I cant believe what i have just done :(

Giles · Oct 16, 2011

I had purchased another 2nd hand 3 ft tank and stand the other day for axolotls, spent the last 3 days cleaning it and making it like new.....only to come to put the substrate in and trying to tip the sand in gently only to have the whole lot suddenly come pouring out, its cracked the bottom of the tank

I am so gutted.

Many cups of tea later i have come to ask for some advice. What can i do? From what i have seen on the internet, i have to write it off!

is there nothing i can do?

StewRat · Oct 16, 2011

Bad luck. What a pain.

Get another piece of glass cut to the same size as the base and silicone it on - with silicone across the whole surface?

If it was mine I'd certainly try that before writing it off - in fact, if it was me, I'd probably do it with perspex as I could cut that myself to try it.

The only thing I'd be concerned about with that plan is ...

... the fact it cracked from a deposit of weight and without a sharp blow suggests that maybe the bottom piece of glass is not in contact with the surface it sits on. I'd have thought there would have to be a gap under it for that to happen. That gap may be part of the way the tank is engineered to work with that plastic surround. I've never had one, but I've read of tanks with base surrounds that actually hold the glass off the surface. No idea why you would do that but they seem to be "engineered" to work that way, so messing with it may cause other problems.

All just suggestions I'm afraid - I've patched several tanks and quite big cracks with the glass+silicone method, but nothing quite that serious

Good luck - hope you dont have to junk it.

Aaran · Oct 16, 2011

You will need to make a tracing of the bottom of the tank,

Find a glass stockist near you that can cut glass to size, Get bevelled edge glass and strong glass your looking at around 10 mm + thickness.

Then silicone it back on

Could be cheaper to buy a new tank, BUT if its a bow front they are damned expensive...

Just my opinion.

and next time with the sand, i was it before it goes in. i do a little at a time
and i drop it in with my hand or scoops in jug sizes. and i also add water with it
so its like soup instead of cement ;D

Aaran · Oct 16, 2011

Stew, with a tank of this size acrylic probably would bow under the weight, unless you got some RIDICULOUSLY thick acrylic which in this case would be more expensive than the glass.

Kaysie · Oct 16, 2011

Turn it into a terrestrial tank.

Switching out the glass is a big pain, and you might not get it to be structurally sound.

Bellabelloo · Oct 16, 2011

I agree with Kaysie

Aaran · Oct 16, 2011

Depends, if she only has axolotls.. then i suppose it could be a MASSSIIIIIVEEE worm farm

for your axies.

Giles · Oct 16, 2011

lol, dont tempt me! I have two Axolotls, 3 whites tree frogs and have been looking for an excuse to add something else terrestial to the collection and as this the the last tank that we could possible fit in the house i may have just found it, better not let the girlfriend see this, she will think i did it on purpose xD Thanks guys for cheering me up, it was my own stupidity that caused it but i have been miserable all afternoon.

StewRat · Oct 16, 2011

Aaran said:
Stew, with a tank of this size acrylic probably would bow under the weight, unless you got some RIDICULOUSLY thick acrylic which in this case would be more expensive than the glass.

That's what I meant about whether or not the bottom glass sits directly on the supporting surface, or if it is held off it by a rim.

If the former, there is nothing to bow if the supporting surface is rigid, plus there is still strength from the glass once it is sealed to another material. Don't get me wrong, I've not done it on this scale, but if it was mine, and given the relative costs, I'd give a glass/silicone/perspex (acrylic) laminate a go.

Giles · Oct 16, 2011

Looking at it, there does seem to be a small gap between the glass bottom and the wood stand, cant understand why they would design it like that, especially considering its a 300L tank

katie11122 · Oct 16, 2011

i have always been told you should have a inch layer of styrofoam under the tank .... i guess this is why. so sorry!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Giles · Oct 16, 2011

Well sometimes you have to learn the hard way i guess

I'm sure i can use some aquarium sealnt on it and turn it into a terrestial tank, better start looking up that Tiger salamander i always wanted xD

yellowpebble · Oct 16, 2011

I think having a styrofoam base for the tank is meant to stop that... evry tank i have bought comes with a warning about having a foam layer between the tank and the stand, yet conveniently none of them came with one.

