Is she gonna blow (apart)?!

[drtechno]

Hi all

cycling rock in some 70gal HDX tubs I bought at Home Depot. It’s the only thing there that will fit my aquascape. The Brute containers are too narrow for my pieces

In any case, after filling them with water (~60g) they are uncomfortably bowing. I guess that’s expected. Pics attached. In any case, I can still get the lids on to provide some extra support from the top. But should I be worried?

I can’t imagine they would “blow apart”. They will probably just bend under the force but it’s plastic so should stay intact but just bent. ??

Thoughts??

 

[Zbryant]

I would at least put a few ratchet straps around them so all of the weight is not being supported by the the plastic.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Na they will be fine the chepo walmart tubs do the same thing but if never had one give dont watched strap it as that may crack it and make it blow

 

[Tankkeepers]

Also don't move it with water and u will be fine

 

[drtechno]

That’s great. Thanks all!!

 

[takitaj]

Nah, should be fine. It will bow, especially when the water is heated, but it'll be fine as long as there's no cracks around the top edge. I use a 50 gal like yours & 2 cheapo 22 gal totes and they all bow. They're flexible but strong. On the 50 I will use the top over night as peace of mind but never a problem.

 

[GrapevineReefs]

I use these exact tubs for freshwater fish fry growout applications they bow a lot but They hold. I have two of them ATM running and full continuously since November of last year no leaks or cracks Heaters and all no apparent issues I trust em

 

[drtechno]

So an update to this thread. Over time the bowing has slightly worsened but everything appeared to hold. Last night I went to check on the cycling and I popped off one of the lids, which was being used to hold the top part together. Well when I popped it off, the sidewalls bowed out immediately and abruptly. My wife at that stage noticed two cracks had formed in the sides. (Pics) My theory is that the violent snap of the sides bowing out when I removed the lid stretched the plastic suddenly and cracks formed. So I jumped in the car and made an emergency run to Home Depot to get a replacement tub and this time some ratcheting belts. We moved all the rocks and water to the new tub, which we belted also (pic).
Post Mortem analysis shows cracks had also developed near the wheels, for some reason.
I assume it’s because of the volume of water we are holding (70 gal tubs) means it’s a lot more weight than others had tried.

Disaster averted. For now. I’m keeping an eye on the second non-belted tub and will probably transfer those rocks and water this coming weekend.

In any case, maybe reinforcing them is a good idea in the future.

 

[takitaj]

Wow! Looks like you got lucky. Where it cracked looks a little thin huh? I wonder if there is any real difference in the materials used or thicknesses between different manufacturers. I've had my 50gal filled for a week before, heated, without any discoloration or cracking. I popped the lid of a bunch of times too. Maybe I just got lucky. Anyways, glad you caught it before a disaster happened!

 

[drtechno]

Also, here is the crack I found after emptying it which was beginning to form around the wheel wells. I have to keep checking them now to make sure they don’t develop cracks in the tubs still in use