Do I Need to Replace this Tank Now?

[krizda88]

I have a 12 gallon Marineland Eclipse system that I've had for close to 8 years. Recently I noticed deep crazing in the back of the aquarium that wasn't there just a few months ago. I've attached a picture of it, the crazing is the dark lines in the background, there are quite a few and some of them are several inches long. For those not familiar with the eclipse tanks, the tank is seamless if that makes any difference...
I need to know if this tank is coming up on imminent failure and should be replaced immediately or if I still have time.
I also don't know how acrylic tanks fail, do they leak first and give warning or do they suddenly burst?
I'm renting at the moment and I'm on the second story so catastrophic failure is something I'd like to avoid at all costs. However switching tanks is no small matter so I don't want to fork out the $$ for new tank and stress the fish by moving them if I don't need to.
Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you!

 

[gilpi]

I have a 12 gallon Marineland Eclipse system that I've had for close to 8 years. Recently I noticed deep crazing in the back of the aquarium that wasn't there just a few months ago. I've attached a picture of it, the crazing is the dark lines in the background, there are quite a few and some of them are several inches long. For those not familiar with the eclipse tanks, the tank is seamless if that makes any difference...
I need to know if this tank is coming up on imminent failure and should be replaced immediately or if I still have time.
I also don't know how acrylic tanks fail, do they leak first and give warning or do they suddenly burst?
I'm renting at the moment and I'm on the second story so catastrophic failure is something I'd like to avoid at all costs. However switching tanks is no small matter so I don't want to fork out the $$ for new tank and stress the fish by moving them if I don't need to.
Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you!

It explains here... Acrylic Aquarium Repair by Marc Quattromani

 

[krizda88]

Yes, thank you, I found and read that article before I posted here. I am trying to follow his advice of taking a picture and asking for advice before immediately panicking over it. Much of what the article talks about is for much larger tanks which are not seamless so I'm not sure how much of it applies to my situation... so I'm hoping someone with more experience with acrylic tanks than I have could give me some advice specific to my situation.

 

[Mebbid]

Not having personal experience with acrylic tanks myself, just looking at that I don't believe there is going to be anything you can do without cutting that part of the tank off and replacing it with a new piece of acrylic.

 

[Greta1981]

My suggestion would be to buy a $15 ten gallon from Walmart. You can't beat the price and the little bit of $$ will be worth peace of mind. I couldn't personally sleep if I was constantly worrying about my goldfish tank leaking or bursting.

 

[cowfish7]

My suggestion would be to buy a $15 ten gallon from Walmart. You can't beat the price and the little bit of $$ will be worth peace of mind. I couldn't personally sleep if I was constantly worrying about my goldfish tank leaking or bursting.

That is good advice. I have also kept fish in buckets and muck buckets (15-20gal) for short term, emergency type situations. Not ideal, of course, and I'm sure some fish do better than others in such conditions. It's good to think about what you might have to use in an emergency.

Hopefully someone who knows about acrylic tanks will be able to help you out.

 

[krizda88]

I have a clear rubber maid container that I used to move fish out here that I've used as a temporary tank on several occasions. Last time I used it for the fish in this 12 gallon though (the filter or something leaked and made a mess I thought tank had failed but it hadn't) they all got ick a week or so after getting them back in the tank. I was able to cure them with the heat method and didn't lose any of them, but I think they don't handle being put in new environments as well as the Cichlids do. I've heard the rummy nose tetras in particular take change pretty hard... but if I have to use the bucket to prevent the disaster of a tank failure, I will do it.
I'm just trying to find out if I need to take drastic measures right now, or if I have enough time to arrange for a new tank of a different model which will require modifying my current tank stand and might take a few months...

 

[tnfinfan]

You can probably get just the tank itself and keep the hood since that has the light and filter in it. I know I saw them at Petsolutions.com when I was looking for a replacement piece for my old six.

Or, if you can afford a new (or used -- check Craigslist!) setup, this is your sign that it's time. You can move fish and bacteria all at once without much trouble thanks to the handy biowheel. No need to start all over.

Eta -- there is no way to know how long the tank will last. Those cracks (and that is what they are) could leak or blow the side out at any moment or it may go another year. But that's a whole lot of water on the floor! Not to mention dead fish.