Advice Needed - Leaking Tank

[C_AWOL]

36"H I would suggest 1.25" depending on how you do the to bracing.
Ask all the builders you talked to about not wanting any or as little bowing as possible
For colored acrylic, they may not have ones to their standards as far as quality which is why they do sandwiches usually (ie 1" back clear + .25" color bonded together). Some builders are extremely particular about their acrylic.
Have you spoken to james at envision acrylics?

 

[mayyammay]

Have you spoken to james at envision acrylics?

I was a little scared by Envision's website and I didn't find much info about them.

 

[C_AWOL]

I was a little scared by Envision's website and I didn't find much info about them.

The website is outdated but james work is second to none. Theres a lot of happy people both here and on other forums too.

 

[mayyammay]

OK, yesterday morning (Thursday) I woke up and there were two more leaks in the same area. Eeekk, I thought the tank was headed toward imminent disaster. However, by the end of day yesterday the leaks had really slowed down by so much that I began to think that I'd had really overblown the situation. Checked before bed, still leaking but really slowly still. This morning (Friday) the leaks are back and leaking just like yesterday morning.

What is happening?

Is my tank expanding and contracting somehow? The silicone?

The room is temp and humidity controlled separately from the house, but the house is also temp and humidity controlled.

The powerheads are still in sleepy calm ocean mode and the lights are still off when the leak is bad.

 

[Jimbo327]

Any feedback about CDA Aquariums?

CDA aquariums are built solid like a tank: double euro-brace top AND bottom of tank, armored seams, reinforced bottom. They used to be Lee Mar. Steel stand. It's definitely a high quality tank. I have one, and it's a great custom tank. We are in California, and we have earthquakes...so need as solid as possible.

 

[Dom]

Hello -

My 3 year old tank sprung a tiny leak on the side, bottom seal. It's in a good spot for a leak, I guess, since it is on the side with the built in overflow. I can run the overflow so that it doesn't hold any water in the short term; however, what happens if the overflow divider gives way? Big trouble! This is a 96" x 40" x 32" tank.

I already tried to repair it with silicone, but it didn't take. I did drain, vacuum, vigorously clean and dry the spot nearest the leak and surrounding areas before trying to patch it.

What are my options?

Start fresh?

Break down tank and repair?

Wait for the catastrophe?

The tank is in a fish room with the 3" cement curb and a huge in floor drain.

I know the tank could be repaired in place but that is way beyond my skills. Are there any midwest companies that provide that kind of service?

If you recommend starting fresh, who do you recommend for a large tank builder and installer?

And I have shared this with the custom tank builder, but that has not yielded any helpful results.

Any advice, tank builder recommendations, etc would be greatly appreciated!

Can you post photos?

It is difficult to make recommendations without first seeing what is going on.

I would say that you should get everything out of the tank and into tubs/pails. You can save things now, but a complete blowout seems inevitable unless you get the water pressure out of the tank.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

No, but I will say it is a top builder.

And is this builder in Wisconsin? I have one of their tanks (much smaller, though).

Curious if your tank is on one of their stands?

 

[Dom]

That’s a weird place for a random piece of glass.. I’d say it was a patch cause it serves no other purpose. It’s not like an armored seam or anything of that sort… it must have had a bad joint to begin with and they used that to fix it.

That is lame of the manufacturer. You spend THOUSANDS of dollars on a system and THIS is what they give you?

 

[Jimbo327]

Who is the tank builder? I would go check out their tanks or see if anyone else have their tanks, and see if they add in a piece of glass there for others. If they don't, then you know it was a patch job. Then ask for a refund.

And I would drain that tank as soon as possible. If you got 2 more leaks, then you may have a blowout if it keeps spreading.

 

[mayyammay]

And is this builder in Wisconsin? I have one of their tanks (much smaller, though).

Curious if your tank is on one of their stands?

Good news for you, this is not a Wisco tank builder.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

Good news for you, this is not a Wisco tank builder.

That is good news.

I don't see that Custom Aquariums in Neenah has been mentioned here as a potential builder. I think they only do glass, though. I have a 75g tank (used as FW, no bells nor whistles) and stand from them built four years ago that I continue to be pleased with.

 

[mayyammay]

Who is the tank builder? I would go check out their tanks or see if anyone else have their tanks, and see if they add in a piece of glass there for others. If they don't, then you know it was a patch job. Then ask for a refund.

And I would drain that tank as soon as possible. If you got 2 more leaks, then you may have a blowout if it keeps spreading.

Yep, it's going to blow. I have spent this week making plans, finding a new tank builder, and generally panicking.

I am uninterested in starting some sort of war by sharing my experiences with this most famous of tank builders. He is taken no responsibility and blamed this outcome on everything but himself. In 2020, he even moved and relocated his entire shop while building my tank, but none of these problems could have been created on his end.

My architect and builder repeatedly requested requirements for stands and email responses were not specific at all. For the stand top he listed a variety of things we could use and then said "whatever surface you use make sure it is perfectly flat." But now, according to the manufacturer I have used the wrong top too.

Apparently, my stand is the cause of all my problems so here are pics of my problematic stand. The shadow makes it hard to photograph, but the stand steel is straight across without gaps.