Aaran · Oct 16, 2011

Its because the bottom shouldnt be freestanding, it just doesnt work if not, as there isnt any support, with these kind of weights, (considering 1cubic meter of water is a tonne) you could be looking at 1/4 of a tonne in the smaller tanks. It will just crack and collapse under the pressure.

I have supports on my tanks. and if not ive had a solid base built with a towel between the tank and the surface.

My current 6fter im having to replace 1 side pannel, and put supports for the rest of the tank, building a custom stand too, this will have a wooden base panel in a steel frame, with a foam layer

Goodluck with the sals, if you go for them, its a shame really about the tank.

HappySkittles · Oct 16, 2011

How did it crack exactly? All the tank I've ever had had a space between the glass and the base and I have NEVER had a crack in years in my 55 gallon that had huge river rocks, gravel, and full to the top with water.

My current 45 gallon has the same space-the huge river rocks, sand, almost full and no problems-the axies are in this tank
And that tank used to be for saltwater with about 70 pounds of live rock, sand and water.

It could'nt have just been what you had in there as far as weight.

ZombieAxolotl · Oct 16, 2011

I'd just seal it and use it as terrestrial tank.

Like said by others it's a huge pain to find a glazier and the expense.
If you decided to replace it I would do it with acrylic, and probably add a small center bracing beam in the bottom just for extra support on a 80 gallon tank. I'm a little shocked that it doesn't have one at all.

And I would totally go with finding a new terrestrial pet hahahaha

totallyrad · Oct 16, 2011

man what a bummer! I know it's always so exciting getting new tanks especially when you get them for a bargain. I don't understand how a bunch of sand could have done this though, maybe it was a blessing in disguise (better to break with no water in it than with a bunch of water and a couple of axies)

I've literally dropped like super hard stuff like ornaments in the bottom of some tanks on accident and it didn't do anything so makes me think this tank wasn't that sound to begin with but who knows.

Yeah I agree with turning it into a terrestrial tank. it looks like a bowfront so that would be even more of a pain replacing the glass and then you have to hope it works and doesn't leak. good luck to you!
A big shame, this looked like it had great potential for an axie tank

iChris · Oct 17, 2011

by the looks of the way the glass cracked, it's almost as if the bottom was bulging out when the glass gave out. that small gap between the bottom pane of glass you mentioned would be there to fit a piece of styrofoam between the tank and the stand.

I'm so sorry that your new tank is unusable!

StewRat · Oct 17, 2011

This has probably gone on long enough already but I just wanted to add one thing in reference to this business about gaps and foam bases etc.

I have read posts on this forum (of course I cannot find them now) that talk about designs and brands of tanks that have a frame around the base which means the glass sits above the surface of the cabinet etc.

It was pointed out in those posts that this is the way they are designed to work and that the suppliers specifically say you should not put foam under them, and that indeed this invalidates the warranty.

So it perhaps isn't safe to assume that there should be foam in that gap on tanks like this - even if it doesn't seem to make sense. One of the problems I guess with 2nd hand items is you dont get those warning stickers and leaflets.

Aaran · Oct 17, 2011

To add to stewrat, i have one of those beamed tanks, Jewel i think mine is. and others that arent like that, Mine doesnt have foam under that specific tank due to it having a frame

to add another thing, my uncle has his own window business so i know about this glass stuff, (yeah that dont sound right smart) BUT, if glass has a scratch along the pain only has to be wafer thin, if you hit it or bend it along that scratch, crack the whole pain goes. Granted it has to be a reasonable wallop)

Sand with added water makes a sort of temporary cement (while its still wet) as all the particles interlock with each other. If its fine sand, this becomes exceptionally heavy and probably could do this with the correct amount of pressure (presuming its like hitting it with a full rock dropped in * this would be like hitting it with a hammer* ) thus breaking the pain, look at how its broken.

I cant believe what i have just done :(

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