What Happened? Nuvo 38G Tank Wall Collapsed

[SaltyWenStirred]

I did the 24-hour leak test yesterday. Was draining out the water today and the back panel fell in.

I got a call in to Innovative Marine. Guess I'll have to wait till Monday to get an answer. I am so bummed! Was going to start my RO/DI this weekend, and get live rock on Monday.

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

Oh no salty so sorry...hang in there pal...

[SaltyWenStirred]

Thanks Chaotic, guess it was good I did the leak test (trying to look at the positive side). From what I read, silicone doesn't hold glass to plastic that well. What is the solution for doing water changes in the future? Siphoning out water from the back and then the front? Both at the same time?

Is this normal?

[thegrun]

You can get thin 1"-2" strips of glass and silicone it to the sides of the glass to act as a reinforcement.

[Agu]

Don't know what kind of material the back panel is made of but silicone is used to attach acrylic overflows to the glass of most aquariums. Once attached they are quite difficult to remove.

The problem arises when there's a substantial difference of pressure on either side of the plastic and it begins to bow. I don't see that being an issue in your case and you should be able to just silicone it back in place.

[SaltyWenStirred]

thegrun, that sounds like a great idea. I was just looking at another thread, and apparently others have also had seam problems with this tank. Wonder why they don't sell them already reinforced. Where would I get strips of glass? Do fish stores carry them for this purpose?

Agu, thanks for responding. I'm worried about putting it back in place. I read on a thread where someone else said tanks lose their structural soundness after they've had an initial seam split. Think that would be true for this panel?

I sure hate the idea of having to DIY to a tank I just forked out some cash for.

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

Salty my pal, its rough to hear you just bought that tank used off someone and this happens...if you can talk to the person who sold it to you, they probably would have known something was wrong with the tank. I just think you should purchase another one brand new this time to avoid haggles like this, hope this helps ...

[thegrun]

Originally Posted by SaltyWenStirred

thegrun, that sounds like a great idea. I was just looking at another thread, and apparently others have also had seam problems with this tank. Wonder why they don't sell them already reinforced. Where would I get strips of glass? Do fish stores carry them for this purpose?

Agu, thanks for responding. I'm worried about putting it back in place. I read on a thread where someone else said tanks lose their structural soundness after they've had an initial seam split. Think that would be true for this panel?

I sure hate the idea of having to DIY to a tank I just forked out some cash for.

Salty,
I doubt LFS would carry glass strips, but your local glass shop could cut and round off the corner to avoid cuts.

[SaltyWenStirred]

Chaotic....

The tank is BRAND NEW! It's never seen water before. I just got my 92W Skkye LED in a few days ago, plus my heater. Just put my stand together and I was performing a leak test on the brand new tank.

I read someone said that you can skip the leak test, but you're still going to wind up doing a leak test one way or the other. So I figured I'd better go ahead and do one. There are no leaks. Guess that's the good news.

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

Salty, then there should be no problem with the lfs or company that sold it to you they more than likely will and should give you a full refund or swap it out for you. Monday is already here put that priority on your list to go talk and show the lfs what happened with your receipt in hand, keep us posted on the outcome...

[Agu]

I wasn't too familiar with the Nuvo aquariums so I I looked it up. My guess is that after you water tested it you removed the front water and the water in the back part of the tank forced the panel out of position. At around $400 I'd say that's unacceptable and insist on a new tank.

jmo

[Tankjunkie0481]

After working in the manufacturing industry for several years I can tell that this kind of thing sometimes just happens. Luckily you were smart and did a leak test before you actually set anything up. Would have been a total bummer if it would have came loose when you had the tank fully stocked. The important thing to look at is how the manufacturer handles the situation. Even if you go through your local lfs to get it REPLACED not fixed, you should still contact the manufacturer first. Feedback from customers is most often the feedback companies want considering you are the end user of their product. This is the only way assembly processes get better. When you contact them, expect them to make it right. If they are a quality company they will make it right quickly. Having to wait five days for a replacement is unacceptable. Biggest piece of advice I can give in this situation is don't lose your mind. The more professional you are with them the more likely they are to kick in a little extra to make it right. Just let them know that you as the consumer expect to get what you pay for.
Bummer you have to wait to set up but then again this is a hobby that requires a lot of patience....lol. Good luck and let us know how this experience turns out.

