Our 375g reef tank build & fish room

[edandsandy]

Originally posted by Bax
Wow! What an odd place to have a crack, it's not a load bearing point from the shipping. Kinda strange?

At least GC sent a fix for you, and I have to believe that it'll be Ok as it is inside the tank. Makes me a bit nervous, as I am preparing to order a tank fro GC very soon. That whole build em ship em and let em cure in your hands seems to be GC's MO.

Did you water test it yet?

Bax,
GlassCages was and is a easy company to deal with IMO.
We have not a single problem with them. I think more people will complain than to give a complement.
Once the ball starts to roll with complaints it will get out of control.

We spoke to them like we would like to be spoken too, and that's how they spoke to us.
GlassCages was willing to accommodate us in any way they could. send us a new tank or send a repair kit.

We think that it happened in shipping, due to the driver using a short pallet jack, not with the extended forks. I hope I explained that correctly. So I would suggest that if you do use them ask for a pallet jack with extended forks........ Don't be afraid to order a tank... just learn from our experience.

I am a little upset that we are having to repair a new tank.
I just don't want to wait for a new tank to be built.

no, we haven't water tested the tank yet, we haven't even taken the tank out of the box yet.

[edandsandy]

Originally posted by GlassReef
That's terrible about your tank, Sandy - a real bummer. From the pics, it definitely looks repairable. I can imagine it was quite a blow (no pun intended). But very soon it'll be repaired and good as new. Plus, I'll bet there's plenty to do in the mean time.

Thanks for your encouragement Tom.
You are certainly correct about "plenty to do in the mean time."

We will be in your area later in the week. What does your schedule look like?

[Bax]

Sandy

The wheels are in motion, I'll be ordering my tank from GC. Just makes me nervous to here a story like this as I am finalizing a tank design with them. I've met Tom and spoke with him a few times, he's a straight talker, and will do only what he's comfortable doing. If you follow comments on any tank builder, you'll hear good and bad experiences to be sure.

[erics3000]

Glad to hear it is an easy fix. Bax does have a food point about testing for water if the tank has been fully cured.

You said it right BAX. I wanted to get external over flows on my tank but they didn't want to do it at that time. Evan if I payed more. So I figured they have been building them for awhile I would go his way.

[Bax]

It's all about their comfort zone at GC. I asked for an external horizontal overflow. They said no to that but they do an internal coast to coast style without reservation. I do not want a centerbrace so I had to take their concerns over height into concideration. And that's fair enough to stay with what they feel good about. Even being conservative, things like the crack in the overflow can happen in shipping.

On the plus side, you get your tank in your hands pretty quickly, and very few tank builders cure then water test your tank in their shop anyway. I am not trying to spark a debate about GC in this or any other thread, but I just wonder somtimes if GC would see less issues from shipping if they let the tanks sit a bit longer to firm up before being shrink wrapped and shipped, that's was more the poorly made point I was getting at above.

Anyway, Sandy, I am not trying to flame GC.

[Creamhorses]

Sorry to hear about your tank. I think you're right on with your thought that it happened during a fork lift movement. We just received our tank a couple weeks ago and after trying to pick u the skid with our 4' forks, we realized that the crate was too long for the forks. We fashioned a chain @ a 45 degree angle from the upper fork fram and around a far cross memeber under the crate. That allowed us to lift the crate with support on that far end.

If your external overflow is @ the bottom of your tank, this fork lift thing is explained, as that corner was unable to withstand the stress of an uneven lift.

I wouldn't fix it until the tank is set in place and all the moving is done.

Dave

[edandsandy]

Originally posted by Bax
Sandy

The wheels are in motion, I'll be ordering my tank from GC. Just makes me nervous to here a story like this as I am finalizing a tank design with them. I've met Tom and spoke with him a few times, he's a straight talker, and will do only what he's comfortable doing. If you follow comments on any tank builder, you'll hear good and bad experiences to be sure.

You are correct Bax,
I couldn't have said it better!

[edandsandy]

Originally posted by Bax
It's all about their comfort zone at GC. I asked for an external horizontal overflow. They said no to that but they do an internal coast to coast style without reservation. I do not want a centerbrace so I had to take their concerns over height into concideration. And that's fair enough to stay with what they feel good about. Even being conservative, things like the crack in the overflow can happen in shipping.

On the plus side, you get your tank in your hands pretty quickly, and very few tank builders cure then water test your tank in their shop anyway. I am not trying to spark a debate about GC in this or any other thread, but I just wonder somtimes if GC would see less issues from shipping if they let the tanks sit a bit longer to firm up before being shrink wrapped and shipped, that's was more the poorly made point I was getting at above.

Anyway, Sandy, I am not trying to flame GC.

I understand Bax,

ACTUALLY, our tank was built on 10-4-08, and shipped to us on 10-23-08! That's just how it happened. My daughter delivered our grandson 3 weeks early so they worked with us on the delivery. So we feel like the tanked fully cured before it was shipped.
We truly feel like we received great customer service from GlassCages.

Ed thinks that because the driver used a regular pallet jack instead of one with extended forks that how it happened.

This afternoon I think I will talk Ed into filling the tank with water, wish me luck

[edandsandy]

Originally posted by Creamhorses
Sorry to hear about your tank. I think you're right on with your thought that it happened during a fork lift movement. We just received our tank a couple weeks ago and after trying to pick u the skid with our 4' forks, we realized that the crate was too long for the forks. We fashioned a chain @ a 45 degree angle from the upper fork fram and around a far cross memeber under the crate. That allowed us to lift the crate with support on that far end.

If your external overflow is @ the bottom of your tank, this fork lift thing is explained, as that corner was unable to withstand the stress of an uneven lift.

