Tank bottom cracked - URGENT HELP NEEDED

[Davidman]

hello all.

I got transported a 133 Gallon tank (6ft x 2ft x 2ft) into my house and realized there is crack in the bottom. I am stressed but at the same time, trying to see what are my options to save it.

1. find the thickest fiber glass (how thick do I need to hold 13gallon of water?) , cut the same size as the bottom and lay it inside on top of the cracked one. seal it with silicon seal that's designed for acquarium (any recommendation on the seal would be greatly appreciated).
2. get some super crack seals, again if you have a brand name, plz let me know.
3. fill the bottom of the tank with silicon seal for about 2mm thick.

or contact some professional, please let me know their phone. I tried 3-4 glass places, only cut but not seal or repair.

Thank you!

 

[bg2311]

Have you contacted the seller to ask them about it? Obviously a large tank to move but perhaps you can get your money back on it. That's a lot of water weight to hold ~1,000lbs. Not sure I would trust a patched in piece of glass/acrylic as the crack could run once all that weight is on top of it. With cracks/leaks the water will of course drain down to the portion of the tank where the crack/leak is located. If the patch failed, it would be a worst case scenario because it's at the very bottom of the tank. Do you think it broke during transport?

 

[Davidman]

it's a second hand purchase and damaged when I transport it. seller usually warrant manufacturer defects, not something you broke when moving. so that goes out of the questions. I saw a few liquid rubber commercial and they seems able to hold large amount of water.

 

[bg2311]

I'll let others speak to the viability/durability of repairing the bottom piece of glass. Our 125 gallon was second hand as well. I would weigh the cost/effort of replacing the whole tank with another used one of the same size against the cost/effort to handle the potential situation of the tank losing possibly all 133 gallons of it's water once it's setup and full of rock, livestock, potential damage to floors etc. Even used a tank that size is usually a few hundred dollars so I certainly understand wanting to try to fix it. It sounds like a lot of money to buy another one but it may save you that much many times over in the future should doing so prevent a catastrophic failure. If the fix failed it will be much more of a hassle to deal with once it's all setup. Water leak mitigation is exceedingly expensive (just got done with a major roof leak repair). Hopefully someone else here can chime in with prior experience with a crack on that part of a tank they had/have. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[ichthyoid]

Not to add to your anxiety, but if your dimensions are correct, that is a 180 gallon aquarium. Meaning, the water weight alone is 1501 lbs. (3/4 of a ton).

I agree with the above, & suggest buying a new tank, if possible. I am very sorry to see this happen.

 

[urbanknight]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Echoing what @ichthyoid said. That's a lot of weight and water to depend on a fix to hold it. Tank seams can be fickle after a repair. I speak from the perspective of repairing a 300 gallon and came home a month later to find a busted seam with about 150 gallons of water on the floor. For your peace of mind, I'd suggest a new or different rank. I'm not aware of a local who would repair and warranty.

 

[HVAC_Reefer]

If you really want to put the money and effort you could remove to brace add new piece of glass entire size of inside dimensions, and applied nice size bead of silicone.in theory It should work but i never tried it so don’t take my word for It. I will fill with water outside and let sit for a while to test. Good luck if you try it and let us know how it went.

 

[Davidman]

of course it's disappointing, but not overall stressed. I bought a piece of acrylic and some silicone sealant, gorilla tape, and also liquid rubber. going to try all 3. figure the bottom glass is not cracked all the day end to end and should give a very strong support to the acrylic sitting on top of it, thus, not giving a lot of stress on the silicone sealant. so finger crossed.

This is a hobby testing every aspect of repair work. If it still leaks, I guess i will just order another tank....

the last resort would be adding eggcrate and apply some thick muddy compound that will cure overtime, I will have sand over them anyway.

 

[sharis100]

If the crack is not all the way through now, it will eventually give way due to stress from weight of 180 gallons of water. If you add inside acrylic to bond to glass, you need to make sure you use the correct product for a good seal/ which is hard to do if you without redoing all sides. Much better to break tank all the way down and replace glass properly- but this means a total rebuild. King of DIY has videos showing how to build tanks. Would strongly suggest not trying egg crate with ‘some muddy compound’ as that would probably become a nutrient production zone which could be problematic in a reef tank. Probably easier and less stress to replace tank.

