Cracked tank? What to do?

[[email protected]]

I have a 20 gallon tank--I noticed today what looks like a 2-3 inch vertical crack near the bottom
of the front panel. It feels like a crack becasue when I ran my fingernail along it it got caught on
the vertical line. What should I do about this? I have marked it to see if it increases. Curently it
is not leaking and is only on the inside of the tank. Could this be a scratch? Should I just go out
and replace the tank to be safe?

Also--if it is a crack could it have been caused by a difference in room temparature and tank water
temp? My tank is at 78 degrees and at night I sometimes do not turn the heat up and the room temp in
the morning is between 55 and 60. If that is what did it I feel silly.

Thanks
Bob Stafford

[Charles]

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 06:12:57 GMT, wrote:

>I have a 20 gallon tank--I noticed today what looks like a 2-3 inch vertical crack near the bottom
>of the front panel. It feels like a crack becasue when I ran my fingernail along it it got caught on
>the vertical line. What should I do about this? I have marked it to see if it increases. Curently it
>is not leaking and is only on the inside of the tank. Could this be a scratch? Should I just go out
>and replace the tank to be safe?
>
>Also--if it is a crack could it have been caused by a difference in room temparature and tank water
>temp? My tank is at 78 degrees and at night I sometimes do not turn the heat up and the room temp in
>the morning is between 55 and 60. If that is what did it I feel silly.
>
>Thanks
>Bob Stafford


Could be a scratch, could be a crack. If it were me, and I wanted to
save the tank, I would get a chunk of glass and silicone it over the
affected area, on the inside, and run a silicone bead around the edge
of the patch to keep it from cutting anything, then turn the tank
around so that was the back. It would most likely be cheaper to get a
new tank. then you could fix the old one and have two!!


--

- Charles
-
-does not play well with others

[LET]

Fish are much more expensive to replace than a tank. Count yourself
fortunate that you didn't have a catostropic failure.
> wrote in message
...
> I have a 20 gallon tank--I noticed today what looks like a 2-3 inch
vertical crack near the bottom
> of the front panel. It feels like a crack becasue when I ran my fingernail
along it it got caught on
> the vertical line. What should I do about this? I have marked it to see if
it increases. Curently it
> is not leaking and is only on the inside of the tank. Could this be a
scratch? Should I just go out
> and replace the tank to be safe?
>
> Also--if it is a crack could it have been caused by a difference in room
temparature and tank water
> temp? My tank is at 78 degrees and at night I sometimes do not turn the
heat up and the room temp in
> the morning is between 55 and 60. If that is what did it I feel silly.
>
> Thanks
> Bob Stafford

[Rick]

> wrote in message
...
> I have a 20 gallon tank--I noticed today what looks like a 2-3 inch
vertical crack near the bottom
> of the front panel. It feels like a crack becasue when I ran my fingernail
along it it got caught on
> the vertical line. What should I do about this? I have marked it to see if
it increases. Curently it
> is not leaking and is only on the inside of the tank. Could this be a
scratch? Should I just go out
> and replace the tank to be safe?
>
> Also--if it is a crack could it have been caused by a difference in room
temparature and tank water
> temp? My tank is at 78 degrees and at night I sometimes do not turn the
heat up and the room temp in
> the morning is between 55 and 60. If that is what did it I feel silly.
>
> Thanks
> Bob Stafford

I had a 20 g tank with a small crack in the same area as you describe and I
can assure you there was no difficulty determining if it was a scratch or a
crack. If it's a crack, it will leak. The change in room temperature will
not crack the tank however if the tank is at 78 degrees at night what is the
water temp. in the morning. A temp. fluctuation of more that 4 or 5 degrees
is not healthy for many fish. Corydoras might love it and reward you with a
bunch of eggs however other fish my suffer health wise.

Rick

[Craig Williams]

For the price of a 20gal tank just go out & buy a new one. Fixing it with
anything other than a full pice of glass would look stupid & halfassed,
totally defeating the point of having a nice looking tank to look at. Fixing
it would almost cost as much in glass/silicone/time as a new tank.... just
buy a new one.


