Tank Broke!

[rrasco]

I just walked in from work and my brand new 210 that is cycling BROKE! The front pane cracked and leaked about 80 gallons before I got to emptying the tank. This is a NIGHTMARE!!!! More details later...I have to clean up this mess and get it under control.

[reefreak]

Aww man that blows!

[SinisterLou]

That has happened to me before. The tank was unlevel and one of the silicone welds broke. San Antonio is hard on foundations.

[Bill S]

Dang. Better now than fully stocked. They often go in the first few weeks.

[rrasco]

That's what I was thinking, but this still blows. Is it bad the only thing I am thinking of is how I am going to replace the tank?

[reefreak]

are you going to replace the pane or get a new tank?

[BBQHILLBILLY]

That was a new tank. That suks. If I can do anything to help let me know.

[rrasco]

BRAND NEW.

Not sure what I'm going to do, we'll see what Aqueon tells me and go from there. Now I get to do most of this build all over again. That could be for the worse or for the better, only time will tell.

I got most of the water cleaned up. I'm making some saltwater in my brute so I can move my LR over there and keep it going.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

Rrasco call Louis at Forever Pets 7336243. They will replace the glass. They work on tanks. Just bring them the tank and relax. They close at 7.

[350gt]

sorry to hear man......


that has to suck.

[Gseclipse02]

didnt u build ur own stand ?

[rrasco]

I'm going to talk to the manufacturer before I do anything. See what they say. Then I'll figure out what I'm going to do.

[rrasco]

didnt u build ur own stand ?

Yes. That's what I'm worried about, but I did a lot to make sure it was perfectly flat.

[Mike]

We had them reseal a tank and it leaked again a year later. Be careful going that route.

[Gseclipse02]

i think the company will tell you have a nice day its not on our stand ....\



how long ago did u buy the tank ? purchase date

[rrasco]

Purchased Dec 9th 2011. I know they may tell me that, but the worst they can say is no. I won't know unless I ask.

[Gseclipse02]

some companys will do 90 days on ur home made stand if i recall ... ..... i dont think they do ...

[Gseclipse02]

pmed u

[rrasco]

Here is the pictorial evidence of my wonderful day.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

thats weird. I dont see how that happened. Should have at least seen it bow. When my 180 bowed the center brace came down but it still held sw.
Took it to Forever Pets to be resealed and never had a problem. I took Corys 210 to Forever pets had it resealed and have never had a problem.
Although the 210 never had a prob I had it resealed anyways. But like I was saying my 180 bowed and lost its center brace and still held sw.
let me know if I can help.

[hobogato]

man, that is a nightmare.

[edshas2]

Man that's hard to think about. Hope everything works out for you.

[Gseclipse02]

i sold a 150 of the same brand and the exact same looking crack but on the back ....



crazy part was a local rep. said he had not seen this in over 8 years

[rrasco]

Said he had never had seen a tank fail like that in 8 years?

[Gseclipse02]

yep

[rrasco]

Interesting.

[Europhyllia]

Oh that's awful. When my 125 burst it was a lot of water. I can't even imagine the 215 going out. Yikes.
The warranty was one of the reasons that I bought both the stand and the tank from the same manufacturer. The stuff is just too expensive and too damaging to take chances with.
I hope they will replace it for you!

I also agree with Mike on that one. I could see being willing to take a chance with resealing on a small tank like 50g or less but not on a big one that can cause so much damage if it does not hold up...

[alton]

Looking at your stand the front and sides look good, but do you have a center brace on the back section since it is open? Also what does the fish store say? I would think they would be your rep. to the manufacture?

[profntbtr]

at least you have tile. Carpet would have been a double damage modifier

[rrasco]

Looking at your stand the front and sides look good, but do you have a center brace on the back section since it is open? Also what does the fish store say? I would think they would be your rep. to the manufacture?

There is a brace in the back center. I am going to call the LFS when they open today, it was too late by the time I had a chance last night.


at least you have tile. Carpet would have been a double damage modifier

Mostly tile. The water did find it's way to the carpet. Luckily, I can just pull the edge up and shove a floor fan in there to get some nice flow. Everything seems to be okay thus far, considering the circumstances, things could have been much worse damage-wise.

