# Help! My 180 gallon aqaurium exploded!



## jasonwilks

I need help! 

First of all check out my aquarium here: http://primelogic.ws/180-gallon-fish-tank.htm

It is 180 gallon freshwater aquarium that I bought from glasscages.com, i have had it setup for the past 7 months with water.

A few days ago in my sleep I heard a big *crack* then followed by the sound of flowing water! Water was gushing out of it! My house was flooded with water and has ruined my expensive hardwood floor and my silk rug!

Well I got it all cleaned up now, and after I took everything out of the aqauirum I see a big 3 foot crack on the bottom of the tank! After examining everything I think I came to the conclusion of why it cracked. The surface that the tank is sitting on is not completely flat! It kinda "bows" in, and right where it bows in the crack is right there!

The stand is custom built by my contractor, it has 6 legs (2 by 4 boards) and the top is Formica (laminate counter top).

Well, my contractor is coming over tomorrow to take a look at this.

Apparently my contractor has like no idea how to make a good fish tank stand that holds a 180 gallon aquarium! 

What I need is suggestions on how to do this right so I can tell my contractor how to build the stand right!

I called glass cages and they suggested to use granite for the top the tank sits on. Is that a good idea? It sounds good to me, it would be completely flat and sturdy! You guys have any other suggestions??


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## DCR

Yeah, when you get to that kind of water volume, custom-built stands become a whole other ball game. 180 gallons of water weighs in at just over 1,500 pounds -- and that's just the water. That's not rock, substrate, so on, and so forth.

What I'd suggest is taking a peek at some of the premade aquarium furniture that's designed to hold that kind of weight, and follow a similar design. The engineers that design those spend alot of time making sure the right supports are in the right places. Designing something similar will probably yield better results.

On a side note, I've done two wall tanks in the past, but neither were that large. The ones I have done, though, had cement foundations, and were supported by stone. A thick stone top may very well be your only option. Wait for some more opinions though -- maybe someone around here has done a wall tank that big before and has some first-hand experience.


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## FishySuzy

I'm glad you have everything in order now, but OMG, I would have KILLED someone in your position.

Also, I can't wait to see pics of when you get it back up!


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## Mikaila31

Its a 180 gal and you are saying it just cracked along the bottom pane of glass!? It could of easily been the stand, however I would take up an issue with glasscages.com on why that bottom pane cracked. A bottom pane especially on a tank that size should never crack. This is because the bottom pane should ALWAYS be tempered glass! Tempered glass AKA saftey glass does not crack, when it fails the whole pane will fracture into tiny bits. This doesn't seem very important, but tempered glass is 4 or 5 times stronger then a regular pane. Any larger tank you buy from a chain will have the bottom pane tempered. It is the only safe way to hold up that much water with a piece of glass. Here is a test to tell if it is tempered or not.


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## xrayjeeper83

I have nothing to help you with, but I am jealous of the tank. And even more so of your garage


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## WisFish

The same thing happened to my 55gal. The metal stand I purchased didn't support the middle of the tank. So 1 night the tank bottom cracked. 
I put all the fish in a coleman cooler and re-siliconed the tank. When I put the tank back on the stand, I put a layer of cork in between the tank and stand to take up the gaps.
I don't think you need granite. But you do need support especially at the ends and alone the front and rear. Basically where the black plastic frame is along the outside of the tank. Having the stand level is also a must.


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## AaronCombs

that sucks... 

If it was me, I would not be using a wood frame... I would go with steel frame that has been covered with wood ...

ummm go here to see what i mean
http://www.midwestcustomaquariums.com/steel-support-frames.html


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## onefish2fish

i had this saved on my computer from awhile ago. i remember finding it on the web, just not where but its a good sturdy design. i would include atleast 1 sheet of plywood across the back for added rigidity. i would also be sure to take a level to the stand after its in its resting place to be sure its lying flat. building the stand square is obviously also very important.


