180g tank failure

[Ron Reefman]

Saturday morning about 4:30 my wife and I woke up to the sound of water that happens when the power goes out and the 400g aquarium system siphons a few gallons into the sump. The seam between the back glass and the bottom of the tank had separated slightly and it was spraying water (and a small amount of sand) out the back of the tank onto the wall and down into the stand and on to the floor. Most of the water in the 180g tank ran into the sump and the shower pan liner in the stand. I'd guess only about 40 to 50 gallons made it to the wall and floor. But I can't move the stand until the 75g tank and the sump/refugium are emptied, so the drywall soaked up a lot of water. Even the bathroom cabinet behind the wall has some water damage and may need to be replaced.

Six years of building and tender loving care of this system goes down the dumper!

I now have a 180g sump/refugium, a 75g hexagon tank, a 65g shallow tank, a 25g frag tank, a spare 20g tank all holding colonies of coral, fish and other inverts. Not to mention 3 brutes full of live rock and two 7 gallon buckets full of sand.

I need to tear down the 75g as it's on the same stand, and the 180g sump/refugium under the stand so I can remove the stand to do drywall repair. But I need to find places to put the fish and corals that are in the 75g hex and 180g sump!

I was giving some thought to downsizing the amount of saltwater in the house. Four tanks and 2 big sump/refugiums was more than I want at this stage in my life. And having that many tanks make vacations a bit more of a problem. But I considered it a long term goal and would just as soon it hadn't been dumped on me by the failure of a tank.

So now I'm faced with keeping fish and coral alive while I finish the tearout of the old system and figure out what to get for a new one. If I had my way, I'd like a tank of 5' or 6' long, 30" thick and 18" to 20" tall. That's a 140 to 180 tank and I'd like it rimless and without a canopy. But that would be a custom tank and I'd be building a new stand and on and on. I'm also considering the easy route, which is to buy a Rea Sea system.

My EverGrow/ReefBreeder Photon 32 lights are 4 years old and a bit rusty, they still work OK but wouldn't look good over a new tank without a canopy (and the have no legs). I have a couple of WP40 wavemakers, a gyre, 2 crossflows, 2 DC12000 pumps, a DCT15000, an Ocean Motion with 3 Revolution heads, 2 Sea Swirls, a 1hp chiller, a full Apex, an AquaMedic turbo 5000 skimmer and good dosing equipment. I'll sell the 75 hexagon tank and the 8'x2'x18" sump/refugium as well. So does buying a Red Sea System make any sense? Of course I could sell off a lot of the hardware and on the used market I might get around $2000 to $2500 realistically. And I could use some of it even in a new Red Sea tank.

Anybody have any ideas or thoughts? I'm still wrapping my head around the loss of my main system and how to keep everything alive. But the quicker I get moving on a new system, the sooner I can get the livestock back in a tank!

This is the 180g I lost and the system that will be going away.

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp37/RonReefman/P6060062_zpsbcfcac6d.jpg (http://s395.photobucket.com/user/RonReefman/media/P6060062_zpsbcfcac6d.jpg.html)

[oldpaddy]

I'm getting shivers and not the good kind.
I feel for you. I really do.
Best of luck!

[bundybear1981]

Hi Ron
First of, sorry about your tank loss. Never fun to re-do a setup under these conditions.

If it were me I would go with the 6' x 30" x 20" tank. Reason for this is you already have all the equipment there so thats a huge cost factor saved already. From the feel of your post its your preferred tank so you're less likely to regret the decision down the track.

To get to the repairs.. I would find a few more brutes to store the livestock in, move the sump to a temporary stand and use it to house them with the other tank until you get the repairs completed and new tank is ready.

[mikeatjac]

Sorry about your loss Ron.

When I down sized I was going to go with a Elos but I didn't like the corner over flow or the stand. I ended up with a Red Sea XL and love it.

[Reel North]

That's sickening to read. The only issue with rimless is the constant splashing over the top.