[Bill S]

If you have to replace it, you might consider a brick. How thick was the glass on that one?

[rrasco]

1/2"

[rrasco]

Talked to TT today. They said the tank has a lifetime warranty and to bring it in and they will swap it out. However, since I drilled the tank, it has been 'modified' thus the warranty is void. Despite the break being on the front and the holes being on the back and they agree that the break is unrelated to the modifications, it still voids the warranty which means I am SOL. Now I'm just upset that I'm being screwed by a stupid loophole that is irrelevant to the failure.

FWIW, he asked what the tank was on, I told them it was a DIY stand and that apparently doesn't matter for warranty, he said it was still covered.

[rrasco]

Talked to Aqueon and they said the same thing about a modified tank. So I guess I'm just screwed. Yay for me.

[Bill S]

Might want to look for a thicker tank next time. I wouldn't have that size tank in less than 5/8". My brick is 3/4". '

That being said, I'd check your stand again. For it to crack from the end that way, either there was a defect in the glass (possible) or too much pressure at that corner.

[rrasco]

I have no idea. I really went out of my way to make sure the stand was flat and level. Apparently that didn't work so well. At this point it's pretty irrelevant. I may get the tank repaired, sell it as is and buy a new one, sell it all, find a used setup. Who knows.

[Europhyllia]

That's a pooper. At least it sounds like it was not much of a loss financially (cheaper standard tank, not drilled etc.)

[rrasco]

I guess 'much' is relative. It's about $1000 I'm out, but I agree, it could have been worse. In the end, I'm thankful there was not substantial damage to my house, my animals are safe (except the one damsel that was in there), and nobody got hurt.

[alton]

Since your stand had a center brace it should of been fine, tough deal on the warranty though. Hopefully you and Karin can make a deal on hers? Have her throw in the shadow box and tell her you can pick it up Saturday because I am available to help.

[alton]

[QUOTE=bstreep;854649]Might want to look for a thicker tank next time. I wouldn't have that size tank in less than 5/8". My brick is 3/4". '



My bosses stand for his tank busted and let go after we fill it up, we drained it before the tank broke. There was a 3/4" gap between the stand and tank on the left side after the tank was empty and flexed back into place. Stand made by a furniture company, tank made by the original Oceanic custom tank division, now known as DSA and it is 3/4" glass (Thank God) Tank is now 12 years old and still no problems.

[rrasco]

I might end up going smaller or something. I really just wanted a 6 footer, maybe I'll get a 125. Maybe I can find a shallow 72x24. the 29" depth was already a PITA to work with anyways, but that doesn't make me feel any better about it. Not sure if I feel comfortable with this stand or not either. I do, but without knowing the real cause of the failure I don't know if I'll ever have peace of mind.

[BBQHILLBILLY]

It is at these times that we eat our challenges like a snickers bar on a hungry day and smile. Bring it on.
Take a 1 step back now take 2 steps forward. Never give up on your dream. Never surrender.

[alton]

It is at these times that we eat our challenges like a snickers bar on a hungry day and smile. Bring it on.
Take a 1 step back now take 2 steps forward. Never give up on your dream. Never surrender.

I will second that.

[rrasco]

I'm not giving up, but I am re-evaluating things while I take that step back. I certainly don't want to experience this again.

[rrasco]

Okay, so here is the deal. $225 to repair the tank at FP. Here are my options:

1) Buy new tank and reuse stand
2) Repair tank and reuse stand
3) Repair tank and buy new stand
4) Repair tank and sell tank and/or stand and get another setup
5) Sell tank as-is and get another setup

What would YOU do?

[Big_Pun]

plan 3 and "charge it to the game" "chalk it off to lesson learned" "look at it as expirence" that's what I do to make my self feel better when crap happens

[Bill S]

Before you give up on the stand, look at the corner of the tank. See if there was any damage. Sometimes the builders don't see it. A nick or chip can then turn into a crack - and it was probably covered up by the trim.

