My tank cracked

[HornetMech242]

Tank pics (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1117753)

So i planned out this tank for the time i was over in Iraq, 8 months. Get back and wait another three months to get out and move to Michigan. Get here and order new skimmer, return pump and get tank drilled for over flow and returns. Everything is going great, get it set up with the new pump, drain and overflow are working great and pump is giving me excelent flow. But just a little shy of having water in the tank with sand and about 10-15 pounds of rock for 24 hours the back from the center hole cracks strait down to the bottom brace. It was starting the cycle so no livestock was in it. Could it have cracked because of chips in the glass from them drilling it? Having a hole drilled that did not have a bulkhead in it? This is the first tank i have had drilled and first one to crack. Come to think of it, this is my first tank.

Chris

[alan214]

It definitely sounds like it was related to the drilling since it sounds like you said it started at one of the drilled holes. The real question is why.

[HornetMech242]

I made sure before i put the tank on the stand, after the tank was on the stand and after it was filled that it was level. And of course it was level. I have had this tank for over three years now. Could the way i have the overflow setup cause this?

[alan214]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10000538#post10000538 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HornetMech242
I made sure before i put the tank on the stand, after the tank was on the stand and after it was filled that it was level. And of course it was level. I have had this tank for over three years now. Could the way i have the overflow setup cause this?
Perhaps. Can you post a pic of the tank?

[HornetMech242]

The link on the first post has a good shot of the overflow set up empty and with water. I dont have a pic of the crack right now.

[fuzzyt]

Strange, just lately I've seen a couple of tanks that have cracked on RC and had the external overflow box siliconed on. I honestly don't know if this has anything to do with it, just something I've noticed.

Sorry to hear about the tank! I really liked your sump setup too! :(

[HornetMech242]

Thanks fuzz. They offered to get me a new tank and holes drilled by the tank manufacturer for cost but that is still 120 b ucks that i dont have right now. I got my hopes up, seen them become a reality and then go out the window in a split second.

Chris

[snappedbigfoot]

yeah i agree drilling did it

[HornetMech242]

Was it there mess up, or do you think if i got a new one drilled with better quality it would do the same thing?

[Young Frankenstein]

If you got the money get a acrylic one.

[amike5]

Stick with glass, you'll be happier in the end.

[HornetMech242]

I will. I ordered a 120 AGA with duel overflows.

Chris

[drummereef]

Sorry to hear that. But, you are going to be really happy with your new 120g. It's an awesome tank. :)

[kb0vhy]

Thanks for the pics!! And most of all "Thanks for Serving"!! The pics gave me a couple of ideas!!

[BrandonS]

just another "maybe it was this" post, but I wonder if that extra weight hanging off the glass might have done it.

[hmello@bermexin]

Could be the weight, could be you tightened the bulkhead a tad too much.

[HornetMech242]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10044600#post10044600 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hmello@bermexin
Could be the weight, could be you tightened the bulkhead a tad too much.

Could it have been there was not a bulkhead on that hole at all?

[Young Frankenstein]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10002231#post10002231 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by amike5
Stick with glass, you'll be happier in the end. People post all the time about glass tanks having cracks etc. I find cast acrylic to be way more superior than glass, just watch the scratches, but glass scratches also and those scratches are not repairable. just my .02

[Shagsbeard]

You need to support the pipes going into/out of a bulkhead externally. Those pipes get awefully heavy once they have water in them, and provide stresses that the glass wasn't designed to support.

[HornetMech242]

I dont know how much of the weight was supported by the bulkhead but the other end of the plumbing was resting on the top of the sump/fuge. Oh well, it led to an upgrade to a 120.