[R32_GTR]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Anything else I need to do to avoid it ?
Should I not add stones ? I did added about 15 or so pieces of large stones. But they never moved, while adding them didnt touch the side walls. I am just clueless.
WHat happened - happened - scary thing is that I dont want this to repeat with my kid playing around.

Originally Posted by ptaneja

Filled it up half way, waited for 2 days, filled it completely, and it stayed for 3 days. After 3 days it gave away.

Thinking of skipping heavy stones this time - and just feel contented with plastic decorations cr@p.

It can't be the stones / rocks. Tanks this size can take much much more (upwards of 300 kilos) if built well.

Its clearly a load / pressure issue. The quality of glass is usually the problem with large tanks.

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by R32_GTR

Absolutely. Toughened glass is usually a given with these sizes / volumes.
But toughened glass tend to crack too.

I'm finding a lot of mixed opinions on whether toughened/tempered glass should be used for aquariums, based on a preliminary google search.

From the pictures it doesn't look like ptaneja's tank was toughened glass.

[ptaneja]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

I'm finding a lot of mixed opinions on whether toughened/tempered glass should be used for aquariums, based on a preliminary google search.

From the pictures it doesn't look like ptaneja's tank was toughened glass.

Absolutely right. Its a normal 12mm Modiguard glass. The person who built this showed me the same glass being used for 12 foot * 5 foot heigh aquarium - working perfectly for last 1 year.

Toughened glass too would break/crack in case of load. Moreover, the same size as mine was costing around 28K for just the box. Even the chinese branded one's (SOBO/MJ etc) are not toughened I think.

Originally Posted by R32_GTR

It can't be the stones / rocks. Tanks this size can take much much more (upwards of 300 kilos) if built well.

Its clearly a load / pressure issue. The quality of glass is usually the problem with large tanks.

I am guessing the same. I had stones collected all on the right hand side of the aquarium - on the left, all it had was sand. Can this be the reason ? Crack by co-incidence also gave away from the right hand section.

[R32_GTR]

Yes. Toughened vs Regular with 8mm or more is a long standing debate with aquariums. Both sides have valid points usually. Also probably why people are moving to acrylic tanks. The marine guys will usually go toughened due to higher water density. Shattering (blow outs) is usually a concern with toughened while the regular ones just crack like it has here and usually dont blow out.

My custom tank alone costed me 48k for extra clear / toughened as opposed to 32K for just extra clear (almost the same dimensions as yours).

Just remembered the old saying - people with glass tanks shouldn't throw stones place them gently instead.

[Mortis]

GTR is right. While toughened glass is generally stronger, if it fails it will always fail catastrophically i.e. it will shatter into hundreds of tiny bits whereas with normal glass in some cases it will only crack or crack gradually giving you some chance to rescue the fish and get the tank repaired.

Ptenja : I feel your pain, I too had a tank glass crack and leak early in the morning but luckily it was only a 1ft cube and glass hadnt croken open fully so I could pick it up and run to the bathroom. I still get nightmares about it at times 3 years later and wake up everytime I hear any watery noises from my tanks !

By the way 19mm is the ideal glass thickness for your tank, no matter what your guy tells you and even if he shows you proof. Go for 2-3 braces at the top and bottom

Heres a handy link : http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium

[audioholic]

Also consider getting a frame fabricated out of MS/SS all around the edges of the tank, preferably with angled rods so that they will hold the glass tight especially in the middle of the tank. I dont think glass supports would be good enough since the width of the tank is quite high. Given that the crack came in the middle of the tank, I bet this is a flexing issue. Hence, get a frame that can be bolted onto the top holding the glass without flexing. Since the height of the tank is also considerable, it is important to contain any flexing. Since the glass support will also be bonded by silicon glue, there will still be some room for movement, which in the longrun created the crack.

Call me foolish, but I had a similar incident a few years back. I had got the aquarium stand made out of wood with a flat granite slab at the top. To one end of the stand there was a small space which the slab couldnt cover which was just 3cm wide. For this, we put a 20mm MDF board and filled the space and also it levelled perfectly with the granite slab. Seeing this, I did not bother about the foam between tank and stand and just used a thin sheet of sponge.

What was a chain of events, started with the root issue, using MDF in an environment close to water. Due to some random water seepage while cleaning, there was one edge of MDF which was not laminated. This absorbed water and started swelling up. Though I noticed it, it did not catch my attention. This was around six months after the installation of the tank. I assumed that the weight of the tank would keep the wood compressed and there wouldnt be an issue.