> wrote in message
...
> I have a 20 gallon tank--I noticed today what looks like a 2-3 inch
vertical crack near the bottom
> of the front panel. It feels like a crack becasue when I ran my fingernail
along it it got caught on
> the vertical line. What should I do about this? I have marked it to see if
it increases. Curently it
> is not leaking and is only on the inside of the tank. Could this be a
scratch? Should I just go out
> and replace the tank to be safe?
>
> Also--if it is a crack could it have been caused by a difference in room
temparature and tank water
> temp? My tank is at 78 degrees and at night I sometimes do not turn the
heat up and the room temp in
> the morning is between 55 and 60. If that is what did it I feel silly.
>
> Thanks
> Bob Stafford

[[email protected]]

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 14:37:29 -0600, "Rick" > wrote:


>>
>> Also--if it is a crack could it have been caused by a difference in room
>temparature and tank water
>> temp? My tank is at 78 degrees and at night I sometimes do not turn the
>heat up and the room temp in
>> the morning is between 55 and 60. If that is what did it I feel silly.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Bob Stafford
>
>I had a 20 g tank with a small crack in the same area as you describe and I
>can assure you there was no difficulty determining if it was a scratch or a
>crack. If it's a crack, it will leak. The change in room temperature will
>not crack the tank however if the tank is at 78 degrees at night what is the
>water temp. in the morning. A temp. fluctuation of more that 4 or 5 degrees
>is not healthy for many fish. Corydoras might love it and reward you with a
>bunch of eggs however other fish my suffer health wise.
>
>Rick

Thanks Rick--no the water inside the tank is kep constant with a heater--just the room temp
fluctuates at night. So if it's not leaking it's not a crack? I was thinking it could be the start
of one--even though it is only on the inside. Anyway--I bought another tank and transferred all my
guys to that tank--used the old gravel half the old water and the same bio-wheel--so hopefullly the
tank will not have to cycle. Thanks for your help.

Bob
>
>

[[email protected]]

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 18:47:15 -0500, "Craig Williams" > wrote:

I did buy a new one and transferred all my fish to it following direction I read in this group--use
the old gravel--kepp it under waterin my old water till trasferred, etc. Fish got a bit freaked bu
think they will be ok--think I will turn the old tank into a lizard habitat.

Thanks
bob


>For the price of a 20gal tank just go out & buy a new one. Fixing it with
>anything other than a full pice of glass would look stupid & halfassed,
>totally defeating the point of having a nice looking tank to look at. Fixing
>it would almost cost as much in glass/silicone/time as a new tank.... just
>buy a new one.
>
>
> wrote in message
...
>> I have a 20 gallon tank--I noticed today what looks like a 2-3 inch
>vertical crack near the bottom
>> of the front panel. It feels like a crack becasue when I ran my fingernail
>along it it got caught on
>> the vertical line. What should I do about this? I have marked it to see if
>it increases. Curently it
>> is not leaking and is only on the inside of the tank. Could this be a
>scratch? Should I just go out
>> and replace the tank to be safe?
>>
>> Also--if it is a crack could it have been caused by a difference in room
>temparature and tank water
>> temp? My tank is at 78 degrees and at night I sometimes do not turn the
>heat up and the room temp in
>> the morning is between 55 and 60. If that is what did it I feel silly.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Bob Stafford
>
>

[[email protected]]

Hello again--one other thing because I am fried. Does the black palstic moulding on the outside
bottom of a tank do anything? Or is it just for appearances? I ask because the top of the moulding
on the new tank I bought is very slightly separated from the glass in some spots . I can push on it
and it moves a little bit. My understanding is that the glass panes are joined together from the
inside of the tank and that the plastic frame/moulding is not necessary--so I need not be concerned
about it being slightly apart from the glass?

thanks again
bob


On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 18:47:15 -0500, "Craig Williams" > wrote:

