Thinking AGA?? Maybe think again.

[Kevin Day]

I've had a 40 Gallon Reef setup that I've been working on for a while now. The SPS have gotten large enough (and I had run out of room to add anything new) that I decided to pick up a larger tank this afternoon in order to give me a little bit more room. The problem is that my stand/canopy are all hand made so I had to find a tank with the same footprint as the 40 breeder. 65 it was, so i came home with one.

I started taking corals and everything else and placing them in the sump. Drained all the water into huge rubbermaids, dealt with the substrate, put the 65 up on the stand. Everything fit nicely. I began adding my water back to the system. About 20 gallons in, the seal on the bottom corner of the aquarium blew out :roll: and all the water came out about as quickly as it had gone in. I now have a soggy carpet, a ruined arm chair, and a pissed off girlfriend. I'm in the process now of putting everything BACK into the 40 and trying to clean up.

This tank was BRAND NEW by the way. I have sent an email to AGA, and am making my rounds on the boards to inform people of the wonderful quality that i have come to expect from AGA. I'm really pissed because I've never had a problem with any of their tanks, and I've owned 5 (albiet one is an oceanic).

maybe i'll build a new stand and go with a tenecor. I can't effing believe this. /sigh

Just thought I'd let everyone know incase you're thinking about buying that nice shiny AGA at the LFS...

 

[MattM]

Generally, when the bottom of an aquarium fails it is due to a slight twisting of the bottom because the stand is not perfectly flat. This is why all aquarium manufacturers (not just AGA) will only honor their warranty when the tank is placed on a commercially made stand.

Your stand was probably fine when first constructed, but over time it may have warped slightly. If this happened slowly enough, your current tank may have been able to adjust with it somewhat.

The new tank then reacted to the warp as soon as enough water weight caused the bottom to twist.

Of course, I wasn't there and didn't see it, so it could very well have been a manufacturing defect. But, in every single case where I have seen a tank bottom fail, a warped stand was to blame (both customer's and my own construction). Considering how many AGA tanks are successfully in use, it may be a little premature to slander them everywhere.

 

[Kevin Day]

actually, upon draining the tank and isnpecting, the seal was poorly applied in the corner such that all it took was the pressure of the water to get underneath the silicone and peel it right off the glass.

 

[Anonymous]

FWIW, I always water test new tanks in the garage with freshwater before bringing then inside.

Louey