The worst thing that can happen to a tank

Ugh my crayfish tank on the bottom, 40 gal mind you. busted today. saved as many crayfish and mollies as i could then shop vac'ed the carpet. needless to say my folks are going to be royally pissed off when they get home. hope fully ill be able to convince them it was a freak accident and be able to keep the top tank. the top tank is now crowded. no chance of getting another replacement tank. im not that stupid.

WOW I've always had visions of that happening.

about 30 gallons of water. everywhere on the carpet. i shouldve taken pictures, i only managed to shop vac 10gallons at best.

This happened to JD with a 55g in his computer room. Sorry about the mess. Have you figured out why? Was it tempered glass?

ill take pictures of the glass. but it seems like shoddy workmanship on the tank. the corners on the black plastic rim have seams and it looks like it gave out. i examined my other tank and the corners do not have seams; the rim is one piece, not 4 connected pieces like the busted tank.

ill post pics later when i get this nonsense cleaned up.

OMG that totally sucks! That's THE biggest hear I have since I live in a loft apartment with the original wood floors. If something floods, the guys below me are going to find out.

thats why you shouldnt skimp on equipment. dont be cheap.

if youre going to do something, do it right the first time. my other tank i bought new and is high quality.

the tank that broke i got for 20 bucks off of craigslist, and was well used. it was sitting empty out in the elements and the seams failed. I had it setup for 8 months and moved it once from SoCal to NorCal.

simply put dont be too cheap, and look carefully for good craftsmanship by trusting in brand names. lol. my lesson is now well learned, and now ive got to convince my folks to let me keep my other tank.

hmm and both my tanks are craigslist tanks too. my bowfront i've noticed has bubbles under the sealant, now you have me wondering....

I paid for a 72 gallon bow front from Cl that leaked now I have a free 55 gallon that works awsome

If I told you how many tank I got for free from Cl you would hate me

Every tank I have got secondhand(Craigslist or give away) I always strip and reseal the interior seal. Don't break the seal between the panes. Just scrape with razors and clean with alcohol. Tape and apply GE silicone I (windows and doors). Wait 72 hours if relative humidity is between 30 and 70%. It will cost you no more then $15 bucks if you have no supplies. Once you have supplies its just silicone and a little work. Needless to say what happened sucks. Being cheap sucks in the end but quality repairs by you puts insurance behind it (if you believe in your handyman skills).

What a mess for you - I'm so sorry!

yeah it sucks, but im just going to have to be satisfied with my one 40 gal tank for the time being. when i get my own place and am finally master of my own domain; im gonna do a 6ft long x 2ft wide acrylic tank. thtll hopefully be in around 5yrs or so.

gotta be tight with $. My wife is in Fiji right now and our wedding ceremony is in June over there. Then i can bring her back to the US. more important things on my plate than my hobby.

But for time being im gna live with my folks with her and save $ for next few years.

ive been known to teach a stone patience...

Sorry, you had this disaster but what a blessing you where there to save some of your babies.

I once had a 220g bust a seam. I to was at home when it busted. Sitting working when I heard a loud pop. Then water going everywhere. Luckily it was on a tile floor. Sorry to hear about your problem

i envy people that have dedicated fish rooms in their basement or garage. They can make splashes, drip water, or flood the floor and the water either goes out the garage door, down a drain, then dries up off the floor.

..my worst nightmare..all around

Kass said "ive been known to teach a stone patience..."...... heh priceless Peace -JT

well ive reached a compromise with my folks. initially they wanted me to get rid of it and i was thinking of ways to keep my tank.
this was third time starting a tank from scratch/nothing since i began the hobby and i wasnt gonna get rid of everything a third time, and put my hobby on hold for more years.

i said, "how about the garage since you dont trust the tanks structural integrity"

they agreed. since the garage is concrete and the risk of anything getting water damage is nil.

everything worked in the end. now ive got to clear a space in the garage. after that then lift up the carpet and replace the water damaged padding.

Good to hear you came to an agreement. Good Luck with the new set up and repairs

no repairs involved. im going from two 40g, down to just the one 40g. the busted 40g; i threw in the trash and busted it up with a hammer in the bin. it was very carthartic as i was irritated it broke. lesson learned: check the corners of the aquarium!!! the black plastic frame at the top needs to be one solid piece, and not 4 pieces joined at the corners.

yeah thats horrible, the worst thing i've had happen so far was my red oscar (8 inches) took a leap of faith out of my 55 gal and landed 5 feet below on my carpet.

Glad to hear you worked it out did the trans hyper genetics help you?

when i first get a tank i fill it up outside and slaush my hands around in it for like 30 seconds, if it can stand that pressure it should be fine for fish..


its a good litle test to make sure stuff like that doesnt happen although freak stuff happens

well, the 40g; i used it for 8 months before it broke. so bossman, that may not necessarily work as the seams on the tank get stressed over time. craftsmanship is also a very important in the long run.

yeah thats true.. i guess it jsut all boils down on how well it was built/ stressed