I wouldn't fix it until the tank is set in place and all the moving is done.

Dave

Hi Dave,
I wish we would have thought of that chain!

[Bax]

I think a water test before you move it in is a good idea. If there are any other issues you can address it before you expend the effort to move it! You don't want Ed singing saprano for nothing!

Did you have it shipped directly to you on a common carrier?

I ask, as I am planning to meet GCs truck in White Plains, NY where they make regular shipments to vendors they distribute to. This way They hand me the tank by transfering it tailgate to tailgate, and I'll transport it on my truck back to my place where I can forklift it off. It seems like many issues come when transporters who don't often handle giant glass boxes get involved, so I am taking that out of the equation.

[edandsandy]

Originally posted by Bax
I think a water test before you move it in is a good idea. If there are any other issues you can address it before you expend the effort to move it! You don't want Ed singing saprano for nothing!

Did you have it shipped directly to you on a common carrier?

I ask, as I am planning to meet GCs truck in White Plains, NY where they make regular shipments to vendors they distribute to. This way They hand me the tank by transfering it tailgate to tailgate, and I'll transport it on my truck back to my place where I can forklift it off. It seems like many issues come when transporters who don't often handle giant glass boxes get involved, so I am taking that out of the equation.

We had the carrier deliver it directly to us. The carrier was R&L Carrier.
We do not have a trailer and we didn't want to drive 2-1/2 hours to the pick up point.

At the pick-up point it is on their truck, not a carrier.

Also at the pick-up point, it will be "you" and "other people" who have purchased tanks from GlassCages handling the tanks.

[edandsandy]

Well I could not talk Ed into filling up the tank today

He is still working on hanging the FRB board
I really like this idea, we could just wipe the wall down with a damp cloth if any fish poo gets on the wall

we are almost done with the room!

The drywall wall guy will be here tomorrow to finish the ceiling with a knock-down finish.

The plumber should finish installing the sinks & counter tops on Friday and the stucco will be finished on Friday.

On Wednesday the rest of the light rack connectors and fans will be here.
This has been a AWESOME project, thanks GlassReef,
don't know if we could have accomplished this without your help!

Last but not lease the replacement glass should be here by Wednesday or Thursday.

Oh, the sumps were delivered Monday!
Ed and Psellers (from our local reef club) are getting together to go over the plumbing stuff.

If Ed does not go fishing on Saturday, he promised me we could have the tank on the stand!

[edandsandy]

This afternoon we will be moving the tank to its final resting home

THE STAND

We have not repaired the crack in the overflow box yet,
we wanted to wait until the tank was on the stand,
because we didn't want to add more stress to the same place.

we rented 8 suction cups to carry the tank
PSellers has a hydraulic lift we are going to borrow to raise the tank to the height of the stand

THANKS PSellers, I think that without this piece equipment, it will be VERY difficult to raise this tank up on the stand.

we have waited to have the sinks and counter tops installed in the room so the room is as OPEN as possible.

[Ed Reef]

Picture....pictures...pictures...We need PICTURES Sandy

[edandsandy]

Originally posted by Ed Reef
Picture....pictures...pictures...We need PICTURES Sandy

Oh, Ed,
Thank you for asking... it was a very difficult day for me yesterday...

I did take a few pictures.......

Ed and his friends stopped by the house AFTER they were fishing all day yesterday.
Wait till you see the pictures. Most of the guys were very helpful.. some just wanted to stand around and cheer!
Honestly, they almost dropped the tank. I had to walk away in tears

I will download them in just a second!

They were finally successful in getting the tank on the stand and we repaired the cracked glass.

Tomorrow the plumber and electrician will be here to finish their jobs!
The floor will completed Tuesday night.

Tomorrow we will test the tank for leaks and try to finish the light rack and Tuesday we will do the plumbing.

[edandsandy]

OK, here we go........
We used this Styrofoam under the tank, it only came in 1/2" thickness, we doubled up to make it 1" thick



My son checking the thank out.
The problem here is when the tank was delivered, unknow to us the tank was resting backward... so first thing first we had to turn the tank around....




after we were successful moving the tank. We had to take down the arbor, I told Ed this was necessary, he said we didn't have too, guess I was right..





so we have the arbor down, doors opened wide and with a big lift ....









and a lot pulling were in the fish room.

more to follow...

[spsfreak]

Nice, love the update.

[edandsandy]

This is one of the guys that went fishing with Ed, he didn't do much except for get in MY way of the camera....



When I came back the tank was finally resting on the stand and they were ready to lift it again to put the Styrofoam under it.






Now here they are trying to move it a little this way and a little that way until it was just right on the Styrofoam...



next pictures of the repair.

[edandsandy]

The repair......
PSellers helped us with the move and repairing the tank
a big thank you goes to him!

here he is preparing the tank



this is the tube of silicone GlassCages sent us along with the repair piece.



I think the rest is self explanatory

[edandsandy]

I'm very thankful to everyone who helped us with the move of this monster of a tank.

[edandsandy]

Finally, a shot of the tank from the front!





I know, the front wall is not COMPLETED, but it is close.

[Ed Reef]

That's a MONSTER !! Great job on the move and the repair......

Now that the tank is in place, ed can start working on the light rail and plumbing while the overflow cure

[Creamhorses]

Very nice. Glad everything seemed to smoothly. Wish I could rent those suction cups here.

Is that a Yellow Tang in the next to last picture....checking out the new digs?

Dave

[FUA]

wow that tank is a whopper!!

[Bax]

Wow!

Very nice!

... and a very big tank!

I guess having a fish wing on the house with double doors is a bit of an asset when placing such a large tank!