Did you ever own a chipped corner aquarium?

[esoxlucius]

You've already been on other forums but didn't like/agree with the responses, that's fair enough, get a few second opinions.

It's only a few posts ago since you resurrected this thread and already you've had responses of, "it'll be fine" and "no, don't risk it".

The simple truth is you can get advice, good or bad, from every man and his dog, but the fact will remain that the tank, sound or otherwise, is in YOUR house, not anyone elses. Any failure is your mess, and a big one too!

Personally I'm with the "it'll be fine" brigade. The chip doesn't seem to go that deep. It's more cosmetic damage than something that's going to effect the structural integrity. But hey, take that with a pinch of salt.

If your DIY skills are ok then your original break down the tank and replace the panel plan is a good plan.

When all said and done I think your plan is the only one that will permanantly remove the will it or won't it niggling doubts.

Good luck.

 

[Backfromthedead]

I would not say the damage on @scoubt tank is "severe", it appears to be just a shard no more than a few mm that flaked off the very outside of the corner. The tank that @Joritz8011 posted right before (post #36) is what could be described as "severe" corner damage and needing rebuild.

Of course everybodys right in that its your tank, your house, your decision but im not afraid to cast a few presumptuous opinions out there...why the hell would i spend all this time and money on aquarium projects if im not gonna at least formulate an opinion on the matter?

 

[jjohnwm]

I wouldn't hesitate to use that tank, although I'd likely be OCD'd intro glomming a bit of silicone under that chip and then taping it down while the stuff cured. A quick razor-blade clean-up and you're done.

But, of course, I'd be using it in the unfinished basement fishroom. I've experienced a grand total of one catastrophic aquarium failure...and that was on a brand-new, previously-unused, completely chip-free, painstakingly leveled and supported tank in the 120-ish-gallon range, situated on a wood parquet floor.

I've also had a crapload of chipped tanks...some were "self-chipped" and others came "pre-chipped"...and none of them ever caused a problem, aside from one slow-dripper about thirty years ago which I didn't fix. I just set it up over the floor drain and installed a "dripping in" line for a constant water change system, which worked for years!

So...like everybody else here...I'm just making a SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) here that you will be fine. But, for crying out loud...stop playing with it! Pulling that chip out to peak underneath it, unless you are doing it to squirt on some silicone, is like picking at a scab; you ain't doing it any good and may be making it worse.

 

[scoubt]

Phew, lots of responses! I'll try to not ramble on too long!

Doesn’t look too harsh to me. Set it up on the porch and fill it up for a day or two. You’ll have a heck of a lot better answer than the maybe / probably / possibly stuff you’ll get on boards.

i’d toss a snort of silicone on the inside of that corner just to be a belt and suspenders man and give it a test run.

Good luck.

@scoubt it doesnt appear that crack goes into or near the seam, appears to be more of a "flake" than a crack imo. Id say its good to go, but if you want to take a couple precautionary measures you could 1) check with a magnifiying glass or loupe for any small radiating cracks that might get worse and 2) set it up in a garage or porch and fill it with water for a week or so.

Hello; Much depends on where the tank will be set up for permanent use. In a basement on a concrete floor = no worries. In a house on wood floors with or without carpet = big worries, far more than $400 worth.

Damage is damage. The damage shown is pretty severe. Also the damage is on the bottom corner where water pressure is greatest. Putting it on a porch or other "safe " place and letting it sit filled for a week or two might help the nerves, but damage will still be damage. Point is we nor you can know otherwise. All else is fancy guessing.

I was originally thinking that, but I live in a historic house in a downtown area and don't really have a stable spot I can put it outside. The tank will live in a basement with a (sealed) concrete floor, so I think I can just set it up there to leak test for a bit.

You've already been on other forums but didn't like/agree with the responses, that's fair enough, get a few second opinions.

It's only a few posts ago since you resurrected this thread and already you've had responses of, "it'll be fine" and "no, don't risk it".

The simple truth is you can get advice, good or bad, from every man and his dog, but the fact will remain that the tank, sound or otherwise, is in YOUR house, not anyone elses. Any failure is your mess, and a big one too!

Personally I'm with the "it'll be fine" brigade. The chip doesn't seem to go that deep. It's more cosmetic damage than something that's going to effect the structural integrity. But hey, take that with a pinch of salt.

If your DIY skills are ok then your original break down the tank and replace the panel plan is a good plan.

When all said and done I think your plan is the only one that will permanantly remove the will it or won't it niggling doubts.

Good luck.

It isn't that I didn't like or agree with their responses, I just feel like no one actually had any experience or had very little knowledge and just jumped straight to "no" without having anything but baseless fear controlling their response. It's like getting in a small car accident, insurance telling you it it totaled, but the damage appears to just be related to the front suspension, and trying to get a few opinions on what specifically needs to be repaired or replaced? IDK, it is hard to equate this to something else, but I just want REAL information and I don't think anyone who had answered on my other forum had actually dealt with this before.

I would not say the damage on @scoubt tank is "severe", it appears to be just a shard no more than a few mm that flaked off the very outside of the corner. The tank that @Joritz8011 posted right before (post #36) is what could be described as "severe" corner damage and needing rebuild.

Of course everybodys right in that its your tank, your house, your decision but im not afraid to cast a few presumptuous opinions out there...why the hell would i spend all this time and money on aquarium projects if im not gonna at least formulate an opinion on the matter?

That is kind of what I was thinking. I know NONE of this is going to be scientific (unless someone in here actually has a background in some sort of glass-related engineering or something?), but I wanted peoples REAL opinions with either experience or some sort of logical basis to back it up. All damage isn't equal, and I can guarantee not every damaged glass tank has just been thrown away (as evidenced by this thread existing).

