Need input on 220 gallon crack

[Knapp870]

So I was working on setting up my new to me 220 gallon and was using a hair dryer in the overflow area to dry and got the crack pictured below. It is behind the rear corner overflow about 1.25" long curling up.... Is this thing toast? Aquarium is full of sand and water in the basement but livestock not moved yet...

 

[hijinks7]

Any crack in the glass will grow over time. The only real way to maybe stop it is silicone a glass patch over the crack.

 

[Jeepguy242]

i wouldn't chance it with all the money we spend on these tanks, corals, and our houses.....


i know it sucks, but like @hijinks7 said, any crack is going to get worse over time.... best to bite the bullet now and get a new tank than later when you come home and find all your corals and fish dead on the basement floor and a bunch of salt water that reeks of rotten seafood to clean up...

 

[hijinks7]

I agree.. if you own the home the increase in your home owners rate for a claim of 220g of salt water clean up will probably be 3-4x at least the cost of a new tank.

 

[brotherd]

So I was working on setting up my new to me 220 gallon and was using a hair dryer in the overflow area to dry and got the crack pictured below. It is behind the rear corner overflow about 1.25" long curling up.... Is this thing toast? Aquarium is full of sand and water in the basement but livestock not moved yet...

That is 100% failure and disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Jeepguy242]

definitely not a matter of IF... just when.....

 

[Jeepguy242]

i have always wondered if a company like Safelight that repairs windshields on cars can help something like this... they do amazing stuff to car windshields that i thought were seriously toast....

what do you guys think? is it worth a try and keep it for like a live rock tank just in case it fails.... like a place to cure rock or a QT tank?... extra large refugium?

 

[hijinks7]

i have always wondered if a company like Safelight that repairs windshields on cars can help something like this... they do amazing stuff to car windshields that i thought were seriously toast....

what do you guys think? is it worth a try and keep it for like a live rock tank just in case it fails.... like a place to cure rock or a QT tank?... extra large refugium?

My guess is there are some sort of chemical in their chip fill. Also a windshield isn't putting up with the pressures of 220g of water pushing on it.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

I wouldn't trust that tank.
A windshield has a laminate layer in between the 2 glass layers. And there is stuff to fix small stars which is just an epoxy. This is a crack. I wouldn't even trust 220g with a glass patch siliconed on both sides of the glass. Sure it's been done, just not worth the risk.

 

[Brew12]

I have to agree, the tank is toast. All of the vibrations that occur from pumps and flow in our systems will propagate the cracks until failure. A patch won't stop that. On a tank that size it might be cost effective to replace the cracked panel.

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

What's this about a hair dryer now?

 

[Knapp870]

What's this about a hair dryer now?

Yeah they work great for low cost aquarium pumps

 

[ihavecrabs]

Yeah they work great for low cost aquarium pumps

Can you explain further? I think there was an unintended error in that sentence.

 

[Knapp870]

Can you explain further? I think there was an unintended error in that sentence.

No that was intentional. I was joking. I was drying overflow area for Silicone and bulkhead replacement

 

[ihavecrabs]

No that was intentional. I was joking. I was drying overflow area for Silicone and bulkhead replacement

Lol got it. I'm surprised the tank cracked due to the hair dryer. I carried my 156g aquarium inside this weekend from 1F outside to 72F inside.

I know it probably doesn't seem like it but it could be a blessing in disguise that it happened then rather than 6 months down the line.

I'd reach out to an aquarium manufacturer if you have one locally to see if they would do a repair on it. They would know best

 

[Brew12]

Lol got it. I'm surprised the tank cracked due to the hair dryer. I carried my 156g aquarium inside this weekend from 1F outside to 72F inside.

I know it probably doesn't seem like it but it could be a blessing in disguise that it happened then rather than 6 months down the line.

I'd reach out to an aquarium manufacturer if you have one locally to see if they would do a repair on it. They would know best

The rapid temperature change isn't the problem. It is the localized uneven heating that will cause thick glass to crack.