Leemar 180 AGA Failed Today and lost all water!!!!!!

[gman2]

I came home today and found that 1/3 of wy water was on the livingroom floor today.!!! The tank is a Leemar 180 Euro style with no center brace and a center overflow. There are no holes in the glass other that 1 2" hole at each corner on the top of the tank braces and the 3" overflow on the bottom. I built the stand using 2x6's and a plywood top. This stand is solid and perfectly flat.

The tank is under three years old and had no signs of problems prior. The leak started near the center of the front glass pane where it joins the bottom pane. I was in a major panic and bought a 100gal just to put my acros in. Looks like I lost 80% of them so far, but fish are fine as of now.

What would cause this???

What do most insurance companys cover?? I just replaced my ampmaster 3000 five days ago and its shot along with other pieces of equempnent, my Tunze's, wavemaker and so on. God this sucks!!!

Any ideas??

Leemar said that the stand may have settled and thats the cause. After almost 3 years?? The tank stand is on plywood which is on a concrete slab.

THIS SUCKS!!
Tony

 

[reefsnreptiles1]

Wow!! Very sorry to hear of your loss. Best of luck in saving the rest of your livestock.

 

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear of your loss!

to know what your company will cover you will need to check your insurance contract that you have with them

It wasn't settling if the tanks sitting on concrete that would have happend within the first year (Do you have foam under the tank between the stand and tank?)

 

[reefland]

There is a reason most tank stands don't use a plywood top and why nothing directly touches the glass. In your case I think a lack of a styrofoam barrier between the plywood and glass could have led to uneven pressure across the base of the tank.

With my Oceanic 180, nothing touches the glass directly. The tank has a plastic rim around the edge and that rests on the frame of the stand.

Was the plywood sealed? Did it have a sump under the stand? Is it possible the increased humidity could have slightly warped the wood?

I think your construction work probably was close to perfect or it would have failed sooner. I think it was something slow acting like humidity.

Good Luck,

 

[Anonymous]

As to insurance, there's most likely a ton of legalese that they'd use to try and insulate themselves from an incident like this. I know that most policies consider tanks to be 'water-based appliances' like a washing machine or hot-water heater or something. Getting them to shell out for your carpeting/flooring and any furniture damage is probably a possibility; getting them to buy you new aquarium equipment is probably a longshot at best. :?

Good luck and keep us informed as to how things are going...

 

[Mogo]

Sorry to hear of your loss Gman. That really stinks, especially if you constructed the stand the way you described. There should be no problem with the stand itself if properly constructed to take tremendous load. Is the tank it still level? Did the concrete crack causing a shift? (mine did at first 8O ). I'm thinking that it may be a defect in the tank istself. If so, maybe go after the manufacturer. Assuming of course everything was DEAD level at the time of your mishap.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss. I hope everything comes out okay.
My insurance policy states that the equipment in my tanks is covered, but not the livestock. There was a thread about someone else's claim ordeal a couple of months ago.

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2216
(sorry to drag up a painfull memory DanC)

B

 

[clamlvr]

sorry to hear about your lose. good luck

 

[Anonymous]

Ouch! At least I changed the server and the pics don't show up anymore!

My problems were associated witn a fire- the insurance company covered everything and was not particularly concerned about my proof of what I did or didn't have. I had reciepts for everything, they didn't want to see any of it. A lot seems to depend on the discretion of the adjuster.

 

[reefNewbie]

ok here a far fetched idea.....you had a mantis in your tank and it decided to break your tank! 8O

 

[DontYouJustWish]

I added a ride on my insurance specifically for my equipment. They wont replace livestock but will replace equipment. HTH

 

[gman2]

Well the tank is completely empty and 3 rooms of carpet/padding removed. The was not cracked on the bottom at all. It looks like the pressure from inside the tank forced the front pane to separate from the bottom almost in the center. It appears that the separation is about 3 feet total. My insurance compant says that it definitly appears the tank was defective. I placed a level on the stand and its flalt and level front t o back and side to side.

My insurance said that they should pick up anything damaged by the water excluding tank and occupants. I just bought a new ampmaster 5 days ago and its flooded. My Tunze's are also ruined as the electronis got wet. I tink I lost about a $1000 in equipment, 1500 in funiture and they say 5-6K in carpet, walls and repainting.

GOD THIS SUCKS

and the worst part is there seems to be nothing I could have done.

I did not use the styrophone which some suggested as it was never told to me when I set up the tank.

Is it normal for the bottom of the tank to bow upwards near the center???

Thanks
Tony

 

[dick182]

Is it normal for the bottom of the tank to bow upwards near the center???

Thanks
Tony

You mean the bottom glass appears to bow upward? I would say no, that's not normal. As water finds it's own level, the pressure should be equal along the entire bottom surface. reefland's humidity/warping seems plausable. Is the bottom glass actually raised off the plywood?
How about some pictures?

 

[golfish]

gman2,
I'm very sorry to hear about your tank. I'm trying to decide between an IA or a Lee Mar and have been leaning towards a Lee Mar until now. Its nice to hear your insurance company is at least going to pay for some of the stuff. I don't have my tank up at the moment but I do have a hec of a lot of nice sps in storage at a buddies house. I should have the tank up and full again by the end of the summer or early fall. If you need some frags to help you get started up again let me know, I'd be more then happy to help you out.

BTW, I know its saltwater but I have found that sometime if you take the electonics apart and let it dry for a few days it will be as good as new.

 

[Will C1]

that sucks man. when i switched insurance companys 2 years ago i specifically said to them all if you wont cover all of my tank i dont want your business. so i found one and they told me in writing they would cover every bit of my tank when a incident happens. so this dosent include normal wear and tear. so it has to be a break or flood or fire or something bad to happen for it work but hey thats about all you really need. BTW its state farm insurance.

 

[Mac1]

That's good to know WillC... we use Nationwide, and our agent is a friend of the family. When I moved into our house and got the homehowners from him, we had special riders put on for certain things (computer equip., etc.) I asked about the tank at that time, and he said we would normally be covered for equipment loss, but not any livestock (same w/ other pets). I asked about a special rider for the livestock, and he said the company would not insure pets or other livestock, ever.
Methinks I'm going insurance shopping!

- Mac

 

[clamlvr]

That's good to know WillC... we use Nationwide, and our agent is a friend of the family. When I moved into our house and got the homehowners from him, we had special riders put on for certain things (computer equip., etc.) I asked about the tank at that time, and he said we would normally be covered for equipment loss, but not any livestock (same w/ other pets). I asked about a special rider for the livestock, and he said the company would not insure pets or other livestock, ever.
Methinks I'm going insurance shopping!

- Mac

I think I will also call my insurance company tomorrow. thanks for the info

 

[teevee]

was the tank on any type of padding? i have heard of a few breaks recently where the owner thought the tank was perfectly level, but was not on styrofoam/carpet, i am wondering if that may have contributed...