Help, tank failure!

[prickles]

I have a 300g lee mar tank I bought new in 8/09 and it is eurobraced along with a center brace that is about 18" wide. The center brace has pulled off the back wall by about 1/2". Clearly if there is enough force to do that, I am concerned that it will continue bowing out and break.

I have several questions:

1) Is failure likely to be imminent or delayed?

2) Should I immediately (tomorrow) empty that tank and move my livestock?

3) can I put my livestock in my 120g (2x2x4) for a couple months while I wait for a replacement?

Stock list in 120g:
5 chromis 3"
lawnmower blenny 4"

stock list in 300g
5 chromis 2.5"
foxface lo 8"
achilles tang 5"
powder blue tang 5"
desardjini sailfin tang 4"
chevron tang 6"
blue spot jawfish 5"
helfrichi 2"

thanks!

alex

 

[S14Swap240sx]

At this point I'd drain and relocate your livestock.. Have a professional come check out the tank and redo the silicone.. 300g can cause a significant amount of damage quickly

 

[agruetz]

Better safe than sorry, I would be moving live stock and getting the pros out to sort the tank.

 

[prickles]

do you think my stock will do well for a month or two in the 120?

 

[CyclistMT]

do you think my stock will do well for a month or two in the 120?

All those tangs are going to have a hard time in a 120. You could encounter some aggression between them (my money is on the powder blue as the big problem). If you could get something else, like a Rubbermaid stock tank, and spilt the livestock between that and the 120 it would be beneficial.

I do feel bad for you as this really sucks but I think you do need to get that tank drained ASAP. Remember that time you spilled 5 gal of water on the floor and how much that seemed like (come on, we've all been there). Now imagine 60 times that amount on your floor. That's what you're facing.

 

[jt48]

I agree with cyclist.
Seperate the tangs. U can get a 300 gallon rubbermaid stock tank new for under $350. Its a small investvestment and may be able to use it later.

 

[Mark...]

Can you reduce the volume down 25-30% and still run the tank? And at the same time move some stock to the 120 while you await a pro to check out the tank. It will reduce strain on the tank and protect some of your stock at the same time.

 

[prickles]

Thanks for the advice! I really wish I could keep the tangs together. It took about 4 months of having mirrors plastered all over the tank to get the powder blue and the achilles to stop trying to kill each other. This is such a daunting task, I don't even know where to start...

 

[RJT]

Is the tank still under warranty?

 

[prickles]

The tank is still under warranty for what that's worth. I have until december. Unfortunately, they want me to tear it down, send it to them, wait some amount of time (I'm thinking weeks) and then get it back, set it up, cycle it, and no harm no foul!

My LFS had a great idea that they have had to do in the recent past on similar tanks. I put a 2x4 on the front and a 2x4 on the back and a couple of wood clamps from home depot to squeeze them together. It's not pretty, but the bowing is gone and I feel like it will hold for the foreseeable future.

Now, I will see how much an upgrade will cost. 4x12x4 is cheap right? and then decide what to do.

 

[ca1ore]

My LFS had a great idea that they have had to do in the recent past on similar tanks. I put a 2x4 on the front and a 2x4 on the back and a couple of wood clamps from home depot to squeeze them together.

FWIW, I fixed a tank with a broken cross brace this way. Two 4' 2x4s and a couple of pipe clamps tightened VERY carefully . Dropped the water level in the tank for two days and re-glued the cross brace. My tank was long out of warranty, so not sure how the tank maker would react to such a repair.

Can you show a photo of the tank. In my case, I just hade to glue the center brace back down onto the euro-brace than ran the length of my tank.

 

[SkyHawk]

I would take out a good amount of water 30-40% immediately while you figure out what you are going to do.

 

[Pxreefer]

Personally I would get ready to purchase a stock tank. 400g if you could and the. Ship the tank back for warrantee. You can make a decision on the upgrade while your waiting on the return from warrantee replacement.

 

[Mark...]

FWIW, I fixed a tank with a broken cross brace this way. Two 4' 2x4s and a couple of pipe clamps tightened VERY carefully . Dropped the water level in the tank for two days and re-glued the cross brace. My tank was long out of warranty, so not sure how the tank maker would react to such a repair.

Can you show a photo of the tank. In my case, I just hade to glue the center brace back down onto the euro-brace than ran the length of my tank.

This is what I would do. I bet it will work out well if you are careful. I'd let it dry for a few days to play it safe.

 

[prickles]

I did not glue the tank. I just clamped it for now. The bowing is gone and There is more support I would guess from my 2x4's than the center brace ever provided. There is an 8 ft 2x4 going across the entire top of the tank, so unless the glass breaks somewhere I'm not worried about the seal. I should have numbers on a replacement today and hopefully make a decision. The foam is so I don't hit my head.

 

[dave.m]

I can't see the top of your tank but you should have euro-bracing all along the length at the top on both sides.

If you have that much deflection you obviously need more than one brace across the top. Get the manufacturer to send someone out with at least one more brace and have them re-position and re-glue the existing brace plus the additional cross brace(s) on-site. Make sure you get a written guarantee of their work.

Dave.M

 

[sfsuphysics]

You basically did what I would do until I could find a solution. That's a lot of fish to be putting into a 120g tank, figure out what your long term plan is then move forward. Whether it's worth it to you to send the tank back (hey it is under warranty!) or if it's time for an upgrade possibly sell the tank to someone else and let them deal with the warranty (although it would have to be through you since it's doubtful the warranty will transfer hands)

I took down my 180 so that I could get started on constructions (ahem... demolition) for 375 install, and while I only had 2 fish in it, those too fish was a fairly large foxface and a good sized yellow tang who are now hating life in a 4' long 65 gallon tank. I'm probably at least 2 months at least away from them going into the new tank. Luckily with them it's not an aggression issue, it's a "hey we're big fricking fish who want to be swimming why did you stick us in a tiny fishbowl" issue.

 

[Oldude]

I recently had to drain my diplay and I put all my fish into a 120 gal tank with loads of rock. The tangs were ok, I think mainly because I kept my powder blue in the sump during that month or so and when I put the fish back in the display I added him back in last.