YBeNormal September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 I have a perfect record when it comes to drilling tanks that are not tempered. I've even drilled tanks while they were up and running (see my post in the DIY section). So today I decided to drill my 29g tank... I made 40g of saltwater yesterday so I could do a water change after the tank was drilled. I drained ~8g and put it in a 10g in case I needed to relocate corals during the drilling process, had plenty of buckets and towels ready and got started. Guess what? Yep, the glass was tempered. I ended up with about 64 square feet of sand on the floor and water everywhere. After cleaning up some of the water and relocating the clownfish, inverts and corals to the 10g tank, I called James (jnguyen4007) to see if he could come over and help me get things cleaned up. He was here in no time at all (WAMAS membership is priceless!). We cleaned up the biggest part of the mess and then moved on to plan B--drilling a spare 29g tank I had. Guess what? It was tempered also. :( What a night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoothtriqueter September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 woke up and the comp was still on WAMAS, so I decided to read...........Wow!! That doesnt sound like a great night, but now I know why I have been saving all my spare tanks and collecting plenty of pickling buckets!! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Bob, that's terrible... I have some spare tanks at school if you want. I believe they are also 29s, not sure if they're tempered or not! If you want one, let me know. These are two back-ups that haven't been off the bookshelf for years as I don't have the equipment for them to get them up and running. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLazar September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Bob, So sorry to hear about your misfortune. I'm so glad you were able to get help. Hope all turns out okay. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phisigs79 September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 i thought only 55g tank and up were tempered??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highland Reefer September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Bad things happen in three's. What next? :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mogurnda September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Jeez, Bob, that's terrible. Hope you get some rest, and the livestock does OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Sorry to hear. Like the old sayn "When it rains it pours". Aren't there any tricks to determine if the glass is tempered or plate? I thought there was a thread out there once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Bob, Sorry to hear about the mess, and it's a good thing you were prepared with extra saltwater. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Garrison September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Wow... No wonder you were up so late. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. It sounds like you have things under control at this point, but the offer is there if you need help with something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vader September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Ouch !! sorry to hear the bad news. I was getting ready to drill my 29 g sump. I guess I better double check the glass. Hope everything made it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st9z September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 i would need a tall shot glass of tequila after a night like yours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnguyen4007 September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 By the time I showed up, Bob had cleaned up most of the water. I did very little in term of manual labor work. But, it's always nice to have a buddy there for moral support and to keep the wife from going postal on you (LOL). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbartco September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Sorry to hear Bob. (yada yada yada). But onto more important things... My membership expired cause I didn't read those previous emails, and I can't see the for sale section. It's been like an hour since I paypaled, can you fix asap! jk If you would have come with us to Atlanta you wouldn't have had time to mess with tanks and this would have never happened. Anything you need lmk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDiver September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 that really sucks..sorry to hear about your misfortune.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatortailale September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 stinks to be Bob today. Sorry bro. You should have gone to MACNA - at least then you would of been to hung over to have attempted this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanman September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Sorry to hear. Like the old sayn "When it rains it pours". Aren't there any tricks to determine if the glass is tempered or plate? I thought there was a thread out there once. Ybenormal teaches a course on how to drill tanks, and how to identify tempered glass... Too bad it's so hard to find cheap polarized sunglasses these days! bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 September 9, 2008 Share September 9, 2008 Wow... No wonder you were up so late. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. It sounds like you have things under control at this point, but the offer is there if you need help with something. Bob's ALWAYS up late! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YBeNormal September 10, 2008 Author Share September 10, 2008 Thanks guys. This was a self-inflicted disaster and I knew there was a chance that the tank would break when I started the project. I was actually surprised to find that both 29g tanks were tempered though. I guess it just wasn't my lucky day. The clowns, brittle star and few corals I had in that tank are fine. I may have lost some of the cleanup crew but that's not a major loss. I've pretty much decided to turn this into a positive by replacing the 29g with a 30x18x21 custom tank from Glass Cages. It's too late to have it made in time for this month's delivery to Manassas so the extra month delay will give me time to lower the stand, enlarge the opening in the wall, build a frame, doors and trim for the front side, redo some electrical wiring, upgrade some plumbing... I've been wanting to do all of this for uite some time and now I have an excuse. I did notice something funny about all of this though. My wife knew I would be drilling a half full tank. I came upstairs a few minutes later, soaked from the waste down and informed her that the tank broke. She didn't even flinch. In fact, she didn't come downstairs until James and I had the mess almost entirely cleaned up. She also didn't seem surprised when I mentioned buying a larger custom tank today. I guess she's getting used to the hobby! Thanks again to James for the moral support and for helping me move the furniture around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesbuf September 10, 2008 Share September 10, 2008 What, no pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 September 10, 2008 Share September 10, 2008 Thanks guys. This was a self-inflicted disaster and I knew there was a chance that the tank would break when I started the project. I was actually surprised to find that both 29g tanks were tempered though. I guess it just wasn't my lucky day. The clowns, brittle star and few corals I had in that tank are fine. I may have lost some of the cleanup crew but that's not a major loss. I've pretty much decided to turn this into a positive by replacing the 29g with a 30x18x21 custom tank from Glass Cages. It's too late to have it made in time for this month's delivery to Manassas so the extra month delay will give me time to lower the stand, enlarge the opening in the wall, build a frame, doors and trim for the front side, redo some electrical wiring, upgrade some plumbing... I've been wanting to do all of this for uite some time and now I have an excuse. I did notice something funny about all of this though. My wife knew I would be drilling a half full tank. I came upstairs a few minutes later, soaked from the waste down and informed her that the tank broke. She didn't even flinch. In fact, she didn't come downstairs until James and I had the mess almost entirely cleaned up. She also didn't seem surprised when I mentioned buying a larger custom tank today. I guess she's getting used to the hobby! Thanks again to James for the moral support and for helping me move the furniture around! Sounds like it's time to test out your theory! I'll start saving broken glasses and other glass products that you can pile on the floor in your basement. You tell her that you broke a 1,000 gallon tank trying to drill it and need to replace it with a new 1,000 gallon tank... let's take this to the limit! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treesprite September 10, 2008 Share September 10, 2008 dang, how awful - I would be very frustrated. That's a nice high WAF you're building though, and I'm sure it makes tank disasters go a lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now