He also said that the display can appear to be level but the stand may not be level. The level on the short end is a little off now, but I didn't clean up there before placing it. I'm 100% sure the tank was initially 100% level. I remember checking it periodically. Isn't the foam there to make even minute differences less impactful to the display?

This tank has other problems, like aberrations that make objects look slightly curved and low spots all over the viewing pane. I've never had a tank with glass flaws either, but that's normal, right? According to the builder that is to be expected! The top overflow brace is wiggling too and the silicone is also cracked. My tank before this was 6ft and was flawless.

He momentarily stopped the blame game when he found out I was replacing the whole system and finally asked, how can I help?

Anyway, due to the leak I have been asking and reading a lot more about tank manufacturer's warranties. This builder only warranties their tanks for 2 years on their stands and 1 year not on their stands. Other builder's warranty their work 5, 10, 15 years. Maybe that's a sign. Beware people.

 

[Serpentman2024]

There are so many variables that a manufacturer can use to weasel out of liability, its really hard to prove. I'm not saying your stand is to blame but this is a nice addition for future. It will compensate for the tiniest of imperfections.

Shop | Innovative Marine Products

Shop Now | Innovative Marine's Official Store | Free Shipping on all orders* | NUVO aquariums and saltwater reef supplies.

www.innovative-marine.com

 

[mayyammay]

That is good news.

I don't see that Custom Aquariums in Neenah has been mentioned here as a potential builder. I think they only do glass, though. I have a 75g tank (used as FW, no bells nor whistles) and stand from them built four years ago that I continue to be pleased with.

Definitely not going to try another oversized glass build. Too scary.

 

[mayyammay]

There are so many variables that a manufacturer can use to weasel out of liability, its really hard to prove. I'm not saying your stand is to blame but this is a nice addition for future. It will compensate for the tiniest of imperfections.

Shop | Innovative Marine Products

Shop Now | Innovative Marine's Official Store | Free Shipping on all orders* | NUVO aquariums and saltwater reef supplies.

www.innovative-marine.com

Yes, weasel is good way to put it.

YUP - EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT AND MY PROBLEM TO FIX.

 

[mayyammay]

If there is an upside to this whole mess, it's that I'm able to fix all the little things I don't like about this current build. Here's the big stuff I'm changing.

• Increasing the stand height from 38.5" to 42.5". I'm tall.
• Increasing overall tank size to 96" x 46" x 36"
• Changing how the viewing aperture works. Made it smaller than the tank to hide powerheads but you can still see them! I want the biggest opening.
• Increasing the tank height from 32" to 36"
• No bulkheads in any hard to reach places

I will be using Clear Fabrications in Washington for this build. "15 year warranty no BS." Fingers crossed.

 

[PlumbTuckered]

Realistically, leaks are inevitable with glass tanks

Completely not true. In my 40 years in the hobby, glass tanks are all I have ever owned. They have NEVER leaked.

 

[PlumbTuckered]

No, but I will say it is a top builder.

I don't get this; you would rather other members go to that builder and suffer the same fate that you have?

 

[mayyammay]

I don't get this; you would rather other members go to that builder and suffer the same fate that you have?

I'm sorry you feel this way, but I think my tank may be an anomaly. It was built during the start of the pandemic and a move which I was told was very stressful.

Or perhaps people are too ashamed of being bamboozled, gaslit, or whatever to speak up on the forums after being promised perfection.

Or, my home builder may have done something to the tank, but I find that unlikely since they were terrified of it. It sat crated in the fish room until it was ready to be placed on the stand and construction was complete. A team of dudes used 2 lifts sized appropriately for the tank and heavy duty suction cups while putting it in place.

Who knows what happened? I don't, but I will definitely post pictures of the drain and post mortem exam.

It's happening, I can't stop it and I am rolling with it. I have been trying to stay solution oriented rather than ranting, but this morning I was feeling bummed out for my fish and their impending move to temporary housing. I am really worried about my multifasciata pair and magnifica + clown duo. I already lost my 4" male Interruptus that was 1" when I got him. The tank was shut down for three and a half days while I tried to repair the leak. It was loud and crazy for the fish, I think. I can't imagine what the shop vac sounded like in the overflow. I am dreading the stress for them during multiple moves. Fingers crossed.

I will post some pictures of the fish and anemone later today. I think they may be big according to LFS.

My fish list:
Angels: Interruptus, Multifaciata x 2, Wantanabe x 3, Navarchus
Parrotfish: Quoyi
Tangs: Powder blue, Gem, and Yellow x 2
Anthias: Bimaculatus, Lyretail, Borbonius x 1, Parvirostris x 2, and Dispar (3-5 of each unless indicated)
Basslets: Gramma loreto x 2, Liopropoma carmabi x 3-5, Gramma dejongi x 3-5
Clown: Amphiprion perideraion

Number range - the high number is where I started and the low number is what I can count at any given time. If that makes any sense.

 

[mayyammay]

Completely not true. In my 40 years in the hobby, glass tanks are all I have ever owned. They have NEVER leaked.

What sizes? And who built them?