how long does a tank last?

[Dargason]

Most tanks have a warranty of about 5 years... this doesn't seem very long for something that costs a lot of money, is a pain to replace, and can cause major financial loss when it fails.

Every so often on this board, you hear of a tank that has failed, and the heartbreak it caused. Last week my Dad's 55 gallon sprung a leak and emptied itself onto the floor overnight. I'm getting ready to set up my 200 gallon system (on my brand new hardwood floor) and I have a couple questions.

How often to tanks fail? Is it recommended to replace them after a certain number of years?

Do you all have any recommendations on how to minimize damage if/when it fails?

Am I worrying about this too much?

Thanks!
Mike

 

[Gopherfish]

Hi Dargason-

I think about the "what if's" all too often. I live on the third floor (above my landlord) and sometimes imagine what it would be like to walk in my door (on first floor) to be greeted by water dripping from above. I once had a filter spill during maintainance (about 2 gallons) and believe me it spreads around fast. I can't imagine what 90 gal would do (or 200 in your case).

Before you choose where to set up- think structurally. Know which way the floor joists are set- and position your tank across as many beams as possible. Locate it near a load bearing wall- so the weight won't be concentrated on the middle of a large span. GFI (Ground Fault Interrupt)- make sure you have one on the circuit you're plugging into. This could save your own life, not to mention your aqua-friends in the event of a spill or leak.

Make sure your floor and setup are completely level. The pressure will concentrate if it is not- leading to possible failures. Your stand should be solid construction- not framed or with legs.

I've heard a lot of people put a layer of foam under the glass (between the stand). This is supposed to even out any bends or bows and equalize the pressure.

HTH-

Goph

 

[Carpentersreef]

I've heard that the useful life for a glass/silicone aquarium is 20 years. That's as far as the silicone goes, anyways - make sure that you buy your tank from a manufacturer that uses quality glass. Probably a search on this board's history will give you a better idea which most aquarists use. I think that most failures are from inadequate/poorly designed stands. Foam underneath is a very good idea.

Mitch

 

[scavdog]

It really is a crap shoot. My lfs has some tanks from 1972-78. Go figure...

 

[toyfreek]

i would highly recomend not putting it on your hardwood floors we did on my 55gal.
the tank never failed but just from maint. feeding etc. RUINED the floors.
we bought a oriental weave for $200 at HD and plywood under that to increase footprint and save the floors looks great and helps the stress load not to mention not paying 2k for another flooring replacement. really dont do it you will be sorry.

 

[Dargason]

Well, it's too late now -- the stuff's on it's way and I don't have an alternative location for the tank. It's huge!

However, the sumps are in the basement where I can slop/spill all I want without hurting anything, and I'll be sure to cover the floor well when I clean the glass or feed. I'll just get a nice rug or something to put right in front of it, and be sure to mop up any spills.

Next weekend I intend to added several extra floor joists to help support the tank. Unfortunately, the tank runs parallel to the joists, but I'm sure that adding an extra 3 or 4 joists will provide plenty of extra support. A friend of mine recommended that I glue/screw the new joists to the old ones to maximize the benefit.

I had taken for granted that the floor would be level -- I won't assume this and I'll check that the stand is level before setting the tank on it. I've got mixed feelings about putting the foam underneath. The tank and stand are a matched set (oceanic nature's view tank) and while I think the foam would be a good idea, I think it would show. Maybe I can find some that is thin enough.

Thanks for all the information!

Mike

 

[Carpentersreef]

You're going to add floor joists?

That's no easy task to do it right. I would recommend instead to add a beam and post running perpindicular to the joists, if you want extra support.

Mitch

 

[Iron]

yup even if your tank doesn't leak even if you cover the floor with towel when you do maintance you will still have spills maybe even small floods= part of the hobby. The salt will ruin everything. I finally put ceramic tile in the room my tanks in.

 

[kjb]

I like Iron's ceramic tile idea. If I had it to do I would get some underlayment and lay tile on it to create a spill catch area, even if it meant stepping up an inch to get to the tank.

 

[Ritteri&Bubbles]

This is why I now only buy Acrylic tanks, besides having a lifetime warrenty, there are no seams to break at all, all corners are welded which are actually stronger than the acrylic itself. How often do you hear of someone saying their acrylic tank sprung a leak?? Besides that, they are lighter,clearer viewing, insulate better,and you can even repair scratches. I have an Oceanic, and a few smaller AGA's but I'm eventually going to sell them and replace em with acrylic.

