disaster

[deejeff442]

first i would like to thank snake for starting the water on carpet thread.jinxed me
last night i went to bed around 9:30.around 10:30 i got woke up to a big crashing sound.at first i thought it was my english mastiff knocking something over but no.i turned the light on in my office to see the carpet with a glaze of water on it.well my 33 tall qt blew the back glass out .all 33 gallons on the floor.it hit the wall behind it and blew the adapter out for my internet box.so i got the carpet cleaner out and sucked up around 12 gallons.i found that the a/c adapter for my digital piano fit and worked for the internet box.but i took pics of the tank ,the back glass is shattered all over .the seam at the bottom gave out.now the computer wont let me upload pics from the camera.looking at the tank the back plastic strip that is the base is totally blown off.it almost looks like i sealed the top and pressurized the tank till it blew.there is a almost half of the back glass panel on the floor.i have had plenty of tanks that have leaked over the years but nothing that looked like a stick of dynamite was stuck to it.i have had the tank for over 3 years so i have no idea whats up with this.funny thing is there were no fish in it.just a couple pvc pipes and two hob filters.i went to the lfs monday to buy a fish but they didnt have anything i liked.
well off to toss the tank and suck up more water.if i get the pics in the computer i will post them.it really looks like i dropped the tank on the floor from the roof.

 

[luvmyreef]

Oh my! Sorry about your tank!! I am always running to the tank when I hear cracks or pops, etc. Scares the he-- out of me everytime.

 

[deejeff442]

i wish i could get the pics up.pretty wild what happened.i am so glad we have a carpet cleaner.i have 3 empty tanks around so no big loss on the tank .just another great story to have in the bag .

 

[luvmyreef]

Yep. Bad thing is for me, I don't have carpet. Hardwood floors. Hubby would have my head if my 180 blew a leak. Glad to know you have other tanks, and had no critters to save. Yep, just one more story to add to the list. Was this an AGA aquarium by chance?

 

[deejeff442]

bought it from craigslist .in my last house i had tile.my 150 tank i had then.i tweaked the pipie in it and broke the bulkhead seal.75 gallons on the floor for that one .well got the pics working

 

[flower]

Thanks for the new nightmare material. Tanks that explode for no reason is no comfort. I have a 96g column tank...what should I be looking for? Please tell me this is one of your do it yourself resealed projects and not a store bought tank.

 

[deejeff442]

actually when i got the tank i cleaned the silicone with acetone and added another layer .it didnt leak when i got it.yea there is no way now i will build a 400+ on my own .think i will spend the money on quality.33 gallons is quite a mess .imagine 400

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389684/disaster#post_3445711
actually when i got the tank i cleaned the silicone with acetone and added another layer .it didnt leak when i got it.yea there is no way now i will build a 400+ on my own .think i will spend the money on quality.33 gallons is quite a mess .imagine 400
Okay, if I understand you correctly...you weakened the seal with acetone...like nail polish remover? Then resealed it by just adding more silicone to what was left on the tank???? I feel much better now.

 

[deejeff442]

acetone dont weaken the seal.it just makes the surface sticky for another coat.when a tank is built the glass is cleaned with acetone before the silicone is applied.
i have done this on plenty of tanks.my 45 gallon which i use for mixing water .i have resiliconed it 4 times in 25 years.

 

[luvmyreef]

Wow. Crazy pics. Yeah, I would def. buy a 400g. Of course, I am not a DIY person anyway lol.

 

[al&burke]

Sorry to here this - I had a piece of plumbing break from my pump discharge on my FW tank. The ATO continued to feed the leak, luckily and I mean luckily I lined the bottom of my stand with a pond liner - hardly a mess - I pumped the water out then shop vacumed the rest. I was lucky probably about 20 gallons of water. Someone from this forum told me to line the bottom of the stand, I will have to thank them again. Anyways save your glass from the broken tank make great baffles in sumps.

 

[btldreef]

Well, I won't be sleeping for the next few nights!!!
Thats crazy! Glad it was a smaller tank without any critters in it.

 

[slice]

Sorry to read this, but glad it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Agree with BTLD about not sleeping easy..my faith in glass and silicone has been tenuous at best.

 

[florida joe]

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389684/disaster#post_3445716
acetone dont weaken the seal.it just makes the surface sticky for another coat.when a tank is built the glass is cleaned with acetone before the silicone is applied.
i have done this on plenty of tanks.my 45 gallon which i use for mixing water .i have resiliconed it 4 times in 25 years.
Acetone is used to melt plastic on fake fingernails, I know this for a fact. It makes the nails sticky and gooy at first, then it becomes brittle if you let the now damaged nail dry. The idea is to scrape the nail acrylic off while it's sofened by the acetone...On fish tanks it is used to make sure ALL silicone is gone before applying another coat, because new silicone will not bond to old silicone or other plastics. It is sticky only for a short time, then it becomes brittle.
If you have been doing it for 25 years and this is the first tank to go kaboom, you have been very fortunate indeed.

 

[meowzer]

SIGH.....sorry to hear, Danny and I were just talking about this the other day.....WHAT the heck would I do if the 225G cracked

I sure hope I never have to answer that......actually with none of my tanks

 

[deejeff442]

flower ,obviously we disagree.i use acetone all the time in my like of work .my sealers are basically plastic acrylics.acetone is used because it evaporates much faster than other solvents.like gasoline,mineral spirits and xylene.it does not change the basic ingredients of the plastic.what it does is breaks the surface for a bond.if what you are saying is true i would have a few thousand jobs with call backs for pealing.and i dont.acetone leaves no residue which is why it is used as the main cleaner when building a tank.when silicone is used you can smell the solvent in it,when it cures meaning the solvent which is the bonding agent evaporates the smell is gone.

 

[snakeblitz33]

+1

 

[travelerjp98]

Sorry for the crappy situation! Luckily it wasn't a display tank or a bigger tank!

 

[deejeff442]

well got about 20 gallons out of the rug,have the fans going now and the tank is in the dumpster.what a day