cat Posted January 28, 2003 Report Share Posted January 28, 2003 Not sure if this is the right forum but what the heck! I suppose lots of us felt the earthquake the other day? We did for sure! I raced around checking tanks and watching water lap over the ends of two tanks before it subsided. This morning I was making a coffee (half asleep) and thinking I could hear my spray bar, which is normally fairly quiet. I went over to check it closer and discovered from about two feet in front of the tank the carpet was wet. HORROR! About two inches of water missing from my four foot tank. Mad rush to get another tank inside before I had to leave for work. Left poor hubby to drain water and fish into this other tank. I left work as soon as I could (12pm) to get home and find tank setup on floor in front of the other tank!! Arghhhhhhh Drain that out into yet another tank, filling up every availabe container with the extra tank water so I didnt lose any of it. Fish going from four down to two foot tank now. Move the other tank away and put it all back again. (Exhausted by now). Poor hubby not happy man by now. :evil: Got everything out of the other tank and took it outside to check it over. No huge crack - just a small (1 inch) hairline crack beside the silicone. Thankfully I suppose as I could have lost the lot. Only disappointment is that I have lost my stand it was sitting on. It is saturated and is only gib board so it is swollen and soggy. Also had to cut out three feet of carpet (carpet being ripped up anyway in about three - four weeks). It is amazing how much water a carpet holds! I have got a five foot tank that was going to be used for something else going up tomorrow and everything will be going into that. Well that is my excitment. Bet you are all glad it wasnt you but then you arent a fish keeper unless you have at least one busted tank!! (So I am told). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted January 28, 2003 Report Share Posted January 28, 2003 It's at times like this that you wonder why on earth you keep fish anyway and wouldn't a canary be a lot less trouble? It doesn't take much of a quake to stress a tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted January 28, 2003 Report Share Posted January 28, 2003 Hi Cat, Sorry to hear about your disaster. You can repair the tank rather than replacing the glass. If the crack is at the rear, or unseen, just plate it with a piece of glass silicone well and fitted into position. Cheaper than a new sheet of glass, and just as strong..... or stronger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brocky05 Posted January 28, 2003 Report Share Posted January 28, 2003 I know just how you feel cat although you got off lightly I once had a four footer go and was at home at the time but heard nothing, woke up in the morning to find water and gravel all over the lounge and all my lovely fish dead the cause was my nice cichlids had dug down through the gravel causing rocks to move cracking bottom of the tank which caused the front to blow out. The most upsetting thing was that my large clowns were spawning at the time . To stop this I now only use sand in my tanks with a piece of polystyrene under the sand to stop rocks cracking the glass if the fish dig! And to top it off the insurance company would not pay to have carpet dried out $750 bill :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajbroome Posted January 28, 2003 Report Share Posted January 28, 2003 Cat said... > ... you arent a fish keeper unless you have at least one busted tank!! It's a curse, but it does happen from time to time. My worst was a 4 x 2 x 2 ft that went bang back in the late 80s. Made a mess of my parents lounge. My new tank survived the latest 'quake so that was a good test for it It now even has some plants in it, courtesy of Len Trigg. Need some more though... Gotta chase up my lights too... Andrew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat Posted January 28, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2003 Decided to paint the back of the new 5 footer blue so the poor fish are going to have to stay on the floor for another day or three yet. May as well make it how I want it first as I doubt I will be moving this one for awhile. Unless Mother Earth decides to shake, rattle and roll again of course! The floor is drying out thankfully and we may yet decide to just polish the floor as the floor boards are so beautiful under the carpet! The joy of owning and older home is that back in those days matai and rimu were common and 'rubbish' wood. To have a floor like this seems a pity to cover it up. Thinking this may save money and get a nice effect. Leaves for money for fish :lol: :lol: You are right Caryl ... having a canary would be a little less hazardous but the noise they make would drive me nutty within a day or two. At least fish are quiet. Pegasus ... the crack is right at the front .. where the two pieces meet and that was already braced with another strip along the bottom edge! The crack goes under this piece through to the front glass. I have to take of the whole strip along the bottom before even getting to the crack. I think a new bottom would be better as I would be too scared to trust a repair. Not worth the risk as far as I am concerned. I am please it was only water over the floor. It would be so heart breaking to lose any fish. Thankfully it cost us nothing as far as drying goes and the carpet was stuffed anyway and cost nothing to tear at with a stanley knife. Quite fun actually ... being destructive. I have another 45 metres to go yet too!! :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted January 29, 2003 Report Share Posted January 29, 2003 Wow cat what an experience. Fish keeping sure isn't boring is it. What a lot of work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How are the fish??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted January 29, 2003 Report Share Posted January 29, 2003 Read Glass Thickness Article. http://www.fnzas.org.nz/glassthickness.0.html Good to make glass thick enough so no-break!! Also tell how to join glass proper so no let-go!! Now no problem for earthquake!!! Ooh, is stand strong for earthquake?? Hmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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