Well it happened to me! Tank Cracked

[stdreb27]

I heard a strange noise this morning, then when I was ready to leave for work heard a drip.... drip... drip... looked at my tank and it was leaking. I tore down a 180 and set up 3 other tanks in 2 hours! The LFS (Fish R Us) in the woodlands told me to bad to sad. And no we somehow don't have the phonenumber to the builder. So I'm sol. I caught it early so no apartment damage! But this sucks.

Here are a couple pictures of the crack. It goes the entire length of the tank.
Close up
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/stdreb27/DSC_0051.jpg

A little further out.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/stdreb27/DSC_0061.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/stdreb27/DSC_0062.jpg

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/stdreb27/DSC_0063-1.jpg


I think the foam underneath saved me, because it slowed the leak enough where I could empty it without the whole bottom giving way.

[Amazon4]

oh no! That's awful!

How old is the tank?

Thank (you know who) that you were home when it happened.

[stdreb27]

The tank is a year and half old.

[eyebedam]

That sux what kind of tank was it?

[Waxxiemann]

Sorry man, that sucks. Makes me wonder if the foam had somthing to do with the crack forming in the first place.

[nismo driver]

maybe the foam underneath caused the pressure which caused the crack?

[stdreb27]

That was the way the manufacturer recomended. Oddessea jebo

[reptoreef]

I had a 120 do the same last summer... I wasn't able to catch it so quickly and had a nice little flood. I know your pain.

[celano]

Man that sucks...:( but like others said atleast you were home to catch it and got your livestock out in time.
So I have to ask, you gonna go bigger now?:D

[kyle1284]

man o man if only your fish would'nt kill mine in a heart beat and they didnt go after coral lol i would lend a helpin hand... fish r us are damn crooks and theifs... never again...

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12010074#post12010074 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kyle1284
man o man if only your fish would'nt kill mine in a heart beat and they didnt go after coral lol i would lend a helpin hand... fish r us are damn crooks and theifs... never again...
Kyle you need to change your hobby experience. You have any tangs in your tank now?

[kyle1284]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12010511#post12010511 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stdreb27
Kyle you need to change your hobby experience. You have any tangs in your tank now?
ha shoot i have so much coral and fish in my tank now... i have a hippo tang niger trigger ,2 clowns, foxface, and 3 dams... i need to get rid of the dams though..

[five.five-six]

wow scarry, who made the stand, was it on a slab or raised floor?

do you have a pic of the entire crack?

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12019393#post12019393 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by five.five-six
wow scarry, who made the stand, was it on a slab or raised floor?

do you have a pic of the entire crack?
After some thought, I decided it doesn't make sense where I thought it cracked. Why would the crack form on the brace vs a weaker spot, so I ran my finger along it, and it was a like a silicone that was flattened but not wiped off when they were making the tank.
So that leaves me with a leak along a seam.
Is anyone else familiar with oddesea tanks. Why would they use silicone instead of weldon to make the seams? It just doesn't make any sense.

[bureau13]

Its a glass tank, right? They always use silicone to seal the seams with glass as far as I know, and Weldon is for acrylic...right? I don't think Weldon does anything for glass, unless I'm thinking of the wrong stuff...

jds

[DarG]

So it's an acrylic tank? I thought it was glass based on the pic. with the trim. Is it possible that the seams are "glued" and the silicone is just there for extra measure?

[stdreb27]

It is acrylic. No the seams are siliconed. With this picture you can see they used an l plastic piece for reinforcement. And their is silicone that appears to have seeped through to the other side of the acrylic. So It doesn't look like weldon at all. It definately scratches like acrylic. And it has curved corners, I know I didn't pay enough for curved glass corners.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/stdreb27/DSC_0054-1.jpg
That yellow line on the edge of the silicone is on the inside of the tank, the more blurry silicone is on the outside underneath the plastic.
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/stdreb27/DSC_0057-1.jpg
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/stdreb27/DSC_0058.jpg

[stdreb27]

Those crack looking things is the (I'm assuming) silicone, all the tanks I've seen of there has them.
But I think I'm looking at a siliconed acrylic tank.

[BeanAnimal]

If that is acrylic and it is held together with silicone... well I just don't know what to say other than wow, your lucky it lasted this long!

[stdreb27]

I supose potentially that could just be what is holding the plastic on.

[Notturnia]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12031124#post12031124 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
If that is acrylic and it is held together with silicone... well I just don't know what to say other than wow, your lucky it lasted this long!

