Tank Cracked

[Kimbie]

Hi All!

I was just in the process of cycling a hospital/spare 10 gallon and it cracked down the bottom piece of glass after 3 days of running water. I have read other forums that suggest this happened because the tank was not level or the stand was not level. (Extreme possibility as it was a fairly wobbly stand on carpet. I should have known better, but it was only temporary). The tank also had 1" layer of pebbles (not gravel) and 1 fake plant and 1 bubbling volcano.

My main concern is my 60gallon. We built a stand for the tank, and the stand is level, the tank is level, but the spot in the house is not level, therefore the water is slightly lower on the right side. Am I at risk of another tank rupture?? Or is it ok as long as the stand and the tank are level with each other?

 

[Kimbie]

Also, the 10g was Aqueon brand used, and the 60g is Visio brand used.

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[Brookster123]

If the water is not level the tank is not level, you need to level the stand from the floor with shim shingles. You should also consider putting some rubber mat or yoga mat under the tank for added support/buffer. If you cracked a 10 than the 60 needs attention fast! I cracked a 40 and it was a freaking mess!

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[PB_Smith]

if the entire tank is not level in only one direction and it's not more than 1/4", it should be ok. A problem would be if it were unleveled from end to end and front to back or from corner to corner diagonal to one another. That would more likely lead to tank failure.
Tanks crack from not being level in a manner that puts undue stress or twisting/sheering forces on the glass.
more important is that the stand itself be level and perfectly flat, and supports the entire tank.

with the stand/tank being level and the floor itself isn't, much, much less chance of the tank failing, but you should still shim the stand as Brookster suggested.

 

[Kimbie]

So I will probably have to completely empty my 60g to shim the stand? because it is so heavy I don't think I could manage with a full tank.

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[Brookster123]

You could probably get by with 15 gal in there and some help from a friend..

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[BillD]

To clarify, the base of the tank needs to be on a flat surface, so that the tank base is in one plane only, with no twisting, as mentioned above. This is more important than the tank being level. Minor discrepencies in flatness can be alleviated with the use of styrofoam beneath the tank. Styro will not help with levelling.
Since this is a 10, I would add, some of them are made of such thin glass I would be afraid to put water in them. I have one I picked up a few years ago (for free) that is like this.