After waiting over 2 months for a new I.M. 170 EXT, it arrived yesterday. I hired a moving company to come move it from my garage into my house (just 27 feet). They somehow managed to chip a corner. I sent photos to I.M. for their opinion and much to my surprise they said that the tank should NOT be used! I was thinking I would just have to live with looking at this defect but never thought I'd have to scrap the tank! Just wondering if there are any glass workers out there that may support or disagree with their conclusion.
I can't help but wonder if I.M.:
1) just doesn't want to take responsibility for saying it is OK to use and then have something happen.
2) just wants to sell another tank (probably not likely)
3) has good reason to recommend not using it (probably most likely, I'm thinking)
Unfortunately, I can't get an I.M. replacement ($3400) until mid-October and my corals can't wait that long. I moved 2 months ago and all my livestock (from a 100 gal tank) have been crammed in a 4x2 frag tank! If the verdict is that I need to scrap this tank, I probably will need to get a custom acrylic tank to fit the I.M. stand. I hate to do this but I may have no choice. Can anyone recommend a good acrylic tank builder?
Side note: The movers advertised they have insurance but are telling me they don't have it at the moment. They showed up with 3 guys when they told me they would send 4, so I ended up helping. They are saying it is the corner I carried that chipped (which isn't true). I got a battle on my hands!
In the photos, the black band is black silicone. The bottom half of this band is the silicone attaching the glass and the top half is the bead if silicone. (There is no demarcation between these two bands I'm describing). Glass is 3/4"; the highest point of the crack comes up about 3/4".
This is what I.M. wrote: "The chip is in a critical area that compromises the structural integrity of the aquarium. The water weight for the the170-gallon aquarium would be too great and likely cause the aquarium to break at this weakened area."
Thats enough to make me feel foolish if I try to use this tank!
Thanks for helping!
I can't help but wonder if I.M.:
1) just doesn't want to take responsibility for saying it is OK to use and then have something happen.
2) just wants to sell another tank (probably not likely)
3) has good reason to recommend not using it (probably most likely, I'm thinking)
Unfortunately, I can't get an I.M. replacement ($3400) until mid-October and my corals can't wait that long. I moved 2 months ago and all my livestock (from a 100 gal tank) have been crammed in a 4x2 frag tank! If the verdict is that I need to scrap this tank, I probably will need to get a custom acrylic tank to fit the I.M. stand. I hate to do this but I may have no choice. Can anyone recommend a good acrylic tank builder?
Side note: The movers advertised they have insurance but are telling me they don't have it at the moment. They showed up with 3 guys when they told me they would send 4, so I ended up helping. They are saying it is the corner I carried that chipped (which isn't true). I got a battle on my hands!
In the photos, the black band is black silicone. The bottom half of this band is the silicone attaching the glass and the top half is the bead if silicone. (There is no demarcation between these two bands I'm describing). Glass is 3/4"; the highest point of the crack comes up about 3/4".
This is what I.M. wrote: "The chip is in a critical area that compromises the structural integrity of the aquarium. The water weight for the the170-gallon aquarium would be too great and likely cause the aquarium to break at this weakened area."
Thats enough to make me feel foolish if I try to use this tank!
Thanks for helping!