:eek1: silicone used to held an acrylic tank ? :eek2:

it's like to use sand to keep togheter a brick wall....

i'm italian.. we (european) use nearly only GLASS tank.. and we use only silicone to build them.. cause it's the only "glue" that can keep togheter a glass tank.. but.. when we use acrylic (ca-reactor.. skimmers.. etc..) we cant use silicon on any applaince we need leak-safe stuff... as we know silicone wont keep togheter acrylic, pvc etc for much time if under pressure..

IF they used silicon to make your tank.. please.. do me a favor.. hit them with the bottom of your tank untill they understand how to make a tank .....

also.. isnt a fox-thought to use silicon to "protect" weldon as it wont require attention.. and.. cause silicone will "leave" the acrylin on the long period.. so wont protect it..

so.. if it's an acrylic tank.. kill them :smokin:

if it's glass.. try to make them understand why european uses ONLY black silicon.. clear-silicon wont last on tank much more then 5 years.. algae will attack it and remove it from the glass.. in 5-10 years.. depend on the tank it will leak.. black silicone avoid light to help algae grow under the silicone..

btw.. lucky you mate.. if was to me i know it will happen when i will be 10000000 km far from home.. as usual... :lol:

btw2.. "cut" a piece of the tank in a corner.. glass wont be easy to cut with a knife.. acrylic will let you remove a small piece w/o trouble..

anyway.. sry for you mate :(

[flyyyguy]

holly crap.

if you bought that tank from the fish store............too bad so sad isnt an acceptable answer with silicone on a acrylic tank

I cant imagine anybody trying to make a acrylic tank with silicone alone, nor it holding for as long s it did..........but if i try really hard I can imagine some idiot making the tank with solvent cement to begin with, and then bandaiding his leaks with silicone...actually I cant even imagine that........geesh

sorry to hear :( Glad you avoided a real disaster though

[Lightsluvr]

What you're describing here is a product liability claim against the retailer, distributor and manufacturer of this tank.

Clearly this tank has a defective design and manufacture...

JMHO

LL

[stdreb27]

I guess, I'm going to ahve to remove some silicone and see if the acrylic is bonded and their is just silicone on top for some bizar reason. The only other option would be the front pane is acrylic, and the bottom and back pane is glass. But I seriously doubt that. The empty tank is very light. Definately not a 300 pound glass tank.

[dascharisma]

The green ting sure does look like glass and not acrylic.


Brad

[SDguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12030987#post12030987 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stdreb27
It is acrylic. http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/stdreb27/DSC_0058.jpg

That doesn't look like acrylic....those pieces used for bracing...they have blue edges. That looks just like the bottom of my glass tank. Who makes an acrylic tank with all that weird bracing on it?

[celano]

wow this thread turned out to have a twist. I cant believe they would use silicone on an acrylic tank.....even Jebo is smarter then that.

[john rochon]

not to be rude here but can you not tell the difference between acrylic and glass??? theres just no way in hell a company made
an acrylic tank with silicone. just impossible.
also, I'd have to venture a guess that the tank cracked from improper setting up. [ie. stand] 99.9% of tank failures are due to human error IMO. another point. chances are that tank has a floating bottom, meaning the tanks sits on its trim. If this is the case foam should NEVER be used underneath. hopefully some of this info will help in the future

[john rochon]

just googled it, there curved glass tanks. if theres trim on the bottom and the bottom glass is OFF the base then I'd NOT use foam. make sure your stand is perfectly level for your next tank.
p.s JEBO are not known for quality products

[DarG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12031593#post12031593 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Notturnia
:eek1: silicone used to held an acrylic tank ? :eek2:

it's like to use sand to keep togheter a brick wall....

i'm italian.. we (european) use nearly only GLASS tank.. and we use only silicone to build them.. cause it's the only "glue" that can keep togheter a glass tank.. but.. when we use acrylic (ca-reactor.. skimmers.. etc..) we cant use silicon on any applaince we need leak-safe stuff... as we know silicone wont keep togheter acrylic, pvc etc for much time if under pressure..

