Buyer beware, learned a tough lesson.

R

risin

New member
I bought a 300dd used that was empty. Short story, I get it setup, got about 100g of ro/di in it, and the front corner has a bad leak.

It could very well have been damaged in The move, but it's hard to know since I never saw it with water.

So, what do you do with a damaged 300dd? Break it up and put it in the trash?

Now I need to figure out if I should just quit the hobby or find another tank. I was replacing an old 150 that has a failing top brace so I don't have much time to decide.
 
MJNTWise said:
Is there a gap in the corner? If not just reseal it....
Click to expand...

I'm not confident on resealing a tank this large... there is no gap that I can see, but the leak is between the bottom brace and a bead of silicon so it's hard to tell.
 
magnoliarichj said:
That's common on those tanks
Click to expand...

When they're not level or are handled wrong. But thats a problem with most used tanks. The guy probably didn't have water in it for a long time and any weakness would have been exacerbated by it being dry.

OP, I doubt you could get someone to seal and certify a tank that size, just too much risk. If you didn't buy it off of him, theres a guy on here that was trying to sell his earlier. Honestly though, the glass will likely end up being the most affordable part of your system with time. $1700 new for peace of mind isn't too bad...
 
There were a number of people that had this issue on the large reef tank forum. But, they sell a lot of these tanks, I would imagine, so it's not a total surprise that some fail.

The the OP, that stinks, and hopefully in your case it was damaged moving it.
 
If anyone wants to try their hand at fixing it or has a use for the glass, it's free to whomever wants to pick it up (it's heavy 500+ lbs ish). If nobody is interested in a few days I'll take a razor/hammer to it. I need it gone so I can start working on getting another tank in here.
 
I'm sure someone can find a use for it for a reptile or something. Throw it up on craigslist I'm sure you can sell it there if no one takes it from here.
 
some folks don't have great things to say about glass cages, but NOT sure why. I have had 120 to 240 from them with nothing but good things to say since 1990's. You can get a 300 tank only (reef ready) for somewhere around $1600 pickup in Tampa. That is an 8' long tank although. I am getting ready to order a 300 and like folks above, the tank is the least of your expense as you know.

There is also a few on Craigs list (Miami has more big tanks). Low ball em if acrylic and running. I was interested in a 500 but it was up in Iowa and moving it was a much as the tank and stuff, but still would have been a super deal.

Anyway, DON'T quit!! Remember, the glass is half full, not half empty :) Keep the faith!!!
 
pretty sure I could point to one of each.... just look what he was sayin about 300dd?? just saying. One is a poor data point of any statistic. Kind of like fords and chevys. I can find bad about ANY mfg out there if you want me to. Folks mishandle tanks, product, etc, and the mfg takes the brunt of it. When your horsing around 600 to 800 pounds of tank, crap happens. Almost makes me laugh when folks talk about this but then complain when they have their chinese made pump fails and wipes out their tank.... hummmm, It isn't "fair game on one front, but not the other". Just like yours, my opinion.
 
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I`m Just wondering why this tank can`t be resealed when you can build a bigger system with plywood sides and a glass front that lasts years .........if the braces are good and the silicone is new and good ....these tanks im looking at online are made of plywood, fiberglass, a glass sheet and silicone.......
 
If there was only one data point they wouldn't have such a questionable reputation. But I wasn't debating the pros or cons of Glass Cages, only giving a specific local instance that got the attention of a lot of local reefers when it occured. And that was slightly more dangerous than a leak.
 
I agree snake I ran a 150 for years that was resealed and never had any issues, again it's only half the water and I think the biggest thing is price of mind that it is structurally sound and gonna hold
 
snake1 said:
I`m Just wondering why this tank can`t be resealed when you can build a bigger system with plywood sides and a glass front that lasts years .........if the braces are good and the silicone is new and good ....these tanks im looking at online are made of plywood, fiberglass, a glass sheet and silicone.......
Click to expand...



It's more risk than I'm willing to take. If this tank were in a garage I would probably try to repair it, but since it's in the house a tank failure would be a catastrophe. I'm thankful it leaked with a 100 gallons of fresh water and not a week later with all my livestock in it.



Imo, I don't think it's reasonable to compare a plywood tank to a glass tank. They are typically very bulky with think walks and/or many coats of fiberglass.
 
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