72 Gallon tank cracked after leveling, water everywhere!!!

pohtr

pohtr

Member
Originally Posted by windmill
I can't stress it enough to anyone new or old to this hobby - MAKE SURE EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR TANK IS LEAK PROOF. My one experience with a flood was damn-near traumatizing and turned me off the hobby for 6 some-odd years. I'm still paranoid though.
I think that is probably impossible. There's no such thing as LEAK PROOF when it comes to this hobby. Even if the tanks never leak, there's always the plumbing. Then if the plumbing never fails (ha ha ha) there's always the freaky things like the overflow getting clogged up, or the venturi tube thingy shooting water everywhere, or the sump intake little holes getting clogged and the remaining ones shooting out over the edge. Then there's spilled buckets during water changes. Even the spare water jugs can leak!
All of these have happened to me and I have permanantly warped floor boards in the livingroom. I was thinking of just putting a drain there behind the chair.
 
phixer

phixer

Active Member
Maybe I missed this, what is the tank resting on? Directly on wood or a sheet of styrofoam? Since your floor shifted you might want to consider relocating the tank to the basement.
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Originally Posted by pohtr
I think that is probably impossible. There's no such thing as LEAK PROOF when it comes to this hobby. Even if the tanks never leak, there's always the plumbing. Then if the plumbing never fails (ha ha ha) there's always the freaky things like the overflow getting clogged up, or the venturi tube thingy shooting water everywhere, or the sump intake little holes getting clogged and the remaining ones shooting out over the edge. Then there's spilled buckets during water changes. Even the spare water jugs can leak!
All of these have happened to me and I have permanantly warped floor boards in the livingroom. I was thinking of just putting a drain there behind the chair.
No system can be 100% leak proof, but alot of what you mentioned could happen shouldn't if proper maintenance and a quick glance during tops could prevent alot of what you just mentioned......Plumbing usually doesn't fail....I have extensive plumbing, but it just doesn't fail....it usually starts with a drip, that's the indicator.....I've had a check valve split at the seam and again it did give warning to make me start investigating the water source.....Overflow should never just clog......If it does it was improperly done.....Sump intake holes getting clogged could be checked everyday during the quick once over we should all give our systems.......Yeah water jugs are uncontrollable
 
pohtr

pohtr

Member
I think this might be getting too close to hijacking and I don't want to do that but...overflows DO clog at least enough for the tank to overflow, and plumbing sometimes fails, just like perfectly normal looking tanks crack and leak!
 
acrylic51

acrylic51

Active Member
Yeah they overflow if you let something get down into the overflow, but shouldn't happen.. It can be prevented........
 
J

jewnyer

Guest
Could anyone tell me if "Air-Dry PermEnamel Surface Conditioner" is safe to use on a tank? There is a place locally that sells it but I want to make sure before I use it to prime the glass before I reseal it.
 
J

jewnyer

Guest
According to Talath who posted earlier, Air-Dry PermEnamel Surface Conditioner will make it so the bond between the glass and silicone is kind of like a welders bead to metal. After doing some research, Air-Dry PermEnamel Surface Conditioner is a surface primer. So I need to find out if Air-Dry PermEnamel Surface Conditioner is safe to use on reef tanks or not.
 
L

lpuzon

Guest
ok, this get me really scared.. please clarify things for me. when u all say levelling, what do u mean by that? i have a 72 bow and i can't have that............ :scared: :scared: :scared:
 
phixer

phixer

Active Member
Heres what I do. Use a carpenters level to ensure the surface of your stand is completely flat and level before setting the tank on it. End to end and front to back. Set the tank, then do the same for the inside bottom of the tank, then the top of the tank against the rim. I know this may seem tedious but it will guarantee that your tank is level. Of course after its filled floors have been known to sag or even shift.
Glass is very dense and non porus. Smooth surfaces do not allow hard coatings to adhere well because there is nothing for the coating to hold on to. Because you bonding using a pliable sealant and not applying a hard coating any type of material between the sealant and base material being joined will jeopardize the strength of your bond. Glass does not "weld" like metal or acrylic.
I have always cleaned the glass with a lint free cloth and isopropyl alcohol. Cheese cloth works well. Then applied silicone directly to the glass. There should be no residue of any kind before applying the silicone and the glass should be perfectly smooth and chip free. Havent had one leak yet.
 
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