IF they used silicon to make your tank.. please.. do me a favor.. hit them with the bottom of your tank untill they understand how to make a tank .....

also.. isnt a fox-thought to use silicon to "protect" weldon as it wont require attention.. and.. cause silicone will "leave" the acrylin on the long period.. so wont protect it..

so.. if it's an acrylic tank.. kill them :smokin:

if it's glass.. try to make them understand why european uses ONLY black silicon.. clear-silicon wont last on tank much more then 5 years.. algae will attack it and remove it from the glass.. in 5-10 years.. depend on the tank it will leak.. black silicone avoid light to help algae grow under the silicone..

btw.. lucky you mate.. if was to me i know it will happen when i will be 10000000 km far from home.. as usual... :lol:

btw2.. "cut" a piece of the tank in a corner.. glass wont be easy to cut with a knife.. acrylic will let you remove a small piece w/o trouble..

anyway.. sry for you mate :(


Notturnia ... clear silicone is perfectly fine for glass aquariums. A few companies, Perfecto being probably the biggest, routinely uses black silicone. Probably because it looks nicer. I used to build plywood and glass tanks and used clear silicone to install the glass panels. I never had a seal fail. Algae cannot grow underneath the silicone because the seal is air and water tight. Only an incorrectly done seal would allow water and air underneath it which would most likely be due to trying to apply the silicone over glass with some type of oily residue.
Im not sure where you came up with the clear silicone and glass tanks only lasting 5 years because of the algae theory but maybe they dont make good silicone in Europe :D
A properly built glass tank put together with clear silicone will last for a long time. Most likely beyond the silicone "lifespan" which at last check was over 30 years. Most glass tanks I have owned over the years need replacing due to accumulation of scratches before a seal failure to to clear silicone.

Back to the siliconed acrylic tank ... WHY in the hades would they put together an acrylic tank with .............. Do you get what you pay for or what :(

[smleee]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12032497#post12032497 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john rochon
floating bottom, meaning the tanks sits on its trim. If this is the case foam should NEVER be used underneath.
Please clarify - I understand you should not use foam to support the floating bottom, but can you use the foam to support/level the trim?

[DarG]

Foam really doesnt do much to level a tank. maybe if you were off by a mm or so. I think that using foam under tanks is an old school kinda thing. We were always told to use some foam under the tank years and years ago. Now I think alot of manufacturers would tell you not to and void the warranty because of it. I use it, always have. But not to level my tank. I use it to take care of any slight imperfections in the stand itself. My stands top support has seams in the corners where the wood pieces meet. I use the foam so that the tank doesnt sit on any imprefections where those wood pieces meet. The stand is overbuilt and over 25 years old. The foam I use is the dense stuff, 3/8 or 1/2" thick. It is cut out in the middle so even if the tank did compress it enough the foam wouldnt hit the glass. The tank really only compresses the foam by maybe a mm or 2.

[john rochon]

I wouldn't. I'd make sure the stand surface is level. if you did use foam on a trimmed tank I'd make sure its thin enough so the tank weight does not cut thru the foam and cause the foam under the glass to compress the glass.

[smleee]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12033018#post12033018 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DarG
It is cut out in the middle so even if the tank did compress it enough the foam wouldnt hit the glass.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12033042#post12033042 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john rochon
make sure its thin enough so the tank weight does not cut thru the foam and cause the foam under the glass to compress the glass.
^^ That's definitely what I was thinking about!

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12032551#post12032551 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john rochon
just googled it, there curved glass tanks. if theres trim on the bottom and the bottom glass is OFF the base then I'd NOT use foam. make sure your stand is perfectly level for your next tank.
p.s JEBO are not known for quality products

It is an acrylic tank. It is entirely possible that the bracing that is pictured isn't. But I do know. the front and side pane is acrylic, The back I believe it, And the bottom I'll scratch tonight. a puffer's teeth aren't going to scratch glass. And their are definately scratches on the tank where he paces.

whoever said floating bottom is correct, It has the bottom pane a piece of higher quality cardboard then a plastic brace screwed and flush with the bottom lip.

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12033042#post12033042 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john rochon
I wouldn't. I'd make sure the stand surface is level. if you did use foam on a trimmed tank I'd make sure its thin enough so the tank weight does not cut thru the foam and cause the foam under the glass to compress the glass.
The foam was quite think and supplied with the tank. The imprint marks show the bracing and the lips, but there is no compression on the foam and the bottom pane.

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12032497#post12032497 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john rochon
not to be rude here but can you not tell the difference between acrylic and glass??? theres just no way in hell a company made
an acrylic tank with silicone. just impossible.
also, I'd have to venture a guess that the tank cracked from improper setting up. [ie. stand] 99.9% of tank failures are due to human error IMO. another point. chances are that tank has a floating bottom, meaning the tanks sits on its trim. If this is the case foam should NEVER be used underneath. hopefully some of this info will help in the future

What is the best way to tell, between the 2? See how hard the surface is?

