Paranoid???

[kitbasher]

I bought a used 90 gallon on ebay a few weeks ago. Brought it home and filled it up for a week to test it. The seals looked awesome and the tank glass looked nearly new. The frame on the top had a few cracks which I filled with epoxy since it was outside of the tank. Last weekend I drained my 55 gallon tank and transfered my fish over to the 90. I put the 90 on the walnut credenza I used for the 55. I did take some time to buttress the stand so all uprights were transferring their respective loads to the floor via 2X4 boxes. I checked the stand for level and I filled up the tank. Everything seemed fine. Last night I noticed that the right end was 1/4" higher than the rest. The stand is on carpet, and I think it settled a bit unevenly over the last week as this tank is much heavier than the 55 was.
I was not sure if I should worry, so I read several threads on the forums here and the answer was inconclusive. There were almost as many votes to leave it as to drain it and level it when other people asked about their tanks in the same situation. I was just topping the tank off and I noticed what appears to be tiny bubbles in the seals between the glass. The seams inside the tank still look awesome. And these bubbles are absolutely tiny, they may or may not have been there earlier, but I am not sure.
Am I going to have an imminent blow out? Should I have put the tank on a sheet of cork or foam?

 

[ewurm]

Man, tough call. I would say it should be fine, but you would be cursing my name when the disaster restoration crew shows up.

 

[Volenti]

Couple of things, if this is on a wooden floor I'd be checking underneath if possible to make sure there isn't any bowing.

Carpet has spiked wooden strips around the edges of the room that keep the carpet in place, it's possible part of the stand is sitting on this strip?

 

[kitbasher]

Volenti both are good ideas. I can get into the crawl space to check the structure fairly easily as the access panel in in the closet of that room. As to the carpet strip, I think those are close to the wall aren't they? I had to move the stand foward several inches to allow the AC110 to hang on the back.

 

[Volenti]

Ok yea you won't be on the strip in that case it's only an inch wide and right up against the wall.

 

[Dr Joe]

I bought a used 90 gallon on ebay a few weeks ago. Brought it home and filled it up for a week to test it. The seals looked awesome and the tank glass looked nearly new. 1) The frame on the top had a few cracks which I filled with epoxy since it was outside of the tank. Last weekend I drained my 55 gallon tank and transfered my fish over to the 90. I put the 90 on the walnut credenza I used for the 55. I did take some time to buttress the stand so all uprights were transferring their respective loads to the floor via 2X4 boxes. I checked the stand for level and I filled up the tank. Everything seemed fine. 2) Last night I noticed that the right end was 1/4" higher than the rest. The stand is on carpet, and I think it settled a bit unevenly over the last week as this tank is much heavier than the 55 was.
I was not sure if I should worry, so I read several threads on the forums here and the answer was inconclusive. There were almost as many votes to leave it as to drain it and level it when other people asked about their tanks in the same situation. 3) I was just topping the tank off and I noticed what appears to be tiny bubbles in the seals between the glass. The seams inside the tank still look awesome. And these bubbles are absolutely tiny, they may or may not have been there earlier, but I am not sure.
Am I going to have an imminent blow out? 4) Should I have put the tank on a sheet of cork or foam?

First Congrats on the bigger tank...

1) Was the frame cracked all the way thru? This could be from too much heat from lights or tank stretch.

2) Is it 'off level' evenly from front to back (i.e. not just one corner low)?

3) Water won't put 'tiny air bubbles' in the silicone, so your right they were probably there.

4) Styrofoam insulation is for minor inperfections in stand height, it won't help with your problem properly.

Ok ewurm, your off the hook D ) anything happens he'll be mad at me...

Dr Joe

.

 

[kitbasher]

I did not know that heat could do that. The lights that came with the tank have had their housing warped from heat, and the hinge for the glass lids was badly warped as well. So that seems likely.
The right hand side is slightly higher, making the water appear lower. It is more so in the front corner. Almost like the stand is sitting on something in the front corner. Should I drain it and shim up the rest of the stand until it matches.
And are the micro bubbles a sign that the seam is under stress?