Tank broke story

[macara.brooks]

Hello, I’m here to share my story about my tank. I’m a 20-year-old who recently lost my 130-gallon tank, which belonged to my parents. What happened was that I was going to feed my fish when the glass panels split and started dumping water. Thankfully, I was able to remove the water as quickly as possible and save all my fish by transferring them to my backup tanks.

I had been rebuilding this tank for about two to three years. I completely took it apart and resealed all the glass panels to prevent what happened today.

Growing up, I always loved the ocean. This tank has been in the family since before I was born, and I had always dreamed of creating my own piece of the ocean here in Ontario. My late uncle, my dad, and I started planning and rebuilding it together, and I worked on it day and night to ensure that it was perfect.

Sadly, my uncle passed away before he got to see the tank filled with water. Before he died, he left me his tank to sell to help fund my project. When my tank broke, it felt utterly heartbreaking.

When the tank broke, I had to hold the glass together long enough to drain the water and ensure the fish were safe in my backup tanks.

Now, I’m feeling lost about how to restart and where I should go from here. It’s incredibly disheartening. If anyone has advice on how I should begin again and what steps to take next, I would greatly appreciate it. Should I even consider restarting? I've invested all my money into this, and I'm unsure where to start.

I have completely emptied the tank of gravel, rocks, and everything else.

Right now, I don’t know if I need support or if someone should just tell me to quit or where to go next.

 

[BryanM]

Sorry to hear about this.

I don't think anyone here is going to tell you to quit, we're all pretty supportive and helpful.

I dont know how to reseal tanks, so I'm not exactly going to be helpful here, but I would encourage you to continue, it certainly seems like you enjoy it!

 

[Bruttall]

Start looking for a good, used tank to replace what you had, if buying a new tank is not in your budget. Reefers don't quit, we dig in, dig deeper into our wallets, and keep going.

Really sorry you lost that tank especially how long it was in your family, but things happen and at the end of it all, you can put your fish and stuff into another.

 

[Tamberav]

Just to clarify?

You resealed the tank but it split a few years after resealing?

or it split and you have already finished resealing it?

Is the tank rimless? If so, eurobracing the bottom and top will help greatly.

It also sounds like you may have the option of just using your uncles tank instead?

I don't think you should give up if you love the ocean. People literally keep amazing looking reefs in nothing more than a fish bowl/cookie jar, some of them are 10+ years old :) There is a tank/size to fit every space and budget.

 

[Tahoe61]

Are you new to keeping saltwater systems?
How big are the back up tanks?

 

[TheGrimReeferTx]

Sorry to hear about your losses.

At the end of the day failures are a part of this hobby. While they hurt, we all continue in this hobby because it brings us joy and satisfaction. Give the hurt some time to settle before deciding to throw in the towel.

 

[macara.brooks]

Are you new to keeping saltwater systems?
How big are the back up tanks?

One 50 g one 20g and a 2.5 breeding tank and three years my parents had been doing it for 15 before they had to stop

 

[Tahoe61]

Breeding tank?
Why did they have to stop?

 

[Idech]

I’m sorry this happened to you. With all the effort and money you already put into this, if I were you I would just buy a new tank. The same size as the one you lost so you can reuse all your equipment.

Don’t quit if you love the hobby.

 

[Kooma]

Thats everyone's worst nightmare. What did you have in the old tank?

It possible you could have someone like miracles rebuild your glass, but buying a new 130 is probably cheaper.