[Mark426]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12033470#post12033470 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stdreb27
What is the best way to tell, between the 2? See how hard the surface is?

Oh my :eek1:

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12033042#post12033042 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john rochon
I wouldn't. I'd make sure the stand surface is level. if you did use foam on a trimmed tank I'd make sure its thin enough so the tank weight does not cut thru the foam and cause the foam under the glass to compress the glass.
That stand was pretty level, I was plumb front to back and leaning to the left about 1/8 - a 1/4 inch.

[IndyMatt]

Take sharp knife or razor and see if you can cut into the pane. If it scratches with little pressure and you can feel it "bite" into the material then it is definitely acrylic and not glass. Just due to you saying that the tank is light makes me think it is acrylic.

[john rochon]

you can tap on it and know right away if its glass or plastic.
I didn't see any acrylic tanks on there site only glass. but,, not sure how they managed curved corners in glass. only other thing I can think of here is that theres some ''bracing'' pieces siliconed into the corners if its acylic but that just doesn't make any sence at all.

[kdblove_99]

My money says its glass! no way is that acrylic.

did tyhe tank crack or the seam?

It tank no way would acrylic crack like that. has to be glass. Plus i have never seen a acrylic Odyssea tank only paper thin glass. Also that Silicone job looks pretty shotty.

On another note sorry this happened hope it all works out

[GUILLO1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12032653#post12032653 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DarG
Notturnia ... clear silicone is perfectly fine for glass aquariums. A few companies, Perfecto being probably the biggest, routinely uses black silicone. Probably because it looks nicer. I used to build plywood and glass tanks and used clear silicone to install the glass panels. I never had a seal fail. Algae cannot grow underneath the silicone because the seal is air and water tight. Only an incorrectly done seal would allow water and air underneath it which would most likely be due to trying to apply the silicone over glass with some type of oily residue.
Im not sure where you came up with the clear silicone and glass tanks only lasting 5 years because of the algae theory but maybe they dont make good silicone in Europe :D
A properly built glass tank put together with clear silicone will last for a long time. Most likely beyond the silicone "lifespan" which at last check was over 30 years. Most glass tanks I have owned over the years need replacing due to accumulation of scratches before a seal failure to to clear silicone.

Back to the siliconed acrylic tank ... WHY in the hades would they put together an acrylic tank with .............. Do you get what you pay for or what :( Wow this European guy had me going with his 5 year theory. Good to know my tanks should last a very long time.:rollface:

[five.five-six]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12033470#post12033470 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stdreb27
What is the best way to tell, between the 2? See how hard the surface is?

yea, Oh my :eek1:... tap on it.. if it sounds like glass, then it is glass, if it sounds like acrylic, then it is acrylic.

i can tell you, and only because I own the same tank, thet it is constructed of 1/2" glass. the gussets around the base joints add strenth because they do a so so job of mating the botom plate to the bent display pannel. on mine I added gussets to the back pannel as well.

perhaps you do not have a crack at all. have you checked your overflow bulkhead?

[Untamed12]

Here's another theory...maybe the builder did such a bad job of weldon, that they attempted to cover their leaks by siliconing.

Everything else I could say has already been said by others...I'm just shaking my head in disbelief over any number of aspects of this story.

[TheMcs]

Didn't know Oddessea/Jebo made tanks. Based on their other stuff I wouldn't have touched it to begin with. Silicone for an acrylic tank? That speaks volumes.

[stdreb27]

Ok let me recap, because some aren't reading the whole thread. The tank isn't cracked, those pictures (the first pictures) are what I thought was the crack, but it was a bead of silicone, that had been smoothed out and that was the lip of it. It sure looked like a crack.
I was sitting there and decided that it was way to far out for something to break along the strongest point the reinforced bracing. So I ran my finger down it, and it is a line of silicone.

The tank weighs about 100 pounds so it can't be glass. It is my understanding that a tank that size if it were glass would be about 300 pounds empty. (I could be wrong)
Second there are a few deep scratches that I don't think are possible in glass. I'll try to take a couple pictures of those tomorrow. And I didn't pay nearly enough money for them to have made curved glass. But It is entirely possible that the bracing is glass since it is siliconed to the bottom pane. And because of the green hue to it. I'm not at home this evening. But I'll play with it more tomorrow night, during the Busch race. I'm going to take the bottom brace off and see if I can locate the leak.

