OK! Enough chat...Starting a 1000g+ Reef
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steve the plumb
In Memoriam
I had a job crab.I left it now I am taking it easy and looking for work at my own pace.I think this is more of a joke thread.We spend more time harassing each other than we do on J's tank (you know the big one with the hole in the side of it thats waiting to bust its guts and cause the guys basement to be his new fish tank.)
jnarowe
New member
MY WORST NIGHTMARE AND THANKS FOR THAT sTEVE! I always lamented that trying to take this beast down for whatever reason would just be too much for me. Now I am faced with it. So far the crazing has not grown beyond what you see in the pics, so that's about the best news I have right now.
It would be distrubing yet sucha train wreck that everyone would want to see pictures of it. In fact if it did bust, you know people would be asking if I took a video. The scariest part is that I can't be there all the time to monitor it, and any time I get an alarm message from the AquaController, I have to wonder if there is more than one issue and a flood is hidden behind something else.
No carpet on the bottom floor now so that won't be an issue.
It would be distrubing yet sucha train wreck that everyone would want to see pictures of it. In fact if it did bust, you know people would be asking if I took a video. The scariest part is that I can't be there all the time to monitor it, and any time I get an alarm message from the AquaController, I have to wonder if there is more than one issue and a flood is hidden behind something else.
No carpet on the bottom floor now so that won't be an issue.
steve the plumb
In Memoriam
J this is an excuse for you to get a bigger glass tank maybe or get another acrylic tank but don't skimp on the thickness.After all if ecotech says your tank is to thin then they know what they are talking about.
steve the plumb
In Memoriam
use enough silicone and you will make it flexible plus get glass cages to build you one of there commercial tanks.
steve the plumb
In Memoriam
when was the last time you had an earthquake?
steve the plumb
In Memoriam
I don't mean in the bedroom J
Hmm while I've let out farts that would rumble more than any earthquakes I've felt here, it is a possibility that a big one could cause some damage with a large glass tank.
Who knows though....
Nobody ever thought the Vortech would have caused THAT to J's tank and it did so....
Who knows though....
Nobody ever thought the Vortech would have caused THAT to J's tank and it did so....
jnarowe
New member
first of all, earthquakes are greatly magnified in aquariums, and when you take into account the 10,000+lbs in mine, sloshing around, you are talking about a serious amount of weight shifting.
I grew up in Kalifornia and have been through many quakes. In my first floor place durig the Northridge quake, I lost nothing. The second floor above me lost everything, the place was completely wrecked and that gal had a Lalique coffee table worth about $100K. All glass and china was busted and we were many miles from the epicenter. I actually watched the floor do a 3 - 4 foot "wave". No way a glass tank would survive that.
I have also been in WA for a couple of small ones, but it really doesn't matter. The risk is high, and even higher with large tanks. With an acrylic tank, you really don't have to worry too much other than the water flowing out of it.
Anyway, anything above 150g and I would be very cautious in an earthquake area.
I grew up in Kalifornia and have been through many quakes. In my first floor place durig the Northridge quake, I lost nothing. The second floor above me lost everything, the place was completely wrecked and that gal had a Lalique coffee table worth about $100K. All glass and china was busted and we were many miles from the epicenter. I actually watched the floor do a 3 - 4 foot "wave". No way a glass tank would survive that.
I have also been in WA for a couple of small ones, but it really doesn't matter. The risk is high, and even higher with large tanks. With an acrylic tank, you really don't have to worry too much other than the water flowing out of it.
Anyway, anything above 150g and I would be very cautious in an earthquake area.
Not really, at least by itself in my opinion. There were several causative factors involved and the heat from the pump was but one of them. Please understand I'm not trying to re-hash this but since the misinformation is still going around, I'll correct what I can to the best of my ability.
The factors include:
Tank itself: the tank itself is made thinner than most of it's size. 35" in overall height, 32+" inside is pushing the limits of what the 3/4" material should be expected to accommodate.
Tank material: the tank was made many yrs ago by a company that is long defunct so the material used can never be known, therefore it's physical properties are unknown so it's propensity to craze is also unknown. I'm not saying the material is extruded or anything else, I don't know - but it is a question mark. Since there is assumably little/no other crazing on the tank, I'm assuming it's good material but am not absolutely certain.
Heat from pump: I think heat is a factor as it is a stressor, simply put. Probably at the borderline of what is a tolerable working temp for the material. Any heat spikes would not be helping any.
Pump replacement on a crazed area: The affected area had some initial crazing. This was discovered and then the pump replaced in the same spot. It is far easier to aggravate an existing crazing problem than to start a new one since the area already has some fractures.
Quick explanation:
You cannot craze acrylic strictly from heat alone, you simply can't do it in a realistic fashion. If you apply heat to plain ol' acrylic, it will deform, soften, become pliable, bubble, fry, melt, then self ignite, but will not craze. We've all seen bowfront tanks and other thermoformed acrylic, it is heated to ~300F and yet doesn't craze. But, place the heat source on an area of acrylic that is already being pushed to it's potential and you can get the initial crazing. Replace the pump in the same spot for another year or so and the crazing problem grows to what it is now. There may be other contributing factors as well.
FWIW, this is just my opinion after reading as much of this as I could and saw there was some misinformation going around and thought I'd try to provide some insight.
Hope all is well,
James
sherm71tank
Premium Member
That's not the way I saw it happen. Jonathan please correct me if I'm wrong.
jnarowe
New member
Tank is cast acrylic. Extruded would never have been able to stand the pressure.
This is simply not true. Don't believe everything you hear from interested parties. I would NEVER put a pump back on a previously crazed area. That would be seriously stupid.
I am not putting out any misinformation James. And BTW James, without the Vortechs, the tank would be fine.
sherm71tank
Premium Member
Heh, posts of that nature grow my list of vendors I hesitate to do business with. It's not in good taste to say the least.
If that's not the case Jonathan, I do apologize. I took that info from you on page 37 of the last part of this thread:
"And BTW, all the pumps crazed the tank in the early days because they were running hot. That was a superficial situation which I turned the other cheek to, and turned down the pumps so that they wouldn't operate above 130F."
You hadn't mentioned anything about moving them you simply stated that you turned down the pumps.
I wasn't referring to you Jonathan putting out any misinformation at all, but others have. Vortechs being acrylic tank killers and the like.
I do not listen to "interested parties" when it comes to my trade. No one influences my thoughts or opinions on this stuff, *especially* someone who might have an agenda. I sincerely hope you believe that.
I have no doubt that the tank would be okay without the Vortechs, just that they are not the sole causative factor of the crazing, that's all.
James
"And BTW, all the pumps crazed the tank in the early days because they were running hot. That was a superficial situation which I turned the other cheek to, and turned down the pumps so that they wouldn't operate above 130F."
You hadn't mentioned anything about moving them you simply stated that you turned down the pumps.
I wasn't referring to you Jonathan putting out any misinformation at all, but others have. Vortechs being acrylic tank killers and the like.
I do not listen to "interested parties" when it comes to my trade. No one influences my thoughts or opinions on this stuff, *especially* someone who might have an agenda. I sincerely hope you believe that.
I have no doubt that the tank would be okay without the Vortechs, just that they are not the sole causative factor of the crazing, that's all.
James
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