Why did my fish tank explode in the middle of the night?
24 posts • Page 2 of 3
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miami754 - Posts: 373
- Joined: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:18 am
Yeah, there is no way it was too much gravel. I have over 130 lbs of lace rock in mine plus 30 lbs of gravel and it is just fine. It was more than likely either an unlevel tank or just a malfunctioning one. Do not worry about your gravel and put as much in as you want.
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spongebob4460 - Posts: 603
- Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:37 am
I heard of a similar thing happening to someone else with a new tank... they ended up filling up their tank, not knowing a small piece of gravel was lodged underneath the tank before they filled it. Once they filled the tank, it exploded. However, it exploded very soon after they filled it. My guess is that yours held for a few days, and once it shifted to a different point (maybe from evaporation, etc. anything really)... it then exploded. Stress causes such things, even humudity and pressure shifts in a room, from heat. Sorry for your loss, don't give up though, go get an exchange from petsmart, tell them it was a faulty tank and take in the pieces. Like everyone says, this is raaaaare.
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zambize - Posts: 401
- Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 9:14 pm
I've only had one tank explode into a million pieces. It was empty (thankfully) in my office on a 36" table. I left my 10 pound dog in there for a couple of hours while I ran an errand. When I came back the tank was on the floor in zillions of pieces. There is no other possible explanation than the dog....damn, he must be strong. Oh, and he's only about 8" tall.
Kyle --
My tank was a beautiful new 28 gallon bow front. It was beyond painful to see it on the floor like that. I feel your pain.
Zambize
Kyle --
My tank was a beautiful new 28 gallon bow front. It was beyond painful to see it on the floor like that. I feel your pain.
Zambize
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gumbii - Posts: 1695
- Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2007 3:31 am
i use egg crate under the sand when i use alot of rock work... my 60g has about 200+ lbs of rock in it... plus the slate background and 50lbs of sand...
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adamnorrad79 - Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 10:40 pm
because it was one piece of glass i should feel confident in saying the glass was baked for to long and became brittle for over heating. glass is made from glass and need a alot of heat to form glass. but like metal if over heated can become brittle and lose its assumed strength
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craigeddie1 - Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2009 9:34 pm
I would guess it was a small undetected crack that finally gave out as they can hold on for a while.A small object caught under the tank and the stands surface may also be the culprit.Gravel in the tank displaces the weight of the water and any pressure is insignificant enough not to smash the tank.Dont be put off as its probably a problem occuring either in the factory,courier or Petsmart.Good you got a new one though,although i also would have claimed for new flooring etc etc,but thats me.
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Peterkarig3210 - Posts: 1980
- Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 3:04 am
I haven't heard the possibility that the stand's top, where the tank sits, isn't flat.
If the surface the tank is sitting on isn't flat it will put weird stresses on it.
If the surface the tank is sitting on isn't flat it will put weird stresses on it.
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yasherkoach - Posts: 1306
- Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm
The tank was constructed wrong. Period.
The seals could not bear the weight of the water. Like craifeddie stated, you can complain about the floor being ruined or something else...how about if you had a kid and the kid was playing around the tank and the glass shattered and plucked out the kids' eye? Do what you think is best, but it sounds like a defected product.
Water in a 29 gallon is about 300 pounds pure weight. This is the culprit. 300 pounds plus gravel etc, bearing against defected tank seals equals: DOOM!
Anytime you buy a new tank, it is best to observe all the seals for a few weeks. If you notice any leakage, get a refund and complain the best you can. If I were you, I'd first complain to the manufacturer, then to the BBB if need be.
Your fish weren't too happy about it I am sure. Hope things are better now.
The seals could not bear the weight of the water. Like craifeddie stated, you can complain about the floor being ruined or something else...how about if you had a kid and the kid was playing around the tank and the glass shattered and plucked out the kids' eye? Do what you think is best, but it sounds like a defected product.
Water in a 29 gallon is about 300 pounds pure weight. This is the culprit. 300 pounds plus gravel etc, bearing against defected tank seals equals: DOOM!
Anytime you buy a new tank, it is best to observe all the seals for a few weeks. If you notice any leakage, get a refund and complain the best you can. If I were you, I'd first complain to the manufacturer, then to the BBB if need be.
Your fish weren't too happy about it I am sure. Hope things are better now.
