Tanked Cracked! May need a home.

[Fizz71]

My 240g acrylic tank cracked last night. At this point it's only the acrylic top and about a 1/2" down the tank so no water loss, but it's not repairable and it's only a matter of time until it gets worse. I certainly can't afford a new tank right now so I'm thinking it all has to come down. I have live rock, corals, fish...what a frickin' mess that couldn't have happened at a worse time.

I'll post more as this progresses...I have to go to work now...1 1/2 hours a way!!! What are the odds of me coming home to a dry floor!

 

[psusocr]

Fizz,

I have a pretty large frag tank( 60x22x13) you can setup if you have to for whatever length of time until you were to replace your setup, i also have nice t-5 lights for it for sps. I have a large refugium as well that can be used as a tank. Let me know if you need anything

 

[Tampico96]

I have a 150 non-drilled tank sitting in a storage unit near middlwtown pa if it would help you.

 

[Phil125]

Get some 5 minute Epoxy and get a good layer of it on the crack It should bond and keep it from spreading until you can get Plan b done.

I have a 125 that has been held together by 5 minute epoxy for about 6 months after it cracked.

That cracked right in the middle of dinner about 12 inches down the edge. Everybody stopped eating and was like. Is there a waterfall in the next room?

 

[disturbed]

Im in nepa and i have a lfs with alot of tanks so i could hold anything you have for any period of time.Anything i can do to help just lmk.

 

[Fizz71]

Thanks everybody...I'm taking this by the hour. Right now somebody is coming over for a bunch of corals, whet's left will go in the 100g sump and a 50 tub I just setup. If I don't have enough room I'll probably look to somebody to house or sell.

I'll have to move the lighting down too. The only thing is..without the central air in the house as soon as it gets hot outside my basement will but too hot to keep anything alive except rock.

I'm hoping if the crack doesn't spread that it MIGHT be repairable. Right now there is nothing cracked in the visible areas..it's all the top and 1" down the side where trim covers it.

Anybody know anybody that can repair acrylic? I don't think I have the funds or energy to do a different setup...this tank was specifically put in the spot it's in because of it's special design (end drain on an 8ft tank)

 

[Suki]

drill it like they did the liberty bell. Open the crack with a dremel and fill the whole thing with epoxy, I promise it works perfect and long, long term.

 

[coralnut99]

drill it like they did the liberty bell. Open the crack with a dremel and fill the whole thing with epoxy, I promise it works perfect and long, long term.

I would go this route also if it were me. Though I'm not an acrylics guy, so I would've gone to one of the Weldon formulas.

 

[albano]

Can't guarantee it, but pretty sure that I read that you should drill a small hole at the end of the crack to stop it from running...then fill the entire seam/crack with epoxy.

 

[Suki]

Not too small of a hole. depending on the crack and the amount of stress involved 1/4" inch hole would would be a good safe bet. The bigger the better. Open the crack about 1/8" and fill. if the diameter of the hole is too small it will re-crack, Also I would check to see where the stress is coming from. Got any pics?

 

[spskid01]

wow ! I have no idea what id do if it was me. I wish you the best of luck with the repair.

 

[Fizz71]

At this point I think we're (Mal and I) are going to secure a piece of acrylic above and below. The fact that it didn't spread at all suggests the idea that it's not structurally injured to the point that I need to worry about failure. That is provided...of course....I figure out why the tank was bent to the point it cracked it...because that's what cracked it...not a failure of the tank itself, but a failure of the leveling job between tank and supports.

I still have 1/2 water and sand in it to get out this weekend, then I'll get it off the stand and see what I'm dealing with. I know my floor is really crooked, but the stand was leveled perfectly to the floor because the tank was perfectly level a few days before it cracked (I checked). But it was level because the tank was bending at the bottom so it looked perfect at the top!

Day by day at this point...