie...that takes me back to my cracked tank fiasco a few years ago! Our 150 gallon breeder tank cracked when no one was home...figures :( and when I got home...it was a disaster. We had about 3 inches of water left in the tank and all the african cichlids were still alive, so we scrambled and got our 2 spare 20 gallons up, moved the fish and spent the next 6 hours pullin water out of the carpet!!

Turns out we didn't have that square piece of glass in the tank...the brace I think its called. Our fish guy told us that was probably what caused the crack. I think though that all the fish digging gravel...had knocked over some rocks and they were lying against the glass. Could that cause the crack? I have no idea.

I hope you got it all cleaned up....how about the fish?

[Kindredspirit]

Which only means that side is lower Barb


...if one side is lower Larry...then the tank is obviously not level? Or am I confused:confused:


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_2_15.gif

[blaze]

what da heck.......... my tank cracked yesterday as well......... :mad:

Kindredspirit sorry for ur loss, I know exactly how u feel

yup same 55g, but my crack was along the bottom, roughly a 3ft crack running diagonally from front to back. Needless to say i wasn't home when it happned.

I think the plyboard ( to keep it level) started to warp, I'm not sure as yet. The funny thing is on Sunday morning I decided to put back some gravel in the tank, 5lbs..... it originally had 15lb before I decided to go bb (3 yrs ago). And I added a few potted plants as well, I was gonna add a piece of drift wood, but didn't , good thing, because I wud have thought it was it that caused the crack.

I went to work yesterday morning all was good........ came home to see an emtpy tank......... saved only 2 angels ........ yup no discus left now

The whole (carpeted) room is soaked (mental note-need to borrow my cousins wet vac),
Wife & I could have gotten
electrocuted, water is still dripping out of the surge guard ... which still hadn't chipped in...... expensive POS that doesn't work.

My wife and I built that tank together 4 yrs or so ago(1 of the few thing we do together),,,,, man I'm even so p!ssed:angry: :angry: :angry:

I wanted to go get some glass today, but christmas week, way to busy..... so looks like next year before I get a chance to repair that tank.... I might just buy thicker glass and build a taller tank......... yeah more water:) but i'm don't think i'll can get any more discus out here .Jamaica :(

[Kindredspirit]

Wow Marie...that takes me back to my cracked tank fiasco a few years ago! Our 150 gallon breeder tank cracked


150 gal Stephanie? OMG! I cld not imagine that! We figure we lost about 8gal of water to the floor...the water stopped after it passed the crack ~

The fish are all fine now ~ thanks for asking:)


Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_2_15.gif

[Kindredspirit]

what da heck.......... my tank cracked yesterday as well......... :mad: :(



No way Blaze! WoW! Thank God I was home is all I can say ~ My wood did not warp at all...I believe the floor was warped:mad:

I am sorry you lost your discus too ~ what a sad thing~

Marie ~ http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_2_15.gif

[AmberC]

blaze I am so sorry! :( That really sucks!