 

[JohnD]

I have an 11 year old 55 gallon AGA that has seen better days. Too many apartment moves, but now I am in a house. I am looking to upgrade to a Oceanic.

The 55 is on a hard wood floor and has been for 5 years. I had the floor refinished before I moved in. Besides the sanding, it got a coat of sealer and 2 coats of poly. I was told by the floor man that the second coat of poly is the key.

Maybe I have benn lucky, but I clean up after every water change. Besides towelling up stray saltwater, I rinse the floor with clear water. FWIW, the floor looks great.

 

[bashcraft]

"How often do you hear of someone saying their acrylic tank sprung a leak?? "

I hear of it a lot!!!!

Bob

 

[jemichaeliv]

What is more reliable Glass or Arylic?

 

[Anonymous]

The only tank that has sprung a leak was a 20gal hex that was purchased in 83 and just started leaking this year. But that guy had seen a lot of moves from student days, and was shifted 1/4 off the stand during the 89 quake.

-Greg

[ August 21, 2001: Message edited by: GDawson ]

 

[Anonymous]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by bashcraft:
<STRONG> I hear of it a lot!!!!
Bob</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Really!!?? Pardon my ignorance , but how does an acrylic tank spring a leak? Isn't it seamless construction?

I perfer glass but was going to switch just because of the leakage factor. This might change my mind.....

 

[Chucker]

GDawson- 99% of acrylic tanks are not molded. They are flat sheets that are bent to shape, and then sheets are added on each end to form the container. There are always seams in this style of construction.

 

[Ritteri&amp;Bubbles]

Bashcraft: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

I hear of it a lot!!!!

Really?? You "hear" it alot?? I sure havent. And Im also talking about reputable acrylic tanks too like Tenecor etc, not the cheap ones you see in chain pet stores.

Chucker: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

They are flat sheets that are bent to shape, and then sheets are added on each end to form the container. There are always seams in this style of construction.

No that is incorrect chucker, there are NO seams, only welds, normally on the back side and top plate and bottom plate, and the weld itself is stronger than the actual acrylic itself. Its already a proven fact that acrylic tanks dont just "leak" after a few years, all reputable acrylic companys have lifetime warrenties against leaks for a reason. And for some reason I see all kinds of threads on tanks leaking,cracking,"letting go" etc, and not one was on an acrylic setup. So if your saying that glass tanks are even remotely as safe as acrylic, then your just being ignorant. One of my sons last summer threw a baseball across the room real hard and accidentally hit one of my acrylic show tanks dead center, real hard too. The tank didnt even flinch, if it were a glass tank, there would have been 150+ gallons everywhere. It also left a large scuff mark too, which I was able to remove, and you would never know a ball hit it where it was repaired.Normally if acrylic is going to have a "leak" you will know about it right away first time you test fill your tank, but once filled and no leaks are detected, you can bet there will NEVER be a leak ever. Since it is still a man made product but for every thousand(maybe even a much higer number)glass tanks you hear having "problems" you may hear of one acrylic tank with the same.

GDawson: yes they are seamless constuction, only liquid weld is used where 2 or 3 pieces of acrylic meet.

 

[M.E.Milz]

Well, how often have you heard of a quality glass tank failing? I hear people say that it happens all of the time, but everytime I check into it, the story never seems to "hold water", if you know what I mean. And I am not talking about the run-of-the-mill smaller tanks sold by the pet store, but large quality custom made tanks.

The reason I ask is that I plan on having 2 moderately large glass tanks (approximately 180 and 320 gallons) custom built to fit along a wall in a new condo (on a high floor) that I will be moving into next year. Although I have heard about the horrors of glass tank failures (and 500 gallons of water is nothing to take lightly), I cannot find any evidence of this actually happening. Spills? Sure. Frozen auto-top offs? Yes. But no tank failures. I am starting to believe that this is just another urban myth.

[ August 21, 2001: Message edited by: M.E.Milz ]

 

[Len]

Ask John Rice. Acrylic can crack under heat or acute stresses (or if the sheet is poorly manufactured). It's much stronger then glass, but it is not structurally infalliable

 

[SPC]

M.E. I agree with you, I think its all blown out of proportion (if you can imagine that

). I have never known anyone who has had a quality tank fail, not saying it hasn't happened, I just think its as rare as hens teeth.
Steve