days like today can make you hate this hobby.

miatawnt2b · 02/25/2007, 05:48 PM

Well, I woke up this morning prepared to do my weekly water change. So, I get the canister filter hooked up, start making water and begin blowing off the rocks. A bit later I turned off the skimmer so that I could empty and clean the cup... That's when the doody hit the fan.

The skimmer had overflowed the 1/2 gal drain bottle, and completely soaked the bottom of the All-Glass pine stand. The skimmer either went nuts when I started blowing off all the rocks, or sometime during the night, but it really didn't matter because the bottom of the stand had started to drop out of the stand. The plumbing was taking the majority of the weight since the corner overflow of the 90 and the sump are mated together with the 1" PVC. (bulkhead in the bottom of the 90, straight down to a slip union, then a 90 into a bulkhead in the side of the 20.

My only option was to shut off the overflow via ball valve (glad I installed those) drain the sump, and cut the bottom out of the stand. Then set the sump on the floor, and extend the plumbing.

Sounds easier than it was. Problem is that a 20 does not fit through the door openings in a standard All-Glass 90 stand.

OK, so I disconnect the sump, drain as much as I can, lift the sump and have the GF set two 2x4's through the openings so the sump is off of the bottom. Then slide around the sump, using a sawzall to cut out the bottom, in about 6 pieces. Luckily for me the bottom had almost completely failed, so it cut and came out rather easily. Then I had to go to HD to get a 1" and 3/4" coupler.

Today's project was going to be installing 3 bifold doors on some closets in the house. So I could do a little multi-tasking and get the doors when I went to pick up the PVC couplers. So far so good. Well I get to the HD, pick up the supplies, and head home... Halfway home I realise that while I was successful in getting the doors and misc wood, I failed to pick up the PVC to fix the tank... CRAP!

OK, another trip to HD, and $.48 later, I had the couplers, went home and finished the project.

So a simple water change this morning turned into a 6 hour ordeal. Ugh... why do I like this hobby so much?

-J

team2jndd · 02/25/2007, 05:59 PM

I have a 10g in my computer desk and today during my water change I lost a speaker my wireless mouse and keyboard. I feel ya. Sometimes it seems like if something could go wrong it will. I had the hose in the bucket siphoning water and somehow it just...slipped out.

scunan · 02/25/2007, 06:08 PM

What a bummer but at least you got it fixed and nothing really really bad happened like a flood or the whole tank crashing down from stand failure.

02/25/2007, 05:48 PM	#1
miatawnt2b Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 1,467	days like today can make you hate this hobby. Well, I woke up this morning prepared to do my weekly water change. So, I get the canister filter hooked up, start making water and begin blowing off the rocks. A bit later I turned off the skimmer so that I could empty and clean the cup... That's when the doody hit the fan. The skimmer had overflowed the 1/2 gal drain bottle, and completely soaked the bottom of the All-Glass pine stand. The skimmer either went nuts when I started blowing off all the rocks, or sometime during the night, but it really didn't matter because the bottom of the stand had started to drop out of the stand. The plumbing was taking the majority of the weight since the corner overflow of the 90 and the sump are mated together with the 1" PVC. (bulkhead in the bottom of the 90, straight down to a slip union, then a 90 into a bulkhead in the side of the 20. My only option was to shut off the overflow via ball valve (glad I installed those) drain the sump, and cut the bottom out of the stand. Then set the sump on the floor, and extend the plumbing. Sounds easier than it was. Problem is that a 20 does not fit through the door openings in a standard All-Glass 90 stand. OK, so I disconnect the sump, drain as much as I can, lift the sump and have the GF set two 2x4's through the openings so the sump is off of the bottom. Then slide around the sump, using a sawzall to cut out the bottom, in about 6 pieces. Luckily for me the bottom had almost completely failed, so it cut and came out rather easily. Then I had to go to HD to get a 1" and 3/4" coupler. Today's project was going to be installing 3 bifold doors on some closets in the house. So I could do a little multi-tasking and get the doors when I went to pick up the PVC couplers. So far so good. Well I get to the HD, pick up the supplies, and head home... Halfway home I realise that while I was successful in getting the doors and misc wood, I failed to pick up the PVC to fix the tank... CRAP! OK, another trip to HD, and $.48 later, I had the couplers, went home and finished the project. So a simple water change this morning turned into a 6 hour ordeal. Ugh... why do I like this hobby so much? -J __________________ Proud member of the JTCCB (jebao tuners club for cheap bastards)

02/25/2007, 05:59 PM	#2
team2jndd Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: ny Posts: 50	I have a 10g in my computer desk and today during my water change I lost a speaker my wireless mouse and keyboard. I feel ya. Sometimes it seems like if something could go wrong it will. I had the hose in the bucket siphoning water and somehow it just...slipped out.

02/25/2007, 06:08 PM	#3
scunan Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Maine Posts: 298	What a bummer but at least you got it fixed and nothing really really bad happened like a flood or the whole tank crashing down from stand failure.