I wanted to post an update - there isn't anything for sale at the moment, but I figured it made sense to post a follow up here. Note I will be selling some stuff soon - just gotta get it all sorted out.
Thanks everyone who helped me out Tuesday night. I had a lot of offers for help and a lot of support from the community. I had many, many more people who just wanted to lend a hand and help out than I had people just looking to score free stuff. It is really affirming to have such a positive reaction from all of you - and it was critical in me surviving these last few days. Thank you all!!!!
The tank and stand are gone - hopefully the new owner will be able to have the tank repaired. My apartment is now eerily quiet - I'd grown very used to the quiet whir of the various pumps and the light gurgle of the water. I really miss my aquatic family ... it was a sudden loss, to say the least. The support from the community and the fact that I was able to re-home everything has kept me going.
The biggest unanswerable question is why this happened. The tank was perfectly level. It made me nervous to check again (I would have been heartbroken if I had made a mistake somehow when placing the tank) but check again I did on Wednesday morning. The tank was perfectly level left to right, front to back and at a 45 degree angle.
The most likely thing is that there was some extra stress put on the tank during my move 1 month ago ? nothing visible, but something had to have stressed the glass. I guess it was just a matter of time. It is odd though to have a tank fail after sitting for a full month.
The
Apex and multiple leak detectors were critical in saving my livestock and in mitigating the damage the apartment. If you have an Apex, get a few leak detectors and set up your unit to message you when you have an issue! I also had mine set to turn off the pumps when water was detected ? this kept the sump water in the sump and off of my floor. I was in Greenpoint when the leak happened, and planning on staying out for several more hours. If I had done so, I would have had 50-60 gallons more water on the floor and would have lost all my livestock.
I hope to eventually get back into the hobby with a smaller tank ? something similar to a 40 gallon breeder in shape. For the near future I?m going to take a break and settle into my new home. I?m sure I?ll be doing sketch-ups of a new custom tank soon enough though. Gotta prepare and budget, right?
With all that said, thanks again to everyone who reached out with positive messages and offers of support. Below are some pictures of the tank I took just before moving a month ago (which is why you can see the heaters ? I had disconnected the sump as the tank was getting moved the morning after these photos).