If you feel comfortable about the stand, then fix the tank, put the tank and stand in the garage, and fill it for a few weeks.

[rrasco]

I don't know if I'll ever feel comfortable about the stand. I'm thinking about going in-wall and just building a heavy-duty adjustable stand.

[rrasco]

plan 3 and "charge it to the game" "chalk it off to lesson learned" "look at it as expirence" that's what I do to make my self feel better when crap happens

Do you know of any stands that will fit a 40 breeder inside? That's half the reason I built mine.

[alton]

#1 or #5

[Europhyllia]

I guess 'much' is relative. It's about $1000 I'm out, but I agree, it could have been worse. In the end, I'm thankful there was not substantial damage to my house, my animals are safe (except the one damsel that was in there), and nobody got hurt.

Oh yikes. No. I would have expected an undrilled tank like that to be much less! 1000 bucks IS a bunch!

[rrasco]

Well, to be precise, the tank was $627. The stand may or may not be a loss at this point, $350~. Add in costs for the c2c overflow, paint, pvc fittings I have to cut out, etc, and we are over $1000.

[Texreefer]

or read through my old build thread.. you wont feel so bad about this

[Europhyllia]

wow. that sucks. I am so sorry. A 60 gallon cube would have to sound awfully tempting at this point

[rrasco]

Indeed Karin. I have my 40 breeder that I have plumbed up and almost ready that was going to be my frag tank. Maybe I'll end up just using that. How about a 40 breeder DT with a 40 breeder sump and a NAC9? LOL. I still want a 6 footer, but we'll see what happens. I mean, I already have a 125 and a 150 still setup, so it's not like I don't already have big tanks, they're just not reefs. It's almost like I get to start over and fix any nuances I had with this build. I sure did learn a lot along the way. What are you going to do; live and learn.

[Europhyllia]

Yes, that's true. Waiting for my 215 to be built for me gave me an opportunity to rethink a lot of my plans for the tank and refine stuff. It will all work out in the end.

(Oh and Alton, Thanks for the sales pitch and offer to help but I am still shoveling 450 pounds of substrate out of it so I didn't even schedule the first viewing until next week. lol)

[rrasco]

Karin, who did you have build your tank? I'm considering having something built with the overflow design I want; hopefully something with a warranty. What kind of overflow is in your 215?

[Europhyllia]

I have two corner overflows which allowed me to do the back design I wanted to do. Mine was made by DSA in Dallas.
http://www.deepseaaquatics.net/
I can highly recommend them. You'll have to go through an LFS to order it through them but I also talked to one person on the phone directly and felt really good about buying from them. My 125g had just burst and I was worried about going through that again.
The folks at DSA seemed to somehow be connected to another firm- Oceanic I believe- like a lot of the DSA employees worked for Oceanic previously or something like it. They seemed to be pretty proud of using the same approach to tank building as that Oceanic company.
The way they explained their manufacturing process really made sense (like the glass is not just shoved edge to glass and then siliconed in. There's more of a silicone gap than in some other manufacturer's tanks. etc. to make them last for the long haul, etc.)
And being able to skip the center brace was nice too. I am not a fan of those. I got Eurobracing, like it and would not hesitate to recommend it to others unless you want to go for a brick tank. It's not as heavy as a brick but still much heavier than I expected. 4 big guys were really struggling getting it off the truck and into the house. Heavy Duty Tank with Eurobracing was a good compromise for me between a brick and a off-the-shelf LFS tank.
DSA can make you a brick tank as well though!

[CoryDude]

or read through my old build thread.. you wont feel so bad about this

I can never forget that year Mike. Didn't you have 2 chillers fail, a kalk stirrer go bezerk on you, and all sorts of trouble even getting an acceptable tank from the manufacturer?

[rrasco]

Thanks Karin. And yes, from what I understand, Oceanic used to be down here in the DFW area and moved up north somewhere, Michigan I believe, and the old employees formed a new company called DSA.

I'll have to look into it, just trying to figure out how I can get my setup and overflows the way I want without voiding another warranty.

