small round glass chips on outside of tank - pressure chips ???

K' Family Reef · 11/19/2007, 06:19 AM

i noticed the other day 2 round bb like glass chips on the outside of my glass and was wondering if these might be 'pressure' chips or ??? they were both on the side pieces of glass and both down near the bottom.

any ideas ?

K' Family Reef · 11/19/2007, 11:20 AM

...

K' Family Reef · 11/19/2007, 01:01 PM

...

steven_dean17 · 11/19/2007, 01:04 PM

any chance of a pic?

Thunk · 11/19/2007, 01:49 PM

Do you have a mantis shrimp?

Poisson Voyageur · 11/19/2007, 01:59 PM

LOL I have hard time picturing a mantis shrimp discreetly coming out of the tank at night, leave a few chips on the OUTSIDE glass, then go to the fridge and get a beer to finally go back to the INSIDE part of the tank...

It must be a very special mantis shrimp!...

MTB · 11/19/2007, 02:35 PM

Magic shrimp! I swear I had one before!

Seriously though, what size tank? I find it hard to believe you would get pressure chips on the side panes unless they are large.

K' Family Reef · 11/19/2007, 03:50 PM

the tank is a 125 w/ 1/2" glass
60x19x26 (custom)

i can try to get a pic up later
it might be a little bit difficult to show in pic bec it can only be seen when looking from side and its not easily visible

if you have ever had your window shot w/ a bb gun it looks just like that... small round chip on the outter glass.. on both sides or ends of the tank and both are down low - one at the bottom and one on the side near the bottom

one side has it right at the seam where side glass joins front glass... and the other has it right at the bottom of the glass - just noticeable above the bottom molding - which would be at the seam w/ bottom glass

just odd that these are both at the seams or the end of the glass panels

what would the odds be of something hitting it causing it to chip in that fashion - actually couldnt imagine that happening and twice

my guess is that it might be a 'pressure' crack - say sometime it was leaned on or pressure applied moving stuff around etc etc... but i dont know i never have had any experience w/ this.

any other ideas other than the mutant mantis ?

MTB · 11/19/2007, 04:06 PM

Have any kids that could have thrown something at it? It looks kinda like a rock chip on a cars windshield, right? Never seen anything like it on an aquarium. I take that back, I have seen chips missing on corners of aquariums but never in the middle of a pane.

K' Family Reef · 11/19/2007, 04:26 PM

it does look like that

i just looked again
the one that is under/behind the bottom (plastic) molding of the tank looks like it started at the bottom and chipped in a round fashion up... w/ the top of the chip just above the trim piece...

it does not look like anything could have got in there behind the trim of both the tank and the wood molding of the aquarium to chip it... unless whatever it was hit just above the trim and caused it to chip in a weird fashion

iow if you have ever seen a chip on glass
the point of contact where say the rock or whatever hits the glass is usually where the 'chip' starts or knicks the glass then the chip fans out from that (point) in a circular fashion

in this chip the circular area is above the trim - as if the point originated behind the trim and toward the bottom of the pane right at the seam.

anyway this deeply concerns me bec i dont want to come home and have over 210 gallons (total volume) of water (or even half that much) sitting in my living room floor... and thousands of dollars worth of reef (and time) down the tubes either

Dingo Dog · 11/19/2007, 05:03 PM

Obviously this is not a good thing. For peace of mind, I personally wouldn't play the odds on this. However, I would definitely make it my primary goal to find out what caused it in the first place because you don't want a repeat performance.
Best of luck to you on this.

Thunk · 11/19/2007, 06:43 PM

Could you see if the chip actually was all the way to the bottom of the pane of glass? And do you have some styrofoam under the tank so it can level itself out?

K' Family Reef · 11/19/2007, 07:30 PM

there is no styrofoam under the tank and well the cause of it i havent a clue... again the only thing i might think caused it if its due to pressure would be when i have leaned on it when rearranging rockwork or cleaning around behind it... i dont know how long they have been on there either - we just noticed them.

there is about 5" dsb and betw 200-300# of LR in the tank... that is a lot of weight... but i dont have any experience w/ this sort of thing so i dont know if pressure 'cracks' would show up like this... the one crack i am most concerned about and was thinking i might put silicon over the hole.

of course like everyone else
i have planned to go w/a larger tank but that was certainly not in our current budget right now lol

K' Family Reef · 11/20/2007, 03:48 PM

i took a piece of paper and stuck it down in the crack where the molding is - down where the chip is in the glass

it is wet down there!
not soaked but it is wet... i suspect there is a very small leak there. there is no other logical reason for water to be in that space - have been gone for 2 weeks out of town and havent done anything inside the tank in all that time.

its strange bec i dont feel any water on the bottom of the tank under the stand. but i can see salt buildup around that edge and on different places around the trim

i had seen this before but thought it was from cleaning moving around inside tank etc etc etc = water splashed from inside tank.

if indeed it is leaking it is not leaking a great amount

any thoughts on how much worse something like this can get ?

can it be fixed ??? (iow taken down and glued from inside etc?

or is the best/only option to just replace it ???

any ideas ?

thanks.

11/19/2007, 06:19 AM	#1
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	small round glass chips on outside of tank - pressure chips ??? i noticed the other day 2 round bb like glass chips on the outside of my glass and was wondering if these might be 'pressure' chips or ??? they were both on the side pieces of glass and both down near the bottom. any ideas ?

