Last year I was cycling a 36 g Aqueon bow tank for around 4-5 weeks. It was level, had the right amount of gravel, and set up correctly. I came home after a 4-hour event and all the water was drained from it and on my floor. A small crack developed on the bottom. It was very upsetting, but thankfully I didn't have any fish in it! I got a free replacement (same kind) a while back. My question concerns preventing possible future cracks. My idea was to spread a layer of Aquarium Silicone Sealant all over the bottom (both sides) of the glass. I'm thinking it would act as a preventative measure for possible cracks. Is this a good idea? Any suggestions would be very appreciated.
Preventing cracks in tank?
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Vincenia
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Vincenia, I already replaced the broken tank... There's nothing wrong with my current tank, but I don't want this to happen again. I talking about a method to prevent possible future leaks.
Sharp rocks can crack glass under the pressure of a full tank of water. It often African cichlid keepers that see that. They often use plastic grid sold as light diffuser to spread out the weight & avoid sharp pointy rocks against the bottom.
I have to say in 40+ years in the fish keeping hobby I've never had a tank crack (fingers crossed). Silicone seals fail, yes, several times. Did you use a level & shims to make sure the tank & stand were dead on flat (or very close to it)? From what I've read bow front tanks can have different issues than rectangular 1s, I haven't had a bowfront...
I have to say in 40+ years in the fish keeping hobby I've never had a tank crack (fingers crossed). Silicone seals fail, yes, several times. Did you use a level & shims to make sure the tank & stand were dead on flat (or very close to it)? From what I've read bow front tanks can have different issues than rectangular 1s, I haven't had a bowfront...
I think you have the right idea at heart but just don't have the experience to know how to do it.
Putting silicone all over the bottom is probably a waste of time, energy and money. As Fishorama said, inside the tank an egg crate cut to the shape of the tank and placed on the bottom is a good idea to prevent heavy items like rocks from causing cracks because it evens out weight distribution. This is the stuff your looking for, egg crate diffusers, and this is probably about the price you can expect to pay, plus or minus a couple of dollars. A local hardware store near you probably stocks this, but if not you can find it on-line. Note, I am in no way endorsing the web site I linked to as the cheapest or best, it's just a link for you to see what you're looking for.
The other thing you can do is add a neoprene foam pad to the bottom of the tank. A good example of how to do this is in this video by SerpaDesign. The part you'll want to look at starts at about 2:20 into the video. He installs a pad on the bottom of the tank to help redistribute weight evenly and help level it out a bit. This works best with tanks that are rimless on the bottom, but even if your tank isn't rimless, doing this along the bottom rim may help somewhat. I suggest that you use a thicker pad on rimmed tanks. I've done it with several rimmed 20 gallon long tanks and I I'm positive it's had a positive effect. There are quite a few channels on YouTube that are totally DYI, and offer advice not only about keeping fish, but also offer reasonably simple DYI tips on how to handle various issues that can and do arise. A lot of these DYI solutions are simple and can be done even by someone who doesn't consider himself or herself especially DYIish. Searchiing on YouTube often provides a number of options for dealing with specific issues.
I had a 55 gallon tank crack on me once and it was a catastrophic failure. The crack spider-webbed and the whole bottom gave way in a fraction of a second. Of course, a five pound rock slipping from my hand from about two inches above the rim probably didn't help much. ? 35 or 40 gallons +/- on the floor instantly. All over the fish room, down the hall, into the family room; down the hall the other way, into the wife's sewing room, into my daughter's bed room. You know, not too bad of a mess. And besides, I'm such a charismatic, good-looking guy that my wife just couldn't bring herself to be mad at me. ?????
WYite
Leaks and blowouts are the worst! Unfortunately it's always going to be a risk no matter what you do.
Just out of curiosity, was your bowfront a marineland or aqueon tank?
I've had horrible luck with marinland tanks. Had a 29gal crack across the back and a 55gal spring a massive seal leak somewhere around the bottom perimeter. Both were relatively new tanks placed on stands intended for them. No shocks, strikes to the glass, nor hardscape that would cause it.
Just out of curiosity, was your bowfront a marineland or aqueon tank?
I've had horrible luck with marinland tanks. Had a 29gal crack across the back and a 55gal spring a massive seal leak somewhere around the bottom perimeter. Both were relatively new tanks placed on stands intended for them. No shocks, strikes to the glass, nor hardscape that would cause it.
