# Now This is Getting COMPLETELY Out of Hand: ANOTHER CRACKED TANK (We Believe)...



## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Oh my G-d...

You guys are NOT going to believe this -- we TOTALLY have a fish tank curse on us, I am convinced. You know the 10 gallon we had set up to house the goldfish that were in the 60 gallon that cracked? Well, my wife points out to me just now that the 10 gallon has developed what looks like a small crack in the back upper corner -- I CANNOT BELIEVE IT but there it is, clear as day. It's not glue, extra silicone or a smudge. When you run your finger over it, you can clearly feel the texture of a scratch...

Here's what I think caused it, and it leads me to believe the 60 gallon cracked from VIBRATIONS in the wall from the unstable construction of our home: For the last two days, contractors have been nailing and pounding away at our walls in the room where the tank was for drywall repairs, and suddenly this crack develops near the upper portion of the seal in the rear of the tank -- you can clearly see where the crack developed, out of the greenish seal on the glass.

I SIMPLY CANNOT BELIEVE THIS AND I AM READY TO PULL MY HAIR OUT OF MY HEAD. People, what do we do now? We DON'T want this tank to crack like the other one to begin leaking, which it hasn't done yet, and we haven't even had a chance to fix this house yet. IS THIS ALL BEING CAUSED BECAUSE OF OUR FLOORS AND HOUSE AND HOW WEAK THE FOUNDATION IS? WHY DOES THIS KEEP CRACKING OUR TANKS??? Could this have happened from the construction workers pounding away at the walls near this tank as they did their repairs? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? We're going to lose these fish we tried SO hard to save and protect from the LAST disaster...

If anyone could reply to me ASAP, I would appreciate it.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

UPDATE: We have drained some water from the tank up the point just below the crack line and taped up the crack with some construction/painting tape JUST TEMPORARILY. I know this isn't a solution, and that the crack is going to bust right through the tape eventually, but we don't know what else to do to get us through the night without another flood short of getting some Rubbermaids to put the fish in...

*Is there ANYTHING we can buy to fix this crack before it gets too large? Some kind of adhesive glue to bond it somehow like windhshields take when they're slightly cracked?*


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Get some silicone and put over the crack. It will hold it for awhile. do inside and out. won't look pretty but it will work.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Thanks Susan.

Is it REMOTELY possible this is just a SCRATCH and not an actual crack? My wife said she does not feel any actual damage INSIDE the tank when she runs a finger over it, and it doesn't seem to have penetrated much of the glass...

Isn't the silicone dangerous to the fish? I can put this INSIDE the tank?


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Attached are two pictures, first, of the crack on the 60 gallon, now that's been drained and emptied...

Someone PLEASE analyze these and tell me what could have caused such a nasty break in the glass...


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Next, here are two pictures of what the 10 gallon sits on (it's like a small "pony wall" that's attached to the stairs of our house, and the construction of this entire home is just complete garbage) -- you can also get a sense of the destruction we have been dealing with in this room since the 60 gallon flooded...

Someone PLEASE analyze these photos and tell me if you think the positioning of the 10 gallon is what caused this new crack (if that's what it is) -- the way it's positioned atop the little "pony wall" adjacent to our staircase, and if the banging from the construction today right near the tank could have done it...


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## Nereus7 (Jun 13, 2012)

Just a heads up, that crack will run. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow..... but one, it will run. - N

(just the nature of glass)


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Silicone is safe for fish especially aquarium silicone, look on the inside seams, thats silicone in there.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

I can tell you right now that the 60g was bad from the get go, a crack like that starts very small, basically the 60g was smacked on that lower corner and that crack ran to the top with vibration and with the water pressure+water temps.

Go to home depot, get a tube of GE-1 silicone, make sure it says GE-1 if you dont see GE-1 dont buy it, go to petsmart, they got a small tube as does petco, for about twice the price for 1/4 the amount, but it will work. use your finger and push the silicone into the crack not forcefully just let it flow in and let it sit for about a day up to 7 days depending on room temp and humidity levels, or see if petco is still having the $1/gallon sale, you can get the 10g for 10 bucks there or at walmart(everyday)


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

susankat said:


> Silicone is safe for fish especially aquarium silicone, look on the inside seams, thats silicone in there.


OK. Thanks.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

WhiteGloveAquatics said:


> I can tell you right now that the 60g was bad from the get go, a crack like that starts very small, basically the 60g was smacked on that lower corner and that crack ran to the top with vibration and with the water pressure+water temps.
> 
> Go to home depot, get a tube of GE-1 silicone, make sure it says GE-1 if you dont see GE-1 dont buy it, go to petsmart, they got a small tube as does petco, for about twice the price for 1/4 the amount, but it will work. use your finger and push the silicone into the crack not forcefully just let it flow in and let it sit for about a day up to 7 days depending on room temp and humidity levels, or see if petco is still having the $1/gallon sale, you can get the 10g for 10 bucks there or at walmart(everyday)


Thanks so much, White Glove, for analyzing the photos -- at least I have some insight now as far as the large tank. So, it's possible there was damage done to the 60 gallon even before we set it up? We had this tank delivered from the store we purchased it in (basically a cruel-to-dogs "puppy mill" that happens to sell fish and tanks called "Pet Pros" that we never should have patronized) and the only reason we bought it there was because they were willing to deliver the tank and stand to our home -- and bring it up to our second floor room and place it where we wanted it. However, two idiot teens were responsible for bringing the tank and stand and carrying them up our stairs (a chick and a douche guy) so I'm thinking that maybe they did some damage to the stuff on the way over that we'll never know about. 

The crack doesn't look like it was immediately caused by the hot water going into it? Or perhaps the glass was weakened once the hot water and temp swings influenced it? 

As for the silicone suggestion you gave me -- are you talking about trying to repair the 10 gallon right now, or attempting to repair the 60? Because we're not salvaging the 60 gallon -- it's being thrown out. As for the 10, I'm still not sure if this is a crack or a SCRATCH -- it doesn't seem to have spread any further overnight at least, and we still can't feel it from inside the glass, indicating to me the damage has not gone through the thickness of the glass (yet)...


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

What about the pics showing the 10 gallon -- you can see where the construction work is being done right near it, so is it safe at all sitting on that little "wall" ledge near the steps as they're banging around that room? At this point, the "banging" in that room should be done, but...


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## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

if it's just a scratch, I know of some people that have full blown chips in the glass and the aquariums have been going strong for years. That being said, it's just a gamble. I would do what susan suggested and just silicone over the crack, or scratch to keep it from leaking for a temp. fix. sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time.


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## ClinicaTerra (Nov 12, 2010)

Manafel said:


> if it's just a scratch, I know of some people that have full blown chips in the glass and the aquariums have been going strong for years. That being said, it's just a gamble. I would do what susan suggested and just silicone over the crack, or scratch to keep it from leaking for a temp. fix. sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time.


Is there any way to confirm if it's a scratch or a crack?


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