New tank build pics....good and bad....Please help!

[dustinsterk]

Notes: 40 gallon breeder, 20 gallon sump.

Stand custom made from maple at my friends work shop with his CNC router. Yes i know it still needs to be sanded / stained but it is a work in progress.

Well i got the stand all done, drilled my hole (more on that later) and got some goodies in the mail....all i need now is to order some t5 lights and get aqua cave in gear so they can ship me my backordered (for about 5 weeks now!!!) Octopus NW-150 Needle-Wheel Protein Skimmer.

So here is the good, the bad is next......







Now when i drilled my hole EVERYTHING was fine! Then i put my bulkhead (a day later) in and maybe a little too tight. Now for the bad:







So what do you think....should i try to use this tank or buy a new one and re-drill??? The last thing i want is a broken tank and water on my hardwood floor. Notice that the overflow will cover the hole, and there will be no water pressure on the hole directly. Also note that the crack is only on the inside of the tank and did not break all the way through (you can feel it when you run your fingernail across it). With a little silicone i think it will be ok. Any suggestions???

 

[puckbs]

not worth the worrying, just get a new tank, try and sell that to a reptile person maybe

 

[puckbs]

oh, and unless they've changed it, the bottoms of 40breeders are not tempered so you can drill them, i have done it a few times

 

[speedo2wet]

i'd be afraid of stress on that point since now the weight will not be evenly distributed. buy a new one and just becareful..
Things happen

 

[a1amap]

Nice stand! When you get it stained its going to look great.

Too bad about the tank. I would replace it. Even if there was a good fix its a timebomb. It looks too big to cut a bigger hole around it and the stress would crack it more.
I would stain/seal the stand before I put water in the tank. This gives you time to get the stand done.

 

[cdangel0]

Years ago I built off-road vehices, the analogy we always used was "a truck is only as good as it's weakest point". Meaning, if you rigged the shock mount you can be 100% sure that while you're 25 miles from the nearest road, and your cell battery is dead, and it's getting dark, that shock mount will break, thuse throwing the wheel up through the fender and bending it beyond repair, and thus leaving you stranded.

Siliconing will temporarily prevent water from leaking, but the first tie you go away for two days, that's when it will give way and drown your cat.

I'd replace the tank. Of course I'd keep drilling that one just for the practice.

 

[dustinsterk]

Thanks for the info and comments......Looks like I will be going to petco and getting a new tank! I am bummed since i got this one for 40.00 when they had their dollar per gallon sale. Now I have to pay its regular price of 100.00. Oh well....a small price to pay if it saves me from having a flood and drowning the cat!

 

[dwd5813]

100 now, or a lot more later. yer makin the right choice. i really like the suggestion of using the damaged tank for drilling practice. that way if you slip up or make any mistakes it doesn't matter and you get to a point at which you are completely comfortable drilling the holes before you attempt it again on the more expensive tank. good suggestion, cdangel0

 

[ronert]

might want to look around ... you might get a 40 breeder cheaper somewhere else ... try Big Al's

 

[a1amap]

That pet place has a $1 per gallon sale coming up. Call on black friday they may have a special

 

[tat2tillidie]

yea that pet lace has them cheap!! an 92 bow reef ready is $250
so im waiting for black friday

 

[kaptken]

yeah, bummer, the crazing on the edge of the hole bore started the crack when a little tension/compresion was applied. they should be ground smoother or rounded edges, just like wood. so they dont chip.
otherwise, looks great! but that hood looks air tight. it will turn the T-5s into a toaster oven to cook the tank. no venting for air circulation to let the heat out. I like to make my hoods sitting on 4 corner posts with the side panels about 1/2 inch gap from the edge of the tank frame. and the back side completely open. alows cool air to flow up and in from the front and side edges and chimney out the back side. tank dont heat up that way.

or as Gordonious is doing, make the top out of slats 1/4 inch or so apart, so the heat just goes straight up and out. and the back open and vent gaps on the sides or front.

Everyone gets carried away with doing a nice job on the carpentry, with a nice tight fit. but that causes heat problems when the lights go on. You could add vent fans on the side panels, but that is more expense, power, noisy, and another mode of failure in time.

think simple, natural air flow. chimney effect. heat goes up.

 

[tat2tillidie]

thats true ken and if theres not enough air moving it will get mold really bad. my friend just went thru that a week ago and now he is redoing his canopy. in just 2 days the temp was extremly high!! scarey high!! i told him to take the back off and drill holes in the top with a doorknob drill bit cause the holes will be nice size and he can drill on both sides of the lights so he doesnt have to totally have to rebuild the canopy. and with the holes and the back off it should give him enough air movement to get rid of the heat

 

[dustinsterk]

Thanks for the info everyone. I will be sure to modify the hood to allow for cooling. The last thing I want to do is cook the tank!

 

[tat2tillidie]

i have no heater in my 90g and i had to take the lids off cause of how hott it was getting and i only have 2 150w mh

 

[kaptken]

yes, free air flow thru the canopy is the cheapest form of chilling. otherwise its a big chiller unit to fight the lights. lots of people with large tanks and many halides just use a tall open top hood. heat just goes up, .