A sad day: Chipped corner of IM Nuvo 40 glass tank

[thegrimreefer]

Hello all,

I’m quite nervous about what just happened to the corner of my tank. Was changing purigen and picking out some algae. Was placing the algae in a small glass dish while I cleaned. After I finished cleaning I picked up the glass dish and it bumped into the top of my tank. Looked down to see a shard of glass chipped off...I’m not sure what to do now or how worried I should be. The chip isn’t into the silicon, but its about 3 inches or so long down the side of the tank. What precautions should I take? Repair? New tank? I already have an entire system that has been running for over a year with livestock. Any input you all could offer would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you!

Jeff

 

[45ZoaGarden]

OOOOOOO! That really sucks. I would call IM and see what they’ll do. They might send a new tank. That glass is very thin around the seam. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving it alone though.

 

[Ef4life]

Being just a chip like that, I wouldn’t be too worried, but I would buy a cheap back up tank just in case. Either used, or from petco etc

 

[thegrimreefer]

 

[thegrimreefer]

Thanks for the responses. Some more pictures for a better idea of the severity..I don’t know what to think. Of course IM says they can’t recommend to keep it in use because of the chip but it doesn’t look too bad. They won’t replace, however I’m still worried, would have no idea where to begin if I can to break this all down and transfer to another tank. The chip is mostly above the water level if that means anything.

 

[DeniseAndy]

I would definitely contact IM. Just to see what they recommend. They probably know their tanks best. Sorry

 

[TEX]

So sorry that happened...

 

[solitude127]

In all honesty, I would replace it. Better to have piece of mind that your tank is structurally sound as opposed to worrying about it 24/7. Two, if it did bust the seam, it would suck to have 40g of water on the floor and possible loss of livestock.

 

[tehmadreefer]

IM will not make any suggestion to fix it, as if it did fail, then they are liable. Either replace or if it isn’t to deep keep using. Your choice from here.

 

[old salt reefer]

Man that just sucks, use plastic containers not glass.

 

[Dolelo96]

I did the same thing, except mine was IM30L and a mason jar. Friend has LFS, he said it could go either way..I bought the IM40 (they were out of the 30L). I just didn’t want to take a chance it would come apart while I was gone and kill everything. So, sorry...good luck!

 

[Crustaceon]

On a positive note, the damage is mostly above water level and at the top of the tank, which means it’s under far less load than if it were even halfway down. Personally, I don’t think it’s likely to fail in that spot.

 

[BullyBee]

Can you use epoxy?

 

[Cwentz758]

I think something similar happened to my tank before I got it. It looks like they repaired it with silicon, it’s been running 4 years no issue

 

[SR Reefing]

useless tank at this point. If you have thousands worth of coral inside, really shouldn't take the risk of loosing it all.

 

[TDEcoral]

I got a free nuvo 20 because the side was busted. Had my local glass shop cut a new piece to the same dimensions and replaced it myself using black silicone (scs1200 or something like that). It wasn't my first time building/repairing a tank and I recognize not everyone is comfortable doing something like that, but it is an option and cheaper than buying a new tank.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

I'd probably replace it, but I also don't think I'd been in a rush to do so. Maybe within the next 3-4 months

 

[Oliver d]

I would not be worried about it at all as it is above the water line and its on the outer side of the panel where there is less stress as the water pressure acts on the inner side of the tank.If you are that worried about it replace the tank

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hello,

Sorry this happened. There great tanks. I am not going to give advice because there really is no way to say for sure what is going to happen. I can only say that if it was my tank I would leave it. I would not see it failing. Even with the damage should it fail it should not be a catastrophic fail.

I do always say, better safe than sorry. Also, if you will worry about it long term, switch it now.

And also, #WelcometoR2R .

 

[thegrimreefer]

Looks like there are mixed reviews...

What worries me most is that if I have to replace it, moving everything into a new tank would be quite stressful because of the detriment it could cause. But I also live in an apartment and a flood would be just as detrimental. How often have you heard of tanks completely busting open after a chip? I don’t believe its totally cracked, however it is quite deep, close to the sealing. How strong is the IM glass? This stuff is thick, gives me some confidence but I’m not sure. Spoke to IM and of course they can’t recommend that I use it, but can recommend I buy a new one for $650. I’m just worried about losing what I’ve been working hard to achieve, just because of a simple accident. I may look into replacing but how involved is transferring my pride and joy into a new tank...thank you all for your responses. It is greatly appreciated, I’m still throwing a tantrum lol