Bad timing to start leaking. How do you like my temporary fix?

[Complexity]

My little 5g tank that holds my RCS colony sprung a leak. The tank is an Eclipse all in one style (just like the 6g, but slightly shorter). The acrylic tank itself seems to be failing. This is the second of these tanks to start leaking like this. I think they just can't hold the weight so they end up getting stress cracks after a couple of years.

I had hoped the leak would be slow enough to buy me some time, but it was clear that I had to do something now. But the timing is not good since I have a full day scheduled for tomorrow. So I came up with a clever way of keeping it secure until I can change out the tank.

It turns out that the tank is just small enough to fit inside a regular 10g glass tank. So I now have a "tank in a tank" setup! I drained the acrylic tank, put it inside the 10g glass tank, refilled the acrylic tank and then filled the 10g tank. So I literally have a tank with water inside a tank with water! I'm expecting the water will equalize the pressure so little water will be exchanged between the two which will, in effect, plug up the leak. But even if it doesn't, there's no place for the leaking water to go but into the 10g which is also filled with water.

My kids think I'm nuts!

I think I came up with a clever way of buying me a couple of days time.

[kmehlhorn]

that is quite clever luckily you had a 10g standing around :)

[Complexity]

Yeah, I keep a couple 10g for hospital tanks in case the need arises. I never expected to use it for this. But, if it works...

[lilmissruffcountry]

Yeah, I keep a couple 10g for hospital tanks in case the need arises. I never expected to use it for this. But, if it works...

At least I am not the only one that has done this...an it does work...mine stayed that way for a month an a half, worked great. even gave me time to make sure the new tank had enough cycle time to switch everyone over.

[Complexity]

So my idea isn't original? )

I'm really considering getting something else to replace the Eclipse tanks. This will be my 3rd tank failure; although, I'm to blame for one of the three to fail. I had the brilliant idea of washing one in the dishwasher. Needless to say, it was very well sterilized but equally as well cracked.

I was considering doing away with this tank altogether by putting the RCS in my 29g which I originally intended to upgrade to a larger planted tank. But now that I want to make the second larger tank a cichlid tank, there's no way I can put my RCS in it. And I'm pretty sure if I put them in my current 75g planted tank, they'd be picked off by the fish I have in there. So now I have to figure out what I want to do with the RCS.

I like the overall look of the Eclipse tanks with the neatly fitting hoods and all, but not when the tanks themselves keep failing. They're all about the same age, and it seems they've become too old so they're cracking. I'd love something like an ADA cube, but I want a nice looking lid to enclose it all. The open lid tank design doesn't go well with my cat.

[wesleydnunder]

With the anulus between the tanks filled with water, the pressure inside the small tank is the same as the pressure outside the small tank...no leaky. Quick thinkin', Vicki.

Mark

[FuzzyDragon09]

I don't know why yours cracked because I've never had an Eclipse. But I've had a couple of All-Glass Acrylic Mini-Bows. The first one I got was a 2.5 gallon and it lasted a while but then I noticed a crack started forming on the front. I replaced it with one of their 5 gallon Mini-Bows a few days later (the crack hadn't leaked yet).

The cause I found for the crack was the "patented base". It's this flimsy plastic piece that raises the tank above the table a few inches. It's supposed to make it look nice and you can hide stuff under it. The downside is that the rim of this base (the only thing supporting the tank) is 1 cm thick. So it left the bottom center completely unsupported and it cracked. I actually really like and recommend these tanks. Just toss the "base" in the garbage.

[JStrider]

I've got a 3 gallon one of these in black trim... have only had it for a little less then a year... but I see no signs of cracking...

I took off their attached led light and use one of my own. makes a decent little planted shrimp tank.

[Complexity]

I think the tanks crack because the acrylic is thin enough to flex. So with each water change and movement, there's a slight "give" in the shape which becomes stressed after a couple of years of use. Once a stress crack begins, even if it's very tiny, it creates a weak spot in the entire structure which ends up flexing the most, exasperating the problem to the point of a true leak.

I saw this leak coming a couple of days earlier. I had just hoped it would hold out until tomorrow. But no luck. What started as a very minor leak became a drip-drip-drip by yesterday evening. At that point, I knew I couldn't leave it like it was any longer.

So far, the "tank in a tank" fix is working! The fish and RCS are doing fine. The only caveat is that the water between the two tanks is not being filtered and is stagnant. It's not something I'd suggest leaving for a long time, but it does buy a couple of extra days which is all I needed. Hopefully, I can switch out the tanks some time tomorrow or Friday.