[Big_Pun]

most LFS can have tanks made with warranty, DSA makes some beautiful tank any way you want as long as you have the $$$ their stands are some of the best ive seen, even come with door on the side.

[kkiel02]

DSA is going to be the one of the best tanks you can buy now. I heard AGE is done which would be the only other manufacturer I would recommend.

[alton]

Thanks Karin. And yes, from what I understand, Oceanic used to be down here in the DFW area and moved up north somewhere, Michigan I believe, and the old employees formed a new company called DSA.

I'll have to look into it, just trying to figure out how I can get my setup and overflows the way I want without voiding another warranty.

Did someone say NEO 185?

[rrasco]

Got a link to one of those? I don't see it on their site.

[Bill S]

His blog talks about the NEO. 3/4" glass, no center brace. EXACTLY what you want...

[rrasco]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgbOf2uzEpo

[Triggerman]

Pressure cracks are very bad...DSA offers a 7 yr. warranty when aquarium is purchased with there stand, only 90 days without stand....you can just get their support stand and skin it yourself, the support stand comes with an added pvc bottom tray for minor water spills. you can pm if you have any questions...

[rrasco]

What do you mean a pressure crack? Like from a pressure point or too much pressure on the glass?

[Triggerman]

usually and indication of the tank not being level....the crack will start out at the bottom and go across the whole glass pane like yours did.

[rrasco]

I just put a down payment on a DSA 105 NEO, 48x24x21, rimless, RR. Getting their stand so I have a warranty. I decided I'm going to get the 210 fixed and set it up in the garage as either FW or FOWLR. That's taking a back seat to getting this replacement setup though.

Tank will be available in the next few days but the stand won't be for a week or two. So we wait.

http://www.rrasco.com/AquaticPics/105neo/Model%20NEO%20105%20PRO%20Black.jpg

[hobogato]

nice choice!

[rrasco]

Thanks. I'm excited.

[Scream311]

:thumbs_up:

[reefreak]

Nice!

[ROOKIE]

I HAVE TO AGREE, I ALSO GOT A DSA TANK WTH THEIR STANDS SO MUCH BETTER THEN WHAT I HAVE SEEN OUT THERE. 180 RIMLESS, 72X24X24. WITH CENTER OVERFLOW AND A OCEAN MOTION SETUP. STANDS HAS REMOVEABLE DOOR ASWELL A 5TH DOOR ON THE SIDE MAKE IT SO MUCH EASIER TO WORK WITH.

[rrasco]

I HAVE TO AGREE, I ALSO GOT A DSA TANK WTH THEIR STANDS SO MUCH BETTER THEN WHAT I HAVE SEEN OUT THERE. 180 RIMLESS, 72X24X24. WITH CENTER OVERFLOW AND A OCEAN MOTION SETUP. STANDS HAS REMOVEABLE DOOR ASWELL A 5TH DOOR ON THE SIDE MAKE IT SO MUCH EASIER TO WORK WITH.

I'm hoping the stand is nice, I have not seen one and I'm not sure if it had the side doors or not. And I hope my 40 breeder sump fits.

[rrasco]

Going to pick the tank up today. So excited!

[Scream311]

:photo:

[rrasco]

Will post pics once I get it home for sure! These things must be rare, I can't find a thing out about them online. Guess I will be one of the first.

[rrasco]

Finally, I can move on. The stand even came with a liner for smaller spills, nice PVC or some other plastic.

1477914780147811478214783

[reefreak]

Nice!

[luckylou]

How much did that setup cost you ? and where did you order from, ive been wanting one since they came out,i was quoted close to $1000 from a LFS close to me . wish my 215 gal would sell quick so i can get one ordered.

[Big_Pun]

How much did that setup cost you ? and where did you order from, ive been wanting one since they came out,i was quoted close to $1000 from a LFS close to me . wish my 215 gal would sell quick so i can get one ordered.

elegant reef has them, they have one at the shop just needs a stand..,

[reefreak]

just came from the shop and the 65 dsa was cool

[rrasco]

PM sent lucky lou


came from elegant reef, they have one at the shop just needs a stand..,

I didn't get it at Elegant.