>For the price of a 20gal tank just go out & buy a new one. Fixing it with
>anything other than a full pice of glass would look stupid & halfassed,
>totally defeating the point of having a nice looking tank to look at. Fixing
>it would almost cost as much in glass/silicone/time as a new tank.... just
>buy a new one.
>
>
> wrote in message
...
>> I have a 20 gallon tank--I noticed today what looks like a 2-3 inch
>vertical crack near the bottom
>> of the front panel. It feels like a crack becasue when I ran my fingernail
>along it it got caught on
>> the vertical line. What should I do about this? I have marked it to see if
>it increases. Curently it
>> is not leaking and is only on the inside of the tank. Could this be a
>scratch? Should I just go out
>> and replace the tank to be safe?
>>
>> Also--if it is a crack could it have been caused by a difference in room
>temparature and tank water
>> temp? My tank is at 78 degrees and at night I sometimes do not turn the
>heat up and the room temp in
>> the morning is between 55 and 60. If that is what did it I feel silly.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Bob Stafford
>
>

[~*~ Vosklady ~*~]

> wrote in message
...
> Hello again--one other thing because I am fried. Does the black palstic
moulding on the outside
> bottom of a tank do anything? Or is it just for appearances? I ask because
the top of the moulding
> on the new tank I bought is very slightly separated from the glass in some
spots . I can push on it
> and it moves a little bit. My understanding is that the glass panes are
joined together from the
> inside of the tank and that the plastic frame/moulding is not
necessary--so I need not be concerned
> about it being slightly apart from the glass?
>
> thanks again
> bob

Hi Bob . . . :)

Is your new tank an "All-Glass" aquarium?

According to their site, the black frame is all one piece. You can check
other aspects of construction out at:

http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html

Now, if this was me and I had just bought a new tank with this problem, I
think I'd return it for an exchange. I may just be a "picky" sort of person,
but I figure if I buy something "new" it should be "new" in all aspects.

Hope this Helps! :)

Regards,

~*~ Vosklady ~*~

[[email protected]]

I looked at the old one I had for 2 years and there is a bit of separation also. When i say slightly
apart I mean barely--cannot even get my fingernail in it--it moves barely in when I press on it.
The part I am talking about is what they call the trim like at this site
http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html

It is only at the very top of the trim--can i just seal it if it is a problem at all? I just got all
my fish in this thing-- :(


On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 06:42:30 GMT, "~*~ Vosklady ~*~" > wrote:

> wrote in message
...
>> Hello again--one other thing because I am fried. Does the black palstic
>moulding on the outside
>> bottom of a tank do anything? Or is it just for appearances? I ask because
>the top of the moulding
>> on the new tank I bought is very slightly separated from the glass in some
>spots . I can push on it
>> and it moves a little bit. My understanding is that the glass panes are
>joined together from the
>> inside of the tank and that the plastic frame/moulding is not
>necessary--so I need not be concerned
>> about it being slightly apart from the glass?
>>
>> thanks again
>> bob
>
>Hi Bob . . . :)
>
>Is your new tank an "All-Glass" aquarium?
>
>According to their site, the black frame is all one piece. You can check
>other aspects of construction out at:
>
>http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html
>
>Now, if this was me and I had just bought a new tank with this problem, I
>think I'd return it for an exchange. I may just be a "picky" sort of person,
>but I figure if I buy something "new" it should be "new" in all aspects.
>
>Hope this Helps! :)
>
>Regards,
>
>~*~ Vosklady ~*~
>
>

[NetMax]

The plastic trim doesn't normally provide any structural function. The
bottom trim absorbs slight imperfections in your stand. The top trim
give your canopy a place to sit. Some tanks are sold rimless.

On your old tank, can you feel the crack from the outside? If it's just
a scratch, then it would make a handy hospital tank. If it's a crack,
then it's a reptile/small animal tank.

