Cracked aquarium

[davocean]

ooh, yeah that's a bummer, it's a hard and expensive lesson for you but good to point out to other reefers as a warning.

Keep in mind, the only way to repair that tank PROPERLY is to completely disassemble it, remove every spec of silicone(New silicone will not just bond to old silicone)

This is not an easy thing to do, while it may sound like the cheaper resolve it usually takes more labor than just starting fresh, unless you happen to find someone that does this, does it properly, and throws down a deal in doing so.
Personally I'd shop a clean used, I've seen a number of 120's up for grabs on here lately, also check RC in local club forums, often there are good deals in OC or inland empire area.
SCA is a very good option as well, they are inland empire, like I said I scored mine brand new for $500 but I admit that was a sale, but they do have deals regularly.
Maybe take this time for an upgrade?

[davocean]

Keep checking here, I see deals all the time in that size range.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumd...=50&order=desc

[davocean]

Here's a 150g, complete setup, $300 posted in equipment forum.

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/for/5691142864.html

[rlh92105]

Thanks Daveocean I did start looking on Craigslist I saw that tank for sale last night. The space I have in my house is exactly 54 inches so the 120 fit perfectly in that spot and that's the only place that really lends itself for a tank in my house. Since I started in this hobby I learned that patience is one of the most important things to have. I will check all my options and take it slow before deciding on buying new.

[davocean]

Yeah, not much good comes fast in this hobby which unfortunately you have experienced on the fast dry trick there, which just FYI your add of silicone to that leaky area probably would have just been a temporary fix anyway.
New silicone does not bond to old silicone at all, I see a lot of people thinking they are resealing their tanks by adding silicone on top of old, it does not work that way, in fact it's a very difficult task to completely remove all the old silicone to actually form a proper bond, that's why it's often not worth it to repair a tank, but couldn't hurt to at least get a quote, just make sure it is someone that is qualified to do it properly.

[Zrobotz]

It's really not very hard to do but if your not handy then I would just send it out. Personally I would order glass and do it myself but that's just me.


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[Kris]

A long time ago, I worked in a glass factory. I ran a tempering oven, and even made porthole windows that were used in a nuclear facility.

Glass is an amorphous solid, and it breaks under pressure especially when there is/are hairline cracks or scratches that provide a starting point for the break to occur.

Reading your story, I think you got really lucky that this tank failed empty. If it was so weak that it broke from the heat "pressure" differential created by a hair dryer, I would have expected it to fail sometime down the road during a partial water change, earthquake, or? There was likely a chip or hairline crack in the glass from where the break originated from.

Others have mentioned about how much work it is to replace a tank panel. I agree. More importantly, based upon the reported failure of the one panel, I would not trust the rest of the panels to be sound either. That said, there are people who can probably assess your remaining tank panels to see if it is worth fixing, and who would be happy for a free project, PIF. (Mom taught me not to waste anything,...) BUt I would not keep this tank for myself based upon your hair dryer story. Floods are for Noah!

Before you put a new tank on your stand, I would caution you put a flat edge on the stands-tank-support surfaces to ensure that the stand is flat. It would be a shame if your stand was the source of the stress that caused your tank to fail.

I like acrylic for safety,but glass for durability. I need to go clean my tank now.

[Zrobotz]

Thermal shock occurs when a thermal gradient causes different parts of an object to expand by different amounts. This differential expansion can be understood in terms of stress or of strain, equivalently. At some point, this stress can exceed the strength of the material, causing a crack to form.
That's what happened to your panel you heated a small area causing it to expand while the surrounding area was cool made it crack


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[Kris]

Interesting. I was skeptical that a hair dryer could provide enough heat to create failure-stress loads.

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1877705813013...3dacefda0e1c86

I'm not an engineer,! Thanks for the insight.

[rlh92105]

Well hopefully someone learns from my mistake. I appreciate everyone's input and advice this is not by any means going to stop me from continuing in the hobby. In a way i guess I am lucky to have this happen before tank was all set up and full of livestock were things would of been a lot worse. Time to look for a replacement and keep things going.

[Zrobotz]

Ya also next time if your unsure of something or something is wrong with your tank just ask on here there's plenty of people who will help. Good luck with your build!


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[rlh92105]

Thanks Zrobotz.