11/19/2007, 01:04 PM	#4
steven_dean17 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: scott depot wv. Posts: 601	any chance of a pic? __________________ The Dali Llama is my "Ommmmmboy" Current Tank Info: 75gal. reef

11/19/2007, 02:35 PM	#7
MTB Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Illannoy Posts: 1,365	Magic shrimp! I swear I had one before! Seriously though, what size tank? I find it hard to believe you would get pressure chips on the side panes unless they are large. __________________ Got Frags? Current Tank Info: 40 breeder. Kessil lights. Reef octopus skimmer. Vortec mp40 x2.

11/19/2007, 04:06 PM	#9
MTB Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Illannoy Posts: 1,365	Have any kids that could have thrown something at it? It looks kinda like a rock chip on a cars windshield, right? Never seen anything like it on an aquarium. I take that back, I have seen chips missing on corners of aquariums but never in the middle of a pane. __________________ Got Frags? Current Tank Info: 40 breeder. Kessil lights. Reef octopus skimmer. Vortec mp40 x2.

11/19/2007, 11:20 AM	#2
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	...

11/19/2007, 01:01 PM	#3
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	...

11/19/2007, 01:49 PM	#5
Thunk Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Loveland, CO Posts: 144	Do you have a mantis shrimp?

11/19/2007, 01:59 PM	#6
Poisson Voyageur Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: France, Orange County, and Turkey Posts: 83	LOL I have hard time picturing a mantis shrimp discreetly coming out of the tank at night, leave a few chips on the OUTSIDE glass, then go to the fridge and get a beer to finally go back to the INSIDE part of the tank... It must be a very special mantis shrimp!...

11/19/2007, 03:50 PM	#8
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	the tank is a 125 w/ 1/2" glass 60x19x26 (custom) i can try to get a pic up later it might be a little bit difficult to show in pic bec it can only be seen when looking from side and its not easily visible if you have ever had your window shot w/ a bb gun it looks just like that... small round chip on the outter glass.. on both sides or ends of the tank and both are down low - one at the bottom and one on the side near the bottom one side has it right at the seam where side glass joins front glass... and the other has it right at the bottom of the glass - just noticeable above the bottom molding - which would be at the seam w/ bottom glass just odd that these are both at the seams or the end of the glass panels what would the odds be of something hitting it causing it to chip in that fashion - actually couldnt imagine that happening and twice my guess is that it might be a 'pressure' crack - say sometime it was leaned on or pressure applied moving stuff around etc etc... but i dont know i never have had any experience w/ this. any other ideas other than the mutant mantis ?

11/19/2007, 04:26 PM	#10
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	it does look like that i just looked again the one that is under/behind the bottom (plastic) molding of the tank looks like it started at the bottom and chipped in a round fashion up... w/ the top of the chip just above the trim piece... it does not look like anything could have got in there behind the trim of both the tank and the wood molding of the aquarium to chip it... unless whatever it was hit just above the trim and caused it to chip in a weird fashion iow if you have ever seen a chip on glass the point of contact where say the rock or whatever hits the glass is usually where the 'chip' starts or knicks the glass then the chip fans out from that (point) in a circular fashion in this chip the circular area is above the trim - as if the point originated behind the trim and toward the bottom of the pane right at the seam. anyway this deeply concerns me bec i dont want to come home and have over 210 gallons (total volume) of water (or even half that much) sitting in my living room floor... and thousands of dollars worth of reef (and time) down the tubes either

11/19/2007, 05:03 PM	#11
Dingo Dog Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: TEXAS Posts: 432	Obviously this is not a good thing. For peace of mind, I personally wouldn't play the odds on this. However, I would definitely make it my primary goal to find out what caused it in the first place because you don't want a repeat performance. Best of luck to you on this.

11/19/2007, 06:43 PM	#12
Thunk Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Loveland, CO Posts: 144	Could you see if the chip actually was all the way to the bottom of the pane of glass? And do you have some styrofoam under the tank so it can level itself out?

11/19/2007, 07:30 PM	#13
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	there is no styrofoam under the tank and well the cause of it i havent a clue... again the only thing i might think caused it if its due to pressure would be when i have leaned on it when rearranging rockwork or cleaning around behind it... i dont know how long they have been on there either - we just noticed them. there is about 5" dsb and betw 200-300# of LR in the tank... that is a lot of weight... but i dont have any experience w/ this sort of thing so i dont know if pressure 'cracks' would show up like this... the one crack i am most concerned about and was thinking i might put silicon over the hole. of course like everyone else i have planned to go w/a larger tank but that was certainly not in our current budget right now lol

11/20/2007, 03:48 PM	#14
K' Family Reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 1,966	i took a piece of paper and stuck it down in the crack where the molding is - down where the chip is in the glass it is wet down there! not soaked but it is wet... i suspect there is a very small leak there. there is no other logical reason for water to be in that space - have been gone for 2 weeks out of town and havent done anything inside the tank in all that time. its strange bec i dont feel any water on the bottom of the tank under the stand. but i can see salt buildup around that edge and on different places around the trim i had seen this before but thought it was from cleaning moving around inside tank etc etc etc = water splashed from inside tank. if indeed it is leaking it is not leaking a great amount any thoughts on how much worse something like this can get ? can it be fixed ??? (iow taken down and glued from inside etc? or is the best/only option to just replace it ??? any ideas ? thanks.