[Tankjunkie0481]

After working in the manufacturing industry for several years I can tell that this kind of thing sometimes just happens. Luckily you were smart and did a leak test before you actually set anything up. Would have been a total bummer if it would have came loose when you had the tank fully stocked. The important thing to look at is how the manufacturer handles the situation. Even if you go through your local lfs to get it REPLACED not fixed, you should still contact the manufacturer first. Feedback from customers is most often the feedback companies want considering you are the end user of their product. This is the only way assembly processes get better. When you contact them, expect them to make it right. If they are a quality company they will make it right quickly. Having to wait five days for a replacement is unacceptable. Biggest piece of advice I can give in this situation is don't lose your mind. The more professional you are with them the more likely they are to kick in a little extra to make it right. Just let them know that you as the consumer expect to get what you pay for.
Bummer you have to wait to set up but then again this is a hobby that requires a lot of patience....lol. Good luck and let us know how this experience turns out.

[SaltyWenStirred]

Tankjunkie,

My husband (CFO) has been in the manufacturing sector for 25 years. My brother is an engineer, and also has successfully designed, patented, manufactured and sold his ideas to the pet industry.

Based on information from other threads, what happened to my tank is not an isolated incident. I doubt the manufacturer is unaware of the issue, although I do plan to let them know just in case.

From what I've seen in manufacturing, there are two responses to a known defect; both are financially driven.

#1 continue to manufacture as is

#2 correct the issue

I've never seen #1 result in long-term financial viability. Competitors are always eager to capitalize on weaknesses, produce better products, steal market share and differentiate themselves in either quality, cost or both.

If gluing glass to acrylic with silicone does not work long-term, I can't imagine that the manufacturer's aren't away of this. Makes me wonder why the back panel isn't made of glass. My first guess is cost.

But what do I know, I'm just a manufacturing wife who wants a reef tank. Guess I'll know more tomorrow.

[Cloudburst2000]

Salty, I have a 16g Nuvo aquarium. When I initially received the aquarium, it was like yours. I never even put water in it though as the silicone for the panel between the the front of the tank and rear filtration was already giving away. I called Innovative Marine and sent them some pics. They immediately sent out a new tank and a butt-load of extras for my trouble. I bet I got over $100 worth of extras from them for free. Innovative Marine has excellent customer service from my personal experience. Your tank is brand new. It's defective. I wouldn't want a defective tank, and Innovative Marine will replace it.

[Tankjunkie0481]

Salty, apparently I have been misunderstood. All I was saying was that my suggestion was to contact the manufacturer directly instead of going through the lfs first. Customer feedback provides more usable data than a bunch of engineers standing around doing testing in a controlled environment. An lfs cannot accurately convey the facts of what happened even if they write down every detail you tell them. It is more productive this way. I was in no way saying that your issue was an isolated incident. I was simply stating that no matter how good a product is, sometimes there are failures. My apologies if I did not convey my point in an affective manner.

[SaltyWenStirred]

No problem Tank. I agree with you.

[ravin01]

Tank cracked after 5 months.

Local pet store referred me to company.

They have yet to respond. Thousands in damage or loss.

[tthnow]

Damn....that is unacceptable.

[babybetta]

I have same issue. I think typical problem with IM products, also cracked problem. I have Nuvo 16 and 34, they were both have collapse wet and dry wall and hard to fix because the acrylic bowed. I will never purchase IM products again, bad cheap quality products. Their tank only last no more than 3 years.

[Sk8r]

WOw. If your live rock is coming in, make 1.24 salt water in a Rubbermaid brute trash can and put your live rock in there, warmed to 78-80 degrees and with a circulation pump: it'll hold fine and you can use the water when you get the tank matter fixed.

[robn70]

I am sure he has gotten it taken care of as this thread is from 2012.

[ColoReefer970]

Don't underestimate the power of sk8...the avalanche of help just might have enough force behind it to drive this back through time