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Big Trouble...Tank about to break!! Help Quick!!!

9supratt4

9supratt4

Not many people here know me....I'm Trigger99's neighbor and I am in need of some BIG help!!

I just noticed my stand pulling away from my tank!!! Looking underneath, I noticed the bottom plastic around the tank is cracking and the tank is inching toward the inside of the stand. I have 180 with ton of rock, fish and corals (SPS, LPS, etc.).

I have an old 55 which I just moved all my livestock to, but with all the coral there is no room for the fish. Is there anyone out there in the local area that could come by and grab some pieces of coral until I can fix the tank?? Kind of like a foster care??
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
We have a 150 stock tank we can lend you. Where are you at? Will & Co at AO is having a great sale right now on tanks and stands. The perfect time to replace!
 
9supratt4

9supratt4

Sorry...That might help...I'm in East Hanover. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Right now I have a 55 with livestock and some rock, a trashcan with live rock, and a 20 gallon tank with sand. I'm not sure I have room to put a stock tank right now.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Too far for me to be of any immediate help, though if you're really in a jam you can drive your fish to Jackson!
 
9supratt4

9supratt4

Ok....now that the crisis has been averted for now, I will tell you what I did.

Right now I have a 55 with all my fish, all 8 of them, all my inverts, all my corals. I have a 45 Gallon trash can that I use for water mixing holding all my LR, except for a bunch of pieces in the 55, with a heater and a pump. I have the 20 x-tra high holding all the sand.

I'm still not sure if it is the plastic trim on the bottom, which is cracked, or if it is the stand that is bad. So in the morning i'm going to have to order a new 180 and finish emptying the 3 inches of water and rest of the sand. Then take the 180 off and see if the stand is still ok. Some quick checks on the outside of the stand with a T-Square, show the stand is still perfectly square.

I have my RO running filling into another trash can and my neighbor, who is also a reefer, bringing over another tomorrow.

Once I get the new tank, hopefully the smae one so I can just reconnect the plumbing I have.....I'll fill it with enough water to cover the rock, put the rock in, then the sand. I figure with the amount of rock I have, it should be fully cycled in 48-72 hours. And of course I will be completely cleaning the sand with freshwater before I put it back in the tank.

Well crisis averted for now....now on to looking for a new tank!!
 
M

Mbodell

I don't know if I would rinse the sand with freshwater. I would probably use some salt water to prevent any more cycling.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
+2 for not cleaning the sand with FRESH water. Use old saltwater, change water, etc. But NOT fresh. That will kill off all of your bacteria. Mix the sand up a lot and siphon off any detritus, rinse with saltwater.

Keep your rock fed while you are "cycling" it to prevent the good bacteria from dying from lack of food (just add a pinch of food into the tank or throw in a raw shrimp).

Keep the water changing regularly in that 55 and pray the power doesn't go out!

I've changed over an entire system (at least twice) moving sand and all and didn't see a cycle. That would be the least of my worries.
 
9supratt4

9supratt4

I'll worry about the sand when I decide what to do with the tank.....LOL.

Still trying to find where I'm going to buy it and getting it back down to where the existing one is.
 
Sandee

Sandee

Still need help? I'm nearby. Trigger99 knows me ...

I had a 225g tank explode, not fun. Happy to help. Let me know.
 
M

mstrpln03

When you get a new tank, I would think about an acrylic tank. I personally would not get a glass tank over 100 gallons, because I know way too many people who have had large glass tanks fail. Just my opinion, good luck.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I would never do a tank in acrylic. Not of any size. An acrylic tank has too great a likelihood to scratch and haze.
 
M

Mbodell

I agree, after everything I have heard about acrylic and the fact that you can buy a large acrylic tank from some builders and they won't even warranty them, no thanks for me.
 
J

junk

Sorry I missed this last week. I'm over just west of Morristown and have an extra plastic 55g barrel you could use. I used it to cycle my rock in when I was waiting on getting the tank up and running.

If you need any help - give me a shout.
 
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