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## AaronCombs

I would also add in triangular bars wherever possible, as triangles will make it that much stronger.

if you use wood... I'm still a big fan of the steel though lol


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## onefish2fish

i had an entire page typed and it got deleted so heres the quick version. i would def. do the red and yellow boards in 2x6s at the minimum, even better the entire stand. i would also add a sheet of plywood across the back for added rigidity instead of triangles. be sure to check the stand before and after adding the plywood across the back. it may be level before adding it and after it may add a slight twist in the stand, making it not sit fully flat and level. i would also test this in the place where it will be going, not where it was built.









and i went ahead and added a sheet to the front









if you want to get technical i used some wood putty on screw holes and seams as well as some bathroom caulk on the inside of the stand around the edges. this is to prevent any spills or leaks from getting down under the stand to the hardwood floors.









primed and added some basic doors









and a door on the right side opens to a small storage area for dosing chemicals









since the basement ceiling was exposed at the time during this, i added 2 more beams to the existing ones



























just a cheap way of knowing i wont wake up finding my tank in the basement. i also did this because the tank runs parallel to the beams as oppose to the beams running vertical under it which would be a stronger support. even if the tank wasnt going to fall through the floor, it will help incase it decides to sag.
added basic molding trim









tank and stand, the open window in the bottom is my sump



























i originally was going to build an add-on for the skimmer to sit next to the stand but i ended up using one my of in sump skimmers anyways. i still may do this but havnt got around to it.









and heres a FTS from 7.12.09










if building with wood, i would start with that basic frame i posted in picture one and then add onto that. ply if its just getting painted or a nicer wood grain for stain. hope that helps some and sorry to hear about your tank.


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## Byron

All good ideas from previous posters, I only have one comment on the granite/cement/stone issue.

While as Mikaila pointed out the crack may well be due to something other that the stand, to ensure the tank is on an even base there must be something that will allow for minor unevenness in the tank frame or stand. On my metal stands I have a double strip of styrofoam (I think that's the name) between the stand and the tank frame. My other tanks sit on wood, the 70g on a 3/4 inch sheet of plywood. Wood will allow the tank to settle into it with the weight and should (so I've been told) work like the styrofoam to "fill" any slight gaps between tank frame and stand.

If the tank is to set on stone (which obviously is not going to "give" at all should there be a miniscule gap somewhere between the tank frame and the stone) I would either have a thin sheet of plywood of a layer of styrofoam under all of the tank frame. The plywood is probably the easiest; it is not that simple to stuff a strip of foam under a tank frame evenly.

Byron.


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## jasonwilks

Thanks for all the comments guys. I found out that glasscages does not use tempered glass on the bottom of their tanks, their reason for that they said is: "We have to be able to drill and customize tanks."

Do you really think having tempered glass on the bottom would make it a lot stronger ??

And another question is, glass cages did tell me to put some styrofoam underneath the tank, how thick do you think the styrofoam should be?


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## Mikaila31

Well that makes me seriously rethink everything anyone has told me about glasscages.com. How can they make such large tanks without tempered glass!? Your glass would have to be really thick on that 180. They are correct that you can not cut or drill tempered glass. That does not mean you can not customize it. All cutting and drilling just has to be done before the glass is tempered. Generally on most tanks only the bottom pane is tempered. The surface of tempered glass is free of all imperfections which makes it extremely hard for cracks or faults to be in the glass. The surface is actually under a tension because of this. That is why the whole pain fails when a crack or cut is made. The edges of tempered glass are very week, a slight wack on the edge can cause the whole pane to fail. This is why it is not normally used on the side panes of a aquarium that have exposed edges. 

Any 55gal made somewhat recently will do this if you try to drill the bottom.

This video does a strength test between regular and tempered glass and reexplains why tempered is so much stronger.

So if I was in your position I would only use that tank if your repair of the bottom pane uses tempered glass. Tempered glass is not cheap, especially custom, your best bet is to ask at local glass shops who may be able to make one for you. Google shows a lot of people complain about their tanks cracking and apparently crappy seal jobs.

For those interested. Next time you are at petsmart look in the larger tanks, usually their is a hidden sicker under the bottom trim visible only when the tank is totally empty, looking down in to it. Says "Tempered glass".


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