I know 2 other people with the same line of tank but smaller, and they have damage to the tank that would not be possible with glass.

According to the LFS Jebo/Oddesea doesn't make those tanks anymore. (but oddesea does have some tanks on their website. I've contacted them and am awaiting a response) Needless to say, don't buy oddesea tanks, or any of their products they are garbage, and please learn from my hard knock to research your huge purchase before you get into my position, having purchased a piece.

Please feel free to continue to comment, I've learned a bit about tanks. I just kinda assumed they were all the same. Sadly they are not.

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12034063#post12034063 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by john rochon
you can tap on it and know right away if its glass or plastic.
I didn't see any acrylic tanks on there site only glass. but,, not sure how they managed curved corners in glass. only other thing I can think of here is that theres some ''bracing'' pieces siliconed into the corners if its acylic but that just doesn't make any sence at all. what was the address for the site? the only one I found was some crappy website. that i'm not sure was the right one or not. there isn't any bracing down the corner of my tank only up at the top and the bottom. see the fts earlier in the thread.

[celano]

Oh for gods sakes man....... have you ever held a clear plastic cup in your hands??? Do you have a protein skimmer?? Does the house you live in have glass windows?? Touch all of them then compare it to your tank....are they the same or different?

[flyyyguy]

or just do the lighter or blow torch test.........

if it doesnt melt....its glass.....

[celano]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12039711#post12039711 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by flyyyguy
or just do the lighter or blow torch test.........

if it doesnt melt....its glass.....
:lol: I recommend you do this on the side of the tank. That nasty burn stain is gonna leave a mark......esp if you use a blow torch:rollface:

[celano]

Page 3 is minses'!:smokin:

[tpenn187]

i would agree that it looks like glass, and you can also scratch glass, my 90 has a really annoying scratch in the front pane. i don't know if a puffer could bite into a panel of glass and scratch it. also the oceanic biocubes use glass and have curved corners so you can bend glass. you said that it was not cracked.... then is it leaking? if it is can you tell where at?

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12039689#post12039689 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by celano
Oh for gods sakes man....... have you ever held a clear plastic cup in your hands??? Do you have a protein skimmer?? Does the house you live in have glass windows?? Touch all of them then compare it to your tank....are they the same or different?

I have, that is why I've thought for the past year and a half that it was acrylic.

[kdblove_99]

jebo only makes glass to my knowledge. i have seen these and it does appear to be acrylic but they a glass, very thin glass

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12042405#post12042405 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kdblove_99
jebo only makes glass to my knowledge. i have seen these and it does appear to be acrylic but they a glass, very thin glass
What is thin? I'll see if I can't fit a micrometer on the pane but I'm pretty sure that it is at least 3/8th an inch thick.

[stdreb27]

Ok, so since I obviously can't just tap the dang glass, or anything and tell, this convinces me that it is glass. Acrylic won't make a color at all right?
http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p149/stdreb27/DSC_0076.jpg

[BeanAnimal]

If it glass you will not be able to shave a sliver off with a razor blade... if it is acrylic, you will. Hard to tell from the photo, but looks like glass.

[kdblove_99]

gotta be glass. not even Jebo would silicone acrylic together. I have seen many of these at a LFS and all are glass. But, i must say if you look at them they do look acrylic. i had to tap on it to make sure

[stdreb27]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12046493#post12046493 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kdblove_99
gotta be glass. not even Jebo would silicone acrylic together. I have seen many of these at a LFS and all are glass. But, i must say if you look at them they do look acrylic. i had to tap on it to make sure
Thanks that makes me feel a little better. I've thought it was acrylic since I bought it. Definately what the lfs told me it was.
I went to another lfs and priced them building me another tank. 2500 dollars. So I guess it is onto finding something used.

[matrixpb03]

that sux!!!

[lilred1995vette]

Thats to bad! I have heard a few bad stories about there larger glass tanks at Fish R US, They are also agisnt the local Houston reef club. From what i have heard not much good at that store, theres many much better lfs in the houston area.

[stdreb27]

What happened between MARSH and fish r us.
Honestly I've been very happy with the fish I've purchased from there. I'm not going back, ever, but they have had desent fish. Those turkeys have a mature MBU puffer in a 150 cube tank where the poor guy can't even turn around. And that jason guy is a ***** sometimes.
I used to live in huntsville when I went to sam, and that was the closest store. I didn't know any better when I got suckered into buying that tank.
Their business is mainly fresh, they don't really care much about the sw business so I've seen.