One of the Reasons I Don't have a Sump

[Cap'n]

As previously stated; bad location, bad support, bad luck.

[rusty]

The foam will support the tanks actual glass bottom and if the ply warps or does anything else funny the foam will absorb it.

I had a tank that sat on plywood to support the bottom there was no trim on the tank so the glass sat directly on the wood. The wood warped and the tank cracked I really like having ridgid foam under the tank. Muck used some really good foam under his tank http://www.canreef.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=11702
I really like this stuff its soft enough to absorb irregularities in the wood but firm enough to support the tank

[megatron_55]

First off . . . His first mistake is drilling 3 holes at the bottom of the tank . . . 1 is at best 2 makes the bottom a little stressed but It can still hold as long as they are far apart from each other but 3 that close together !!! You can still have the luxury of having a sump or fuge with out drilling your tank . . . Thats why they invented external overflow boxes ... Yes they are expensive. . . yes they take space at the back of your tank but look what it could have prevented . . . tsk tsk tsk . . . Anyhow. . . anyone know what size that tank is . . . dimensions??? I want a tank like that! shallow but long . . . Thanks!

[Rikko]

With that type of tank there's really no point in having a full sheet of plywood covering the bottom unless you have a foam there to actually pad the glass against the stand. Otherwise it does absolutely nothing - no weight is resting on the sheet of wood. I don't even think it's necessary - looks like a freak accident to me. What I'd be more interested in is how tight he cranked those bulkhead fittings on (that's a fair bit of pressure on the glass right there.. I'd sooner slightly hand tighten with a silicone seal than just brute force it) and what kind of forces were applied to the pipes attached to that fitting. Some geniuses will put a tremendous amount of piping running away from a bulkhead which adds several pounds of pressure persistently pushing against the glass... Geniuses like me.. Who just leave it because they want to see how long it takes for a failure to happen. Ever seen the plumbing in J&Ls fish only tanks? Looks like 2" PVC running down from the bulkhead, then across, then down again into the next tank. Problem? The design is great, but I cringe every time I look at it. If anybody were to smack that piece of PVC that tank would shatter.

Poor bastard, though.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Beverly

Geez, I remember that It was during a summer heatwave, too, wasn't it? Makes me want to check the temp of my tanks daily

nope during the month of december, well maybe a heat wave compared to what you guys were getting in december

Steve

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Rikko

With that type of tank there's really no point in having a full sheet of plywood covering the bottom unless you have a foam there to actually pad the glass against the stand. Otherwise it does absolutely nothing - no weight is resting on the sheet of wood. I don't even think it's necessary - looks like a freak accident to me. What I'd be more interested in is how tight he cranked those bulkhead fittings on (that's a fair bit of pressure on the glass right there.. I'd sooner slightly hand tighten with a silicone seal than just brute force it) and what kind of forces were applied to the pipes attached to that fitting. Some geniuses will put a tremendous amount of piping running away from a bulkhead which adds several pounds of pressure persistently pushing against the glass... Geniuses like me.. Who just leave it because they want to see how long it takes for a failure to happen. Ever seen the plumbing in J&Ls fish only tanks? Looks like 2" PVC running down from the bulkhead, then across, then down again into the next tank. Problem? The design is great, but I cringe every time I look at it. If anybody were to smack that piece of PVC that tank would shatter.

Sounds like what I was thinking also.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by megatron_55

First off . . . His first mistake is drilling 3 holes at the bottom of the tank . . . 1 is at best 2 makes the bottom a little stressed but It can still hold as long as they are far apart from each other but 3 that close together !!! You can still have the luxury of having a sump or fuge with out drilling your tank . . . Thats why they invented external overflow boxes ... Yes they are expensive. . . yes they take space at the back of your tank but look what it could have prevented . . . tsk tsk tsk . . . Anyhow. . . anyone know what size that tank is . . . dimensions??? I want a tank like that! shallow but long . . . Thanks!

Actually more tank overflows with externals than drilled tanks. I have never trusted anything that has to go up before down. But I know they are widely used.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Saltysteve

I have not yet read about this! Could you explain

Drill a small hole, {about 1/8in.}, in your return line. Some drill just below the water line and some just above, depending on what your sump can hold. Drill it on a slight upwards angle, so the water squirts down into the tank.

Clean any build up from the hole, by poking it clean on a regular basis. If the pump shuts down, the siphon break hole will break the siphon, shutting down the back flow of water.



Usually.

[danny zubot]

Eveything that needs to be said has been said here...what a pity though.

[LostMind]

Well, I fail to see how having a sump caused the failure in the tank. His sump looks fine