I have a 72x30x 24 eurobraced. I love it, and the water stays in! Lol

Good luck on the new tank. Seems like you have what could have been a total loss under control because you were prepared.

[Grayhead]

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I might suggest Rubbermaid stock tanks for housING your liverock and critters. I currently have all mine housed in a 100 gallon tank that I purchased from tractor supply. I rigged a basic 2x4 setup to furnish some light. Not the best looking thing sitting in my den, but it is effective. Then you can take your time and not be so rushed to complete your repairs. I have less than a hundred bucks in my temp storage

[GQuinn]

Sorry to hear about your trouble. I might suggest Rubbermaid stock tanks for housING your liverock and critters. I currently have all mine housed in a 100 gallon tank that I purchased from tractor supply. I rigged a basic 2x4 setup to furnish some light. Not the best looking thing sitting in my den, but it is effective. Then you can take your time and not be so rushed to complete your repairs. I have less than a hundred bucks in my temp storage

This is what I did in the past, make sure you get the tank you want, I used the stock tank for about a month and then sold it. Sorry about the leak.

[GimpyFin]

That really sucks Ron, I'm sorry to hear that. Hope everything goes well. The Red Seas are pretty nice setups.

[Butch01]

Very sorry to hear that Ron. At least it wasn't a catastrophic blowout (small victories, right?).

Do you think the differing stresses on the stand from the 180 vs. the smaller tank on the end may have imposed some stress onto the big tank?

B

[d2mini]

That sucks, Ron! So sorry!!!
How old was this tank?

The Red Sea tanks are real nice. Would definitely be a lot easier to go that route for now.

[moondoggy4]

Sorry for your loss Ron I know this can be dishearting. When I had to move from a 55 to 120 I got a 150 gallon rubber made sump and I put everything in there, it worked great.

[Ron Reefman]

Very sorry to hear that Ron. At least it wasn't a catastrophic blowout (small victories, right?).

Do you think the differing stresses on the stand from the 180 vs. the smaller tank on the end may have imposed some stress onto the big tank?

A good friend had a catastrophic blowout of the front glass on his 220g tank. So much damage in the house! So yes, I consider myself very lucky.

And no, the 2 tanks didn't create any stress on each other. They both were fed from a manifold in the sump and drained to the sump independently.

That sucks, Ron! So sorry!!!
How old was this tank?

The Red Sea tanks are real nice. Would definitely be a lot easier to go that route for now.

My 180g was bought used and I have no idea how old it was. I had in in operation for almost 6 years.

To all, I'm considering a Red Sea Reefer XL 525 which is 108g tank.
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_viewitem.aspx?idproduct=RS42241&child=RS42251&utm_source=adwordsfroogle&utm_medium=cse&utm_campaign=adwordsfroogle&utm_content=RS42251&gclid=CjwKEAjww_a8BRDB-O-OqZb_vRASJAA9yrc50DoKtPJmXON9eMQq15IoffYHkfgj-DdVlLz--0-l7hoCW57w_wcB

Or a Visio Eurostyle Reef because I like the dimensions much better. 5'x30"x20". I think it's 160g? But then I have to build a new stand. Ugh!

I'd love to have that extra 6" front to back and 4" shorter and a foot less end to end is fine with me.

But I'm far from having my mind made up. Just shopping between work sessions on the old system teardown.

[d2mini]

I'd love to have that extra 6" front to back and 4" shorter and a foot less end to end is fine with me.


Yeah, i really wish Red Sea would make a deeper dimension tank. They'd kill it in the marketplace if they did.

This was one reason I ended up going with the Elos. Quite a bit more expensive but the 47"x31"x20" (approx) dimensions are awesome and I didn't have to wait a year for a custom Reef Savvy tank. :p
Luckily like you I had sold off an entire much larger system. Only way I was able to afford it! lol

[Flippers4pups]

Sorry for your loss, really sucks!

Your stand looks custom made. Do you think it contributed to the failure?

[Butch01]

And no, the 2 tanks didn't create any stress on each other. They both were fed from a manifold in the sump and drained to the sump independently.