NetMax

> wrote in message
...
> I looked at the old one I had for 2 years and there is a bit of
separation also. When i say slightly
> apart I mean barely--cannot even get my fingernail in it--it moves
barely in when I press on it.
> The part I am talking about is what they call the trim like at this
site
> http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html
>
> It is only at the very top of the trim--can i just seal it if it is a
problem at all? I just got all
> my fish in this thing-- :(
>
>
> On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 06:42:30 GMT, "~*~ Vosklady ~*~"
> wrote:
>
> > wrote in message
> ...
> >> Hello again--one other thing because I am fried. Does the black
palstic
> >moulding on the outside
> >> bottom of a tank do anything? Or is it just for appearances? I ask
because
> >the top of the moulding
> >> on the new tank I bought is very slightly separated from the glass
in some
> >spots . I can push on it
> >> and it moves a little bit. My understanding is that the glass panes
are
> >joined together from the
> >> inside of the tank and that the plastic frame/moulding is not
> >necessary--so I need not be concerned
> >> about it being slightly apart from the glass?
> >>
> >> thanks again
> >> bob
> >
> >Hi Bob . . . :)
> >
> >Is your new tank an "All-Glass" aquarium?
> >
> >According to their site, the black frame is all one piece. You can
check
> >other aspects of construction out at:
> >
> >http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html
> >
> >Now, if this was me and I had just bought a new tank with this
problem, I
> >think I'd return it for an exchange. I may just be a "picky" sort of
person,
> >but I figure if I buy something "new" it should be "new" in all
aspects.
> >
> >Hope this Helps! :)
> >
> >Regards,
> >
> >~*~ Vosklady ~*~
> >
> >
>

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the advice. ON th eold tank I can only feel th escratch from the inside

Bob


On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 09:50:48 -0500, "NetMax" > wrote:

>The plastic trim doesn't normally provide any structural function. The
>bottom trim absorbs slight imperfections in your stand. The top trim
>give your canopy a place to sit. Some tanks are sold rimless.
>
>On your old tank, can you feel the crack from the outside? If it's just
>a scratch, then it would make a handy hospital tank. If it's a crack,
>then it's a reptile/small animal tank.
>
>NetMax
>
> wrote in message
...
>> I looked at the old one I had for 2 years and there is a bit of
>separation also. When i say slightly
>> apart I mean barely--cannot even get my fingernail in it--it moves
>barely in when I press on it.
>> The part I am talking about is what they call the trim like at this
>site
>> http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html
>>
>> It is only at the very top of the trim--can i just seal it if it is a
>problem at all? I just got all
>> my fish in this thing-- :(
>>
>>
>> On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 06:42:30 GMT, "~*~ Vosklady ~*~"
> wrote:
>>
>> > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >> Hello again--one other thing because I am fried. Does the black
>palstic
>> >moulding on the outside
>> >> bottom of a tank do anything? Or is it just for appearances? I ask
>because
>> >the top of the moulding
>> >> on the new tank I bought is very slightly separated from the glass
>in some
>> >spots . I can push on it
>> >> and it moves a little bit. My understanding is that the glass panes
>are
>> >joined together from the
>> >> inside of the tank and that the plastic frame/moulding is not
>> >necessary--so I need not be concerned
>> >> about it being slightly apart from the glass?
>> >>
>> >> thanks again
>> >> bob
>> >
>> >Hi Bob . . . :)
>> >
>> >Is your new tank an "All-Glass" aquarium?
>> >
>> >According to their site, the black frame is all one piece. You can
>check
>> >other aspects of construction out at:
>> >
>> >http://www.all-glass.com/products/aquariums/index.html
>> >
>> >Now, if this was me and I had just bought a new tank with this
>problem, I
>> >think I'd return it for an exchange. I may just be a "picky" sort of
>person,
>> >but I figure if I buy something "new" it should be "new" in all
>aspects.
>> >
>> >Hope this Helps! :)
>> >
>> >Regards,
>> >
>> >~*~ Vosklady ~*~
>> >
>> >
>>
>
>