So my tank broke...

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rwellbaum

rwellbaum

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MFK Member
Mar 27, 2012
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Yesterday on my lunch break from work I went downstairs to feed my fish and I stepped in a pool of water...

My 150 gallon 48"x24"x30" tank bottom panel busted. The fish are fine I caught it in time... I have no idea why it busted the only decorations in the tank was was a large piece of driftwood and 2 fake plants... The tank was perfectly level & on factory stand

The bottom panel broke in a zig zag all across the bottom..
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The tank is a fairly new tank it has been set up in my possession for almost a year. I did move the tank a few months ago to my new house...

Anyone have any ideas on why this happened?

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Id have to agree usually bottom glass breaking is due to either unlevel stand or uneven pressure. Hard to see in the pics but it looks like the bottom plastic frame on the tank is there to elevate the bottom pane and i cant tell if there is foam under the tank. If there is it takes the weight off of the bottom support and puts it on the glass which it wasnt designed to hold.
 
Uneven pressure is the likely candidate. Unfortunately, there are any number of things that cause uneven pressure, from a single of point of pressure (grain of sand under the tank) to a tank that was not level.

The zigzag was probably caused because of the pressure of the water. It is likely that there was only one crack, but then it spread as the pressure became even more uneven.
 
Brich999 - so are you saying not to put foam under the tank, between the stand and the bottom of the tank? I have been told to do that, even reading directions for a new tank that suggested doing so - unfortunately I can't remember which manufacturer.
 
Foam is good and bad in different situations. If your tank is designed for the bottom pane to be in contact with the stand, I would highly recommend foam. If it is designed to be a "floating" bottom, then the trim is made to support the weight of the tank and adding a thick soft foam will put the weight on the glass which it wasnt designed to do. A thin layer of foam can still be used under the trim, just make sure when it compacts it wont put pressure where it wasnt designed for. Hope that made a little sence
 
Hello; Back in the 1970's I had a homemade 125 gallon tank with an angle iron frame. It also had a tihin metal brace across the top of the tank at the center. The cross brace was held in place by small machine bolts. The tank held up for many years. Eventually enough rust formed betweet the small bolt and the top of the glass at the back. The rust put pressure on the glass and the back panel cracked all the way to the bottom. Lost a tank for not using stainless fasteners.

It occurs to me that there has been a serious amount of cold here in TN in the last week. Could it be that the basement got colder than normal? With tank heaters keeping the water warm there may have been different rates of thermal stress if the ambient air got much colder than normal. A metal frame might have expanded or contracted at a different rate than the glass.

Was a heater near the location of the crack?
 
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