I wouldn't hesitate to use that tank, although I'd likely be OCD'd intro glomming a bit of silicone under that chip and then taping it down while the stuff cured. A quick razor-blade clean-up and you're done.

But, of course, I'd be using it in the unfinished basement fishroom. I've experienced a grand total of one catastrophic aquarium failure...and that was on a brand-new, previously-unused, completely chip-free, painstakingly leveled and supported tank in the 120-ish-gallon range, situated on a wood parquet floor.

I've also had a crapload of chipped tanks...some were "self-chipped" and others came "pre-chipped"...and none of them ever caused a problem, aside from one slow-dripper about thirty years ago which I didn't fix. I just set it up over the floor drain and installed a "dripping in" line for a constant water change system, which worked for years!

So...like everybody else here...I'm just making a SWAG (Scientific Wild Ass Guess) here that you will be fine. But, for crying out loud...stop playing with it! Pulling that chip out to peak underneath it, unless you are doing it to squirt on some silicone, is like picking at a scab; you ain't doing it any good and may be making it worse.

Hah, I only pulled it back once to take the photo. I have already siliconed it in place so it won't move anymore, and am thinking of siliconing a piece of glass on the inside of the affected corner to potentially spread out some of the force that will be on this particular corner. This tank will be going in a basement with a (sealed) concrete floor, and I have a sump pump. I'm not really worried about damage to my house, moreso wondering if anyone has any reason to believe that this particular damage appears to be catastrophic. SWAGs are perfectly fine, I don't think anyone would be able to make a real surefire call on this. If the vast majority of people here would just send it....send it I likely will!

 

[skjl47]

I just feel like no one actually had any experience or had very little knowledge and just jumped straight to "no" without having anything but baseless fear controlling their response

Hello; If it helps i have been keeping aquariums since 1959. Almost continuously. I have had two major tank failures and many sorts of leaks. A 125 let go and dumped something like 100 gallons quickly. I was lucky in that tank was in a basement with a bard concrete floor and a drain. The 55 gallon was on an upper floor on a hardwood floor. Decided to let go while I was away for a weekend. Floor did no warp but was discolored forever ( well i never got around to refinishing it )
I have also known of other failures among other fish keepers.

Even on this forum I have read threads by keepers who put large aquariums in rooms with wall to wall carpet. I had a side job for some years installing carpet in homes. I saw plenty of floor damage under carpet. I moved into my current house 14 years ago. One of my early jobs was to pull the carpet from what became my fish room. I replaced it with the heavy duty vinyl squares such as found in big commercial stores. I wanted to keep some tanks upstairs on a wood floor with floor joists. Not yet had a major failure nor bad leak but have spilled plenty of water.

So, consider my advice as being from baseless fear as you wish. As others have pointed out it is not my house nor floor so do as you wish. In that sense I can give you a go for it.

 

[Trouser Cough]

This tank will be going in a basement with a (sealed) concrete floor, and I have a sump pump.

My tanks are in my basement and the floor is sealed concrete there as well. I've had a large aquarium leak and the thing to be prepared for is that the water will run to the edge of the floor and then either leak into the wall or drain from there down to the footing and that moisture can cause an issue.

Things I've found handy are:

- I have two large (@18x18x30") totes full of shop towels and clapped out bathroom towels within reach in the tank room.

- I have a wet/dry vac that sucks hard and has a big tank.

- I have 5 gallon buckets of cat litter I get from WalMart. It's the identical stuff used in mechanical shops but at far less than half the cost. IIRC it's called Pretty Kitty or a similar name that sounds like it shouldn't be used for cat litter. Works great and doesn't leave the hard concrete like moraines behind like most absorbent kitty litter type products.

- I have multiple 30" portable fans.

Why? I have a wife that is not particularly impressed w/ my tank fetish under normal circumstances. When there's a catastrophic failure she is not more of a fan.

Here's the way to prepare in advance:

IIRC you said that was a 400g tank. Picture in your mind having 7 ea, 55g drums full of water in your basement.

Now kick them over.

That thing that just occurred to you to reach for? Get that and have it on hand.

 

[Fishman Dave]

That’s nothing!
I already have one like that without silicone. I have one that went fully through and now has a silicone ramp in that corner on the inside. One with a cracked base and a pane siliconed over it. A 4 ft with a cracked back panel and a half pane siliconed over that. Then one 390 jewel corner tank with a posi driver screwdriver star right in the front of it from when the kids were little, just like a stone chip in a car window. Never got round to fixing it and it’s been running for the past 15 years now. If it were a display tank in the middle of the living room, I might have concerns ( not too many as my corner tank spent the first five yrs as display in my dining room) but if it’s in the basement I’d slap some silicone on the inside corner and already be using it!

 

[skjl47]

Hello; After a time the only aquariums I could get were all glass. No metal frames as when I started fish keeping. I chipped a few tanks and did not like such. I found a way to protect the edges. Go to a hardware store which carries wallpaper supplies. They sell a clear plastic trim which goes on the outside corners of a wallpaper job. Works on the outside corners of an aquarium. I attach the plastic protection with clear aquarium silicone but any clear silicone will work. I usually trim down the width of the plastic as it is usually one inch wide. I think the last i bought came in ten foot lengths. No chips on any tanks I have applied this to. Stuff can be removed easy enough.

 

[Fishman Dave]

I had to smile at this as I have exactly the same thing on a 3ft tank I picked up years ago but the guy was a carpenter and had done exactly the same thing but with 1” wooden corner beading.

 

[Caperguy99]

Can I get some of your thoughts on this splinter? It’s on the bottom right corner of brand new 210 Aqueon.

I’ve contacted the distributor and they’ve reached out to Aqueon, but I wanted to hear what the members here think. Is this just cosmetic, or is it a real issue?