 

[k3nnyp]

Don't risk it. I had a resealed 220 spring a bottom seal leak nearly a year after it was up and running. It's not an experience I would wish on anyone. I got extremely lucky in that it was not a gushing leak and a little preparation on my part and a ton of luck I had minimal damage. Was also able to save all of my fish but lost all corals. A friend's neighbor had a tank break and the bill was over $50k in damages to the house.

Another option, turn it into a terrarium.

 

[civics14]

i can’t imagine having the thought of coming home everyday to a busted tank and water all over the ground. That itself isn’t worth it to me. Just knowing you are sitting on a ticking time bomb.

 

[silentdeath5]

Yeah, I would have nightmares every night even if I were able to get it to hold water. When my 210 developed bubbles in the seams I couldn’t sleep for 2 days

 

[civics14]

Yeah, I would have nightmares every night even if I were able to get it to hold water. When my 210 developed bubbles in the seams I couldn’t sleep for 2 days

I had a 54g develop bubbles in the seam, after 2 days of no sleep because every sound I hear I would freak out thinking the seam failed, I drained the tank until I got a replacement. $700 unexpected expense. That’s Red Sea for you…

 

[wake125122]

Sooo just an FYI I will have a Redsea 750 XXL for sale in the near future if you are going to be looking for a new tank. Nudge nudge wink wink. lol

 

[silentdeath5]

I had a 54g develop bubbles in the seam, after 2 days of no sleep because every sound I hear I would freak out thinking the seam failed, I drained the tank until I got a replacement. $700 unexpected expense. That’s Red Sea for you…

I heard water running and jumped out of bed. Wife was just washing the dishes . I’m steering clear of the Red Sea and DD marinelands

 

[ecoreefguy]

I’m cannot just from the picture but here’s goes some possible help:

Assuming that the crack has not touched the seams, you can actually just place a piece of pvc or another piece of glass right on top and silicon it to the bottom cracked piece. But I would drill a hole at the end of the crack to stop it from spreading if you go this route. You could also just completely replace it with a pvc bottom as well.

 

[Davidman]

I heard water running and jumped out of bed. Wife was just washing the dishes . I’m steering clear of the Red Sea and DD marinelands

both brand leaked? What a luck!

 

[Adam]

The cost of buying new tank now is nothing compared to the cost of lost coral & livestock later. Not to mention the potential damage to your house.

You could disassemble the entire bad tank and use the glass for baffles in a DIY sump. Once you get the tank you want to use for a sump, design out the weir layout and take the panels and dimensions to Diamond glass and they will cut it for you for a reasonable fee. You can also sell the glass to other members who are going to do their own DIY sumps.

 

[civics14]

both brand leaked? What a luck!

Red Sea has a long history of their tanks bursting at the seams. Marineland 300 DD seem to have the same history. While they would take care of you with the tank, you still deal with the hassle. Unfortunately, my 54g RS I got second hand and was only 10mo old when I picked it up. I didn’t know their 5 year warranty didn’t transfer over. I assume they used some cheaper glue or poor quality control in the past because I’m seeing less and less complaints on the forums now.

But as much as it sucks with your situation, I wouldn’t risk it. I know the financial hit sucks but the stress to worry about it failing isn’t worth it.

 

[Davidman]

it's just such a hassle to move these beast. It's a lot easier to do the patch work on moving them an inch. I have poured 1/2 inch pure silicon into the tank and will then add a panel of glass of the same size and then seal again with silicon. so there are about 1 inch of watertight material on top of the cracked glass. if it leaks, it won't be a gush. I am installing leak detection device at 4 corners and setting up a frag tank in the basement large enough for emergency use. AND I have called my insurance adjustor and agent running over several scenarios and ensure it will be covered (cover stupidity and accident spillage).

the cost of repair isn't cheap, but I can do it slow and by myself. don't want to move this beast for another 5 years. 4 of us almost break our collective backs for this thing. if it's size of a baseball and cost the same amount money, it's already in the trash.