Does a chipped tank equal disaster?

[Sati]

tsonnenl's experience with his All-Glass stand got me to thinking about my *new" All-Glass aquarium. At a lfs sale we got a 29g tank and an Eclipse hood for my BF's golfish. Because of the big sale the place was very hectic. Plus, we were in a hurry to move the goldfish, because at the time he was in temp housing with the tropicals in my community tank.

We got everything home and began setting it up. As I was filling the water in the tank I noticed a pretty significant chip. I was pretty PO'ed about it because we just paid good money for this setup and I don't want something that's supposed to be new to be broken. And after hearing stories I'm pretty paranoid about encountering a leak so this seemed like asking for trouble. However we absolutely didn't have the time to exhange the tank. So we've had it set up all this time. But do you all think it's a ticking time bomb? :?

Here are some pics:
http://www.ourglasshouse.com/holly/fish/Chip_front.jpg
http://www.ourglasshouse.com/holly/fish/Chip_angle.jpg
http://www.ourglasshouse.com/holly/fish/Chip_end.jpg

 

[Allivymar]

I'd want to fix it; I wonder if it can be filled?

 

[William]

That goes to far into the seal for my liking.

I'd take it back, altho they would most definately blame you for it and most likely won't offer even an exchange.


Most LFS I've seen have a big sign that states " No returns or exchanges on tanks "

 

[QTOFFER]

That's such a bummer, Sati. Too bad you didn't notice it at the store.

Well, it looks like only one piece of glass is chipped and the abutting piece is OK - am I right? Is the chip on the outside surface or is it on sealed-surface? Even if it's on the inside surface, at least it does not appear to be more than 1/2 the width of the siliconed joint.

Judging from the pics, I'd say you are probably OK as long as you don't subject that particular joint to excessive mechanical stress. When glass is subjected to alot of stress, be it thermal or mechanical, it breaks at sites that contain flaws that are usually undetectable to the naked eye.

At least you now know exactly where the weakest part of your tank is. I'd just be extra, extra careful moving, positioning, and leveling the tank.

 

[Sati]

The piece of glass that's chipped is the long, front piece. It's chipped about 3 inches up from the bottom. It's not as though the glass is missing. The chipped piece of glass is embedded right into the space that it broke away from. It must have happened during shipping.

Oh sigh.

 

[William]

At the bottom?

You know the bottom of the tank is where the most stress is..

That would make me even more concerned..

 

[tsonnenl]

Like William said, I doubt you'd be able to exchange it. I know when I picked up my tank, they had me go over it and sign a waiver that it was perfect when I took possession of it.

Tough call, I'd probably replace it though. The money spent would be worth the peace of mind.

 

[illuminum]

Take it back and give it a shot. If it doesn't work, talk to the manager. Be very aggressive and angry when they say that you made the damages. If that doesn't work, tell them you're going to contact the Better Business Bureau. IF they aren't convinced then, definitely contact the Better business Bureau and file a complaint. They'll most likely respond to that...

 

[jsoong]

Although the chip dosen't look too bad, I'd try to have it exchanged. But I would not hold out too much hope - esp if the chip is on the outside, they likely will say you did it.

If you can't get an exchange, you might consider having it fixed instead of buying a new one. Since the chip is still in, it might be possible to have it glued back - like they do for windshield. I am not sure of the strength of that tho. You can replace the pane of glass - we have shops in town that specialized in tank building & repair. You might consider talking to someone in your area.

 

[Sati]

Well I showed this thread to my BF and he laughed it off, thinking we're all just crazy aquarium people. I guess I'll let him deal with the consequences. I think he's being #$*%(#)....