Tank cracked (pix pg 4) w/ happy pg 5

Renee,

if you tell me what sizes of acrylic you need ill cut some for you and it will cost you a big $0.00

I think by looking at the pic your aquarium can be fixed and saved. I also think it can be done safe with very little chance of catastrophe.

Here is how i would do it if it were me. I first would goto HD and buy 1 eight foot 4x4 and 1 eight foot 2x4 and 4 long clamps. I would put the 4x4 on the front and the 2x4 on the back at the top of the aquarium  and using the clamps to hold them into place here is where its very important. make sure you dont over tighten any one of the clamps more then the others this will cause the top to become more out of square causing more problems.

After clamping you should see the crack on the top to close some i would expect it to get it purfect but close. then its time to glue the braces on ( that ill make for you) let the acrylic glue dry for a few days then (slowly!!!!!) take the clamps off

This sounds like a big deal but it shouldnt be to bad to do at all IMO let me know what i can do to help im sure we can round up a small crew and get it fixed ..

As I read through this I wondered the same thing Sky brought up.  I'm not an expert by any means so I'll just put this out there and maybe an expert will pop up and say yes or no.

I would be worried that trying to alter the top of the tank to make it square again, (if it ever truly was,) could stress the lower parts of the tank and cause some problems down there where all the water weight is being held. 

If the tank were emptied I say go for the gusto with any idea you've got, but with all that water and life in it I'd be afraid to do anything with a clamp or 4.  But like I said I do not claim to know what I'm talking about.

The bottom isn't one piece.  It has two holes drilled, each about 1/3 of the way into the tank.  I have downspouts instead of overflows. 

I'm not having any luck finding WeldOn in Ogden, but have been fairly busy.  Called a few places & then I have to do real work again.     Silly students wanting to get edjumacated & all... 

So the fact that the gap is 1/16th of an inch still means I should square it first? 

I have a couple of bar clamps, I haven't read thw whole thread so I don't know if you have this fixed yet, but if you would like to use them let me know.  I know where one is right off the top of my head the other I think is up at my dads house, but at any rate the are 4 foot bar clamps.  Thye would work to help sqaure things up again.  you of course would want to get a couple of nice stright something or others on both the front and the back and tighten the clamps on to that.

I would be careful about putting to much presure on it, you don't want it to bow back the other way ...

Drop me a line if you are in need of the clamps.

You should hear how quiet the new pump is, Carl.  I come home from work and it's like "Oh yeah, I have a quiet tank now."   I guess my hesitation is due to the fact that I'm not sure that I'm ready to break my back moving stuff (fish dying because of stress, corals dying because they get smashed, etc...).  Doesn't it seem like Damon ought to have some fun for a change?    

(Damon... if you read this, I did post it with a smile!)   I really have learned a ton of stuff from this tank. 

Oh, yeah... this thread is back.  But it's happy news (so far) !  

Mark is SO awesome.  He picked up acrylic Weld-on from Eric  (THANK YOU ERIC!) and clamps, and brought them here.

Did I say Mark is the coolest, sweetest, and willing to put up with Nervous Nae?  Okay, so he got here, and helped lift the top off, put on new acrylic pieces from Eric the Sweetheart, and then we started chatting about the lack of water flow.  Guess what?  The little screen thingy before the pump was SO clogged that when he knocked of a little chunk, the sea swirls started POUNDING in the water.  Like a scary amount.  The pump nearly cavitated in about 12 seconds!  So that was a balancing act.  Then adjusted the flow to the refugium, (decided that must need cleaning too) and scrubbed that lockline stuff.  All better!  Cleaned the little refugium light & now everything is so purdy.   (Humor me... it's WAY late for me & I need to get up at 04:00)   Then needed to cut two chunks out of the hood.  Mark ripped those out with no problem. 

..... and THEN....  he offered to shovel for me.  Yeah, I'm such a schmuck.  I said okay.  It's 11:17pm, and I think he's still shoveling my walk.  Are guys really this nice?  Is this like a dream, or what?