Wrote this email to Innovative Marine on my drop tank issue, what do you think?

[cromag27]

yeah, check out my magnet article

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/magnets-and-your-tank.233/

 

[Shane@AquaTechAquariums]

Bowing is common with all but the thickest sheets of acrylic, though less so with high quality cell cast polycarbonate. Crazing like this happens with lower cost aquariums due to the type of acrylic, flame polishing edges corners and seams, as well as stress from bowing. In my 30 years in the business, I have never seen an acrylic tank fail due to either crazing or bowing. Bubbles in the welds is another story... Crazing and bowing are quality/cost issues that are primarily aesthetic. As to the use of Windex or other glass cleaner... Stop! Surfactants have a way of "traveling" across surfaces into both acrylic and glass aquariums. They can damage acrylic surfaces and can actually get absorbed by silicone sealant into the tank with glass aquaria. And this can cause toxin issues with livestock. Use Plexiglas polish like Brillianize on both.

 

[Elder1945]

I had 2 nuvo 16s crack on me..... IM replaced them both with models that had thicker glass but this did not help the 100 or so tanks you can find that cracked and flooded peoples houses and the loss of livestock.

I don't like the bow... And would not accept that in a tank..

google nuvo 16 crack and you will see it was a massive issue.

IM seems to have a issue with engineering or they are squeezing profits hard....

Great customer service but does that matter when you lose your whole tank for a company to make a extra buck off you?

just my 2 cents

Edit:

I own a nuvo fusion 20 gallon and it is a amazing tank! Best QT and display tank in that size imo.

 

[HolisticBear]

A broken tank would probably cause 10x more financial damage to my apartment than the actual cost of the aquarium. That 10x figure doesn't include the emotional and financial investment in the contents of the aquarium. From a risk vs reward perspective, I don't think any IM tank make sense for me. Especially given the early IM tanks also had reports of breaking. While IM's custom service handled this problem well, any personal interest I had in a IM tank just evaporated. Explaining to a significant other that bowing is normal is a tough sell.

 

[cromag27]

Bowing is common with all but the thickest sheets of acrylic, though less so with high quality cell cast polycarbonate. Crazing like this happens with lower cost aquariums due to the type of acrylic, flame polishing edges corners and seams, as well as stress from bowing. In my 30 years in the business, I have never seen an acrylic tank fail due to either crazing or bowing. Bubbles in the welds is another story... Crazing and bowing are quality/cost issues that are primarily aesthetic. As to the use of Windex or other glass cleaner... Stop! Surfactants have a way of "traveling" across surfaces into both acrylic and glass aquariums. They can damage acrylic surfaces and can actually get absorbed by silicone sealant into the tank with glass aquaria. And this can cause toxin issues with livestock. Use Plexiglas polish like Brillianize on both.

Water vessels should never be made from polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate does not come in cast.
Bowing can absolutely cause seams to blow out.
Plexiglas is a brand name.

 

[cromag27]

These tanks are probably cheap for them to make, so it's nothing for them to replace.

 

[McArcher]

Water vessels should never be made from polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate does not come in cast.
Bowing can absolutely cause seams to blow out.
Plexiglas is a brand name.

Just out of curiosity, what's the problem with making water vessels out of polycarbonate?

 

[cromag27]

Just out of curiosity, what's the problem with making water vessels out of polycarbonate?

Way too soft. flexural rate is much lower than acrylic.

 

[badmatt]

The abyss has a brace that runs along the front. This one is at my LFS as well as a cross brace to where the drop off actually drops off....

 

[cromag27]

The cross brace keeps sand and stuff from falling into the bottom portion.

 

[badmatt]

Not arguing, But it still adds rigidity to that joint. But there is also a Sorta half euro brace at the very top.

 

[cromag27]

No structural support there.

 

[Mrx7899]

Wonder when they added the support at the top got my tank in December and it doesn't have a brace

 

[Lowell Lemon]

There is nothing wrong with acrylic tanks that are of proper thichness or have the necessary top bonded on if using thinner sheet. There is a formula published on line for proper thickness that is a good place to start.

IM and most of the rimless glass tanks and acrylic tanks are manufactured in China. Aquamaxx, ADA, Landen, AquaTop, Mr. Aqua are all from China. So sometimes we get what we pay for. I love the look of the rimless tanks from China and have an Aquamaxx, ADA, and a Landen that I am expermenting with. Chinese acrylic is not as good as American or Japanese Cell Cast Acrylic so the density is lower and results in more bowing.

www.diyfiskeepers.com has a copy of the thickness calculator. This is a good place to start if you want the proper thickness for tank construction.

 

[PupChow]

Not to derail the thread, but if anyone is looking for acrylic dropoff tank Artfully Acrylic is another option (although more $$$), their blue print may help the member that was thinking about DIY as well: http://artfullyacrylic.3dcartstores.com/Reef-Crest-Series-Drop-offs_c_49.html

 

[Shane@AquaTechAquariums]

Definitely the lesson is purchasing a higher quality acrylic aquarium with appropriate thickness, machined edges, proper welding and bracing on top. There are pros and cons for both glass and acrylic, but they are mitigated by not being penny wise and pound foolish.