Marineland 250 DD Disaster

[CRAZYFIZH]

In the last pic ture you posted from under the tank i take it that the tank sits inside the stand,but did the lfs put any kind of center support in the stand i know the tank comes with bottom support from ml ????

 

[Northside Reef]

Day One Install

hmm, it's been awhile but I always thought glass tanks were only supposed to be supported on their edges. is that center brace supporting any weight??

 

[skimace7]

terrible... I don't think my wife would let me try again after something like this.

 

[brandonst878]

No the brace was about an inch below the glass.

 

[walvis]

Sorry to hear, that's horrible.
I almost bought an DD300, but end up with an hybrid instead, I didn't feel right how they build stand/tank, your talking bare minimum...

 

[CRAZYFIZH]

if the center brace was 1" below the glass i would say that there is your problem so that would mean that your lfs is to blame.
that is why put a pice of 3/4" plywood on top of my stand and 2 2x6 center brace
'

 

[ReeferEric]

That's horrible, I hope this doesn't dampen your sprites and you can get everything back in order.

 

[ReeferEric]

if the center brace was 1" below the glass i would say that there is your problem so that would mean that your lfs is to blame.
that is why put a pice of 3/4" plywood on top of my stand and 2 2x6 center brace
'

I always thought it was standard to put down some plywood and foam to help distribute the weight.

 

[Immers1]

I always thought it was standard to put down some plywood and foam to help distribute the weight.

:O me too!

Is there nothing but the corners/perimeter holding the base of the tank? I'm no tank builder but it didn't look very sturdy.

 

[bankerboy350]

Sorry to hear of the trouble. I set up a 250 DD in December 2010. I built the stand myself out of wood. IMO, I think the top of the stand needs the plywood to hold the stand square. Marineland builds their stands that way. Given the length, width and weight it seems the stand (built with wood) would twist without the top board placing significant strain on the joints and bottom glass. My bottom glass isn't supported by the stand but it has stayed square because of the top plywood. Fortunately, I haven't had any problems after a little over a year.

It's hard to tell but it appears the stand is 3/4" plywood with 1" support pieces. I would think a top plate would be needed to keep the stand from twisting.

 

[CRAZYFIZH]

I always thought it was standard to put down some plywood and foam to help distribute the weight.

plywood yes foam only on rimless or acrylic tanks my 300 has center bracing on the bottom and i also put centra inside my tank to even out the point load of the rocks becouse i put my aquscaping then the sand

 

[brandonst878]

Thank you everyone for your input and support. I had a contractor out today to evaluate the damage and he'll be contacting the LFS to speak with their insurance agent. I prefer not to name the LFS as of this point because of the power of the Internet. I work in a business where reputation is very important and I understand the same goes for the LFS.

I know nothing about stand building and construction which is another reason I didn't attempt it myself. I can say that I am totally bummed because I've wanted to have a tank like this as long as I can remember and I was able to enjoy it for all of 3 hours. Hopefully this will all go smoothly and I'll regain the confidence to move forward. I'll keep you all posted on the progress.

 

[brandonst878]

The strange thing I noticed is that marineland says the warranty is voided if foam is used.

 

[davidfrances]

I am purchasing a 250 and a 300 DD with ML stands. I'd like to follow this thread.

 

[softieatheart]

Is this a problem with dd tanks or is it just a coincidence?

What does DD mean? Double Deep?

 

[brandonst878]

Thank you. I can tell you that marinelands policy is to only warranty their tank. Even if there is a failure in less than 24 hrs. To me, that is an issue the LFS will need to address though because they are a vendor and recommended the tank in the first place. I really hope this is an isolated incident.

 

[brandonst878]

Deep dimension. 3 ft wide.

 

[cm11599ps]

Marineland pays for your tank, LFS pays for the rest. There's no reason to bring your insurance into the situation when the LFS installed it. That's why your LFS has insurance.

 

[softieatheart]

Deep dimension. 3 ft wide.

It was a beautiful tank. I am so sorry.

Are you going to try again?

 

[brandonst878]

I would love another tank and do not want to ask for the refund from the LFS. I just want to know that a new tank will not fail like this one did. I plan on a tank but want it setup for a while before it is broken down and brought into my home. I've committed a sizable amount of money and time to this already. I have plenty of time to think about it though while the lower 2 ft of my drywall and floors are replaced in the downstairs portion of the house.