Broken tank- please give me info

[kdrun76]

Anyone that has ever had a tank full of fish break while on its stand (dropped tanks don't count) please give me information.


I have an idea and I want some data to support it.

I will make this a poll if I can figure out how. When your tank broke, was it sitting on a commercial stand that only supports the outside edges or was it sitting flat on a surface (dresser/ table/ DIY stand)? How big was the tank? Had it ever been moved/ carried around with substrate in it? Any big rocks in the bottom?

For smaller tanks that have the plastic trip around the edge, was that in tact at the time of the break or was it missing?

I am presuming all breaks are the bottom panel, so if yours was a side panel, please say that.

Do you know the cause of the break or was it a mystery?

I don't need to hear sob stories about all your friends flopping on the floor and ruined carpets. I am interested in the mechanics that cased the breakage.

 

[kdrun76]

bump

 

[fido2]

bump

 

[pi-eyed]

I bought a 180 gallon tank 6'x2'x2'
+ stand off of e-bay with a crack in the bottom panel. When I got it home I figured out how the crack happened. The stand was so poorly built that it must have flexed when the aquarium was being filled and cracked the bottom across the 2" dimension. I've rebuilt the stand repaired the crack and have an awesome 180 set up and running. $60 for the tank --not too shabby!!!
Gl,
Chris

 

[screaminleeman]

90G tall

Metal shelving bracket (Lowes/ Home Depot rated 1,500 lbs/ shelf) used as stand.
Particle board shelf comes with shelving bracket + additional 1/2" pine shelf.
Never carried/ moved with subtrate.
Rear side panel broke entire length bottom to top.
Subtrate was 50/50 mix of Crushed Coral & Cichlid sand.

Breakage occured due to using a trash cheap shelving unit not designed for the fish tank which was NOT a floating bottom style tank.

 

[kdrun76]

bump

 

[kdrun76]

No one else has ever had a broken tank?

 

[groovylime]

No one else has ever had a broken tank?

Probably quite uncommon. Most tank failures happen at the seams or by being dropped or hit.

 

[kdrun76]

I struggle to believe I am the only one!


Although my tank had lost its plastic trim about a month before it broke. I suppose the broken trim is rare. Its my theory that glass tanks should never be allowed to sit flat on their bottom panes and that is why they all come woth that plastic frame....to keep them supported only on their edges. While I don't have much data up there, it looks like the data supports my theory.

 

[Pharaoh]

I had a 125 that sat on a wooden frame. It ended up breaking, but only because of a heater malfunction.

I don't find that theory to be accurate. I have seen far too many tanks that sit directly on plywood or on a box-style frame and are just fine. Without investigating your particular circumstance, there could be a number of things that caused the tank to break.