Cracked Tank

[pch90265]

Fellow Reefers,

I got home from work last night and found a 4" long crack in my display tank. Tank stats in my sig...

How freaked out should I be about my tank coming unhinged??? I've never had any issues even remotely similar to this in my 7+ years of reef keeping...

Thanks,
Sean

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8476775@N05/3703756435/" title="crack_corner_lights_07092009 by pch90265, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2515/3703756435_b1755d8311.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="crack_corner_lights_07092009" /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8476775@N05/3704563510/" title="crack_length_07092009 by pch90265, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2458/3704563510_c50bc5172f.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="crack_length_07092009" /></a>

 

[evsalty]

Your stats do not tell us anything other then tank size. Are you running metal halide (mogul based)? That looks bad. I had a truvu tank that did that do to my 150 watt halide being in a canopy with little ventilation.

 

[pch90265]

Ah, forgot how vague my sig was... detailed stats...

270G tank. 1" Acrylic. Roughly... 28" tall, 32" front-to-back, 84" long. External overflow (Black acrylic at the back of the tank.)

Running T-5 fixtures, which are offset from 1/2" plexiglass lids which cover the tank by 1/2" acrylic half-rounds... and, the lids are offset from the tank by 1/2" half rounds also... So, lights are 1 1/2" off of the tank surface.

 

[Jflip2002]

Thats a pretty big crack, Id be worried. Acrylic experts will chime in, but I know what I would do. Drill a hole at each side of the crack, to ensure that it doesnt continue to crack. Then I would buy some weldon gel (I dont know the #), and fill the holes and the crack with weldon. It might not look the best, but Id also weldon a good 1/2" to 3/4" piece of acrylic over the entire crack, using it at a brace. JMO, but Id just be overly paranoid about having 270g of water on my floor.

 

[evsalty]

How many T5's? Sounds like they were to close and heated the acrylic which then bows out a bit and viola you have a 4" crack. Sorry to see this. That looks like an expensive replacement you are about to have to buy.

If there is a gap take a look at the size of the gap at the top just before the lights go on and then compare it to how big the gap is just before the lights go out.

 

[pch90265]

6 T-5's per fixture, 4 fixtures over the length/width of the tank (2 x 2)

 

[pch90265]

Will not be running the lights today, BTW, until I get this figured out.

 

[evsalty]

That is a lot of heat that close to the acrylic.

BTW how old is the tank?

 

[pch90265]

Tank is 4 yrs old... had a great conversation with its builder this morning -- he's a stand up guy... best in the biz, in my opinion.

We'll be working out a replacement strategy shortly.

And, I've been advised to keep an eye on it, and not to panic . . . unless the crack grows.

Thanks for the input all.

 

[evsalty]

Good to hear that. He does sound like a stand up guy.

 

[jkhudson]

Did you recently drop the canopy shut on the tank during the day? If the tank was hot the impact would've started the process and the stress would've caused the crack.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

I would defianatly raise the lights a least 5'' to 6'' above the tank.hope they fix up quickly,I know I couldn't sleep with that in my house.