That was the time of my college vacation and I used to be home most of the times. There was random creaks from the aquarium once a few days. I mistook it to be my Oscar fish moving stones here and there. One fine day, my dad woke up to see water in the living room, where the tank was kept. Thankfully, there was more than 70% of water still in the tank. He woke me up and we realised there was a leak. Did not understand at first and I thought one of the joints had given away. But after removing the fish and investigating, I found that the bottom glass had cracked. This crack started from the place where the joint between the granite slab and MDF and propagated half way across the bottom. Though the crack started a few weeks before, it got completed from one edge to another and thats when the leak started. That day I realised how bad MDF was when it comes to such places. Then on, I got the bottom glass replaced with double 8mm glass and now use a 40mm thick thermocol sheet below it

All the best for your tank V2.

[petrolhead_chn]

@ptaneja - It is disheartening to read about the incident. I suggest you take a second opinion/consultation from another service provider/vendor just to arrive at an average. With kids around you dont want any risks too. All the best for the new set up.

And here goes few pictures of my tank and the fishes I grow for now.
120lts/ADA Substrate/LED fixture/DIY CO2 setup/DIY filteration system/Occassional dozing of ferts, gravel vaccuum and water change procedures.

[Mortis]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_chn

And here goes few pictures of my tank and the fishes I grow for now.
120lts/ADA Substrate/LED fixture/DIY CO2 setup/DIY filteration system/Occassional dozing of ferts, gravel vaccuum and water change procedures.

I like the gravel you ahve used to cap the Amazonia. Where is it from. Looks quite small too

[petrolhead_chn]

Originally Posted by Mortis

I like the gravel you ahve used to cap the Amazonia. Where is it from. Looks quite small too

While I've covered half the tank with amazonia, the other half is covered using this gravel. The gravel was purchased from Umino @ 80/kg.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_chn

While I've covered half the tank with amazonia, the other half is covered using this gravel. The gravel was purchased from Umino @ 80/kg.

link please? could not find gravels on that site

[V.Narayan]

Can someone guide me on what fish to keep which are compatible with chichlids. My tank is about 2000 litres plus and I have about 20 medium sized chiclids. Would like to keep some other fish too that are compatible. I don't have any Oscars left which were very aggressive fish (both died after about 4 and 7 years respectively). Small fish will also do.

Do you know a reliable clean place to source fish from in NCR. Thanks in advance.

[deathwalkr]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Can someone guide me on what fish to keep which are compatible with chichlids. My tank is about 2000 litres plus and I have about 20 medium sized chiclids. Would like to keep some other fish too that are compatible. I don't have any Oscars left which were very aggressive fish (both died after about 4 and 7 years respectively). Small fish will also do.

Do you know a reliable clean place to source fish from in NCR. Thanks in advance.

What are the dimensions of the tank? What fishes do you have now?

Oscars are generally considered as semi aggressive in the cichlid world. More bullies than killers compared to red devils and wolfs and the likes.

Please pretty please put up a few pix/vids of this monstrous tank

[sukhoi30]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

My tank is about 2000 litres plus and I have about 20 medium sized chiclids. Would like to keep some other fish too that are compatible. I don't have any Oscars left which were very aggressive fish (both died after about 4 and 7 years respectively).

2000 Litres plus ... Wow!! That's almost like a small swimming pool you have out there. Can you post some pics?
Cichlids are very territorial and probably will not be compatible with any other freshwater fish. The fact that usual tanks are small in size, the cichlids will try to occupy the maximum territory depending on its size and numbers. You can try adding some crabs or shrimps. Otherwise it is best to add different colored cichlids.

[R32_GTR]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Can someone guide me on what fish to keep which are compatible with chichlids. My tank is about 2000 litres plus and I have about 20 medium sized chiclids. .

Please share some pics and details on the tank!

Most loaches, botias and plecos would happily co-exist.

Been seeing a lot of Fresh water ray varieties in local pet stores and on Instagram... for a 2000+ litre tank, it would be perfect I guess. Most of them with malavi cichlids in the tank (not necessarily their natural habitat).

Originally Posted by sukhoi30

. You can try adding some crabs or shrimps. Otherwise it is best to add different colored cichlids.

Crabs and shrimps as tank mates or as feed?
My Tenganyika cichlids and frontosas used to eat shrimps and crab meat as a part of their weekly treats


Quick update:

Last cycle done - 60 kilos of seiryu rocks in as well. will let it settle before scaping in a month of so.

Here is a night shot of the tank for you @Deathwalkr

[deathwalkr]

Looking good dude Must be bliss to sit in front of it.

something/someone has spooked my 11 clowns and they run and hide every time someone goes near the tank. they used to come all the way to the top for food before this.

and yes shrimp/crabs etc would be bait for most cichlids.

need more details of tank and type of cichlids [20 of them] before advising.