I wasn't clear. What I'm saying is that with a huge tank on one end of the stand and a much smaller tank on the other, there might have been a very slight bending going on (that wouldn't even be visible likely), which put stress on the seams of the 180, eventually causing the failure.

Hope you get it all sorted out soon! Best of luck with it...

[mcgyvr]

Damn Ron... That sucks..
And what do you need to go on vacation for?.. You are already in one of the most beautiful vacation spots already...

It's like being "on vacation" all the time there.. Just throw on the scuba gear and jump in the water..

Again sorry for your loss.. Never good to have it happen like that...
Seems like your "disaster prepping" kept most of the potential damage at bay..

[anbosu]

I wasn't clear. What I'm saying is that with a huge tank on one end of the stand and a much smaller tank on the other, there might have been a very slight bending going on (that wouldn't even be visible likely), which put stress on the seams of the 180, eventually causing the failure.

Hope you get it all sorted out soon! Best of luck with it...

It's a possibility your existing stand was a factor in the tank failure, unless you're really sure it wasn't, I probably wouldn't use it again anyway. Sorry to hear about your blowout, I recently rebuilt the stand on my big tank due to some cross braces bowing.

[Sonyardo]

Sorry to hear about your loss. Sounds like a real nightmare.

[lionfish300]

Sorry Ron for the mishap. Hope you bounce right back

[shred5]

ELos 120xl has a cool dimension but not cheap.

[Ron Reefman]

Sorry for your loss, really sucks!

Your stand looks custom made. Do you think it contributed to the failure?

I wasn't clear. What I'm saying is that with a huge tank on one end of the stand and a much smaller tank on the other, there might have been a very slight bending going on (that wouldn't even be visible likely), which put stress on the seams of the 180, eventually causing the failure.

Hope you get it all sorted out soon! Best of luck with it...

I was sure the stand wasn't a failure point as it was way, WAY over built. So I put a 6' level on it after the tank was removed and even wet the 3" thick plywood base was perfectly flat. BTW the plywood sat on headers that were two 2"x8" glued and screwed, one down the front and one down the back with 2"x6"cross braces every 2'. I think it was just an old tank failure.

Damn Ron... That sucks..
And what do you need to go on vacation for?.. You are already in one of the most beautiful vacation spots already...

It's like being "on vacation" all the time there.. Just throw on the scuba gear and jump in the water..

Again sorry for your loss.. Never good to have it happen like that...
Seems like your "disaster prepping" kept most of the potential damage at bay..

Where I live, in SW Florida, is a great vacation spot and I can't imagine enjoying life more living almost anywhere else. But the Florida Keys are 5 to 6 hours away so my wife and I take 4 and 5 day long weekend vacations and go snorkeling there. It's like being able to get inside your aquarium. Check it out:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2511350

Yeah, i really wish Red Sea would make a deeper dimension tank. They'd kill it in the marketplace if they did.

This was one reason I ended up going with the Elos. Quite a bit more expensive but the 47"x31"x20" (approx) dimensions are awesome and I didn't have to wait a year for a custom Reef Savvy tank. :p
Luckily like you I had sold off an entire much larger system. Only way I was able to afford it! lol

I'll look into the Elos tanks, thanks for the lead. The Visio at 5'x30"x20" has my attention as well. The extra 1' bigger than the Elos is easy for me since the old stand was 10' long! But at this point, quick delivery is just as important.

[cincyjim]

Sorry to hear this Ron. I wish you the best of luck in getting this all back together. Very nice looking tank by the way.

[johnike]

My gawd how crappy, Ron.
Good luck with the staging and rebuild.

[SNAKEMANVET]

Sorry to hear about your tank,I am sure you will bounce back with a great looking tank.

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks guys, I'm working at it. Here is my current dilema:

Is anybody familiar with CAD Artisan tanks?

They are very similar to the Red Sea Reefer XL but they are eurobraced and a little bit bigger (125g or 165g) vs the Red Sea XL 525 which is 108g. The 125 is $200 less than the Red Sea and the 165g is $300 more.