Vic's 120 gallons of rimless starphire goodness. - Pics updated: 9.26.08

[Uhuru]

yeah no way they're gonna admit the chip was their fault, to be honest I don't know of many manufacturers that would since the chip came well after you picked it up, transported it, etc...

 

best to patch it up yourself and hope for the best. doesn't look to bad to me but I know nothing about that stuff.

[Withers]

Yeah, after thinking everything over, that seems like my only option. After reevaluating the chip, it doesn't look too bad. I'm pretty sure I can mask it to the point where it would be difficult to see, so I'll just keep water testing it till I'm satisfied that it'll hold.

 

I'd really like to know what caused it to chip though.

[theonyl3rd]

Could always replace that side with something else, thick glass, acrylic etc. and use it against the wall, loose a vp but gain sleep

[Uhuru]

if no one touched it there must have been a small crack there that went unnoticed, which would actually worry me a bit... cuz maybe that's not the only small crack

[Detritus07]

That sucks about the chip. Someone had to bang something into it. Who else has access to the garage?

(I would probably deny it if I did it. )

[BKtomodachi]

Was the piece of glass just laying on the ground next to the tank? If so, I think its possible their sawing process could have caused a hairline crack in the edge of the piece. It might have been held in place until some warming/cooling in the garage popped it out, I suppose. Just a wild theory.

 

Good luck whichever direction you decide to take it!

[Withers]

I'm about 99% sure no one touched the tank. The only other person who had access to the garage is my wife, and she never goes in there.

 

I'm really at a loss. Perhaps there really was a hairline crack in the glass and I missed it up until yesterday. Maybe the glass is bowing slightly and set it off. The chip was still in place until I touched it when I went in to check on it, then it fell out.

[SPS20]

Hairline fracture + temperature fluctuations.

 

I have heard stories EXACTLY like this before, and it almost always traces back to poor manufacturing techniques.

 

Bottom line, they tried to cut the glass too fast and compromised it. If you cut glass too aggressively, it gets too hot, and the heat causes tiny fractures which you can't see very easily.

 

Glasscages, unfortunately for you, has an incredibly poor track record. Luckily for you, the raw materials they use are of fairly high quality.

 

I would patch the chip back in place using some silicone, and hope for the best. Do a fill test, and don't really trust this tank until it has been filled without leaks for a month or so.

 

I hope you can work this out. It doesn't look fatal to me, but I would proceed with caution at first. I would also contact Glasscages and register your displeasure. If they refuse to help in any way, call the BBB, so the next guy has less of a chance of getting suckered in by their low prices. Glass is very strong stuff, and shouldn't break this easily, period.

[Jay-sun]

I had an all glass tank that I chipped. Looked alot like what yours looks like. I had the local windshield repair shop come out and take a look. He filled it just like he would have had it been a windsheild. It was noticeable afterwards but not bad. Mainly cause the patch was more clear than the glass on the tank. So it stood out. But I felt much better having it patched than having to worry about it splitting further. The silicone method mentioned may help hide the chip but wont stop it from continuing if there is still any type of hairline crack still there not visible to the naked eye. The guy from the windshield shop had a tool so he could check for tiny hairline cracks. Once he was done he guaranteed it would not crack or split any further. That was 4-5 years ago. The tank is now in wyoming with my brother and still holding water.

 

Just a thought.

 

Jason

[disaster999]

think you need to change the title to rilmess starphire of fail. j/k

 

similar think happened to my oceanic 30gal cube tank. i was washing it in the bath tub and the edge of the tank hit edge of the tub and a chip fell off. I thought it would take more than that to chip glass, but i guess not. the tank still holds water and been holding water for almost a year

[121a]

120g is a lot of water to be holding. If i were you i would see what glass companies carry starphire glass and have two new pieces cut, the front and the side that got damaged. Everyone is right with the whole poor cutting techniques it makes sense. Glass is much stronger than most people think, and for .5" (just a guess) to chip would be strange. Sorry it happend though.

[wav3form]

Hear back from glass cages yet jason?

[Withers]

Hear back from glass cages yet jason?

 

Lol no, their strategy so far seems to be to completely ignore me. I'll give them a call on Monday. I'm already preparing to contact the BBB though.

 

I siliconed it back in place and now I'm waiting. So far so good, I haven't noticed any difference at all since it chipped. It'll be at least another week before I can set it up anyway, so I'll wait till then and see.

[fishez4alivin]

Lol no, their strategy so far seems to be to completely ignore me. I'll give them a call on Monday. I'm already preparing to contact the BBB though.

 

I siliconed it back in place and now I'm waiting. So far so good, I haven't noticed any difference at all since it chipped. It'll be at least another week before I can set it up anyway, so I'll wait till then and see.

 

To get their attention fast, contact the Attorney General of the state they do business from. Usually on the AG's website, there will be a consumer complaint section. If there is, go that route. If you can get others with bad experiences to contact the AG, they will probably put pressure on GC's to rectify the situation.

 

To help get you started..... http://www.tennessee.gov/consumer/ccp.html

[wav3form]

What's the latest, Jason? How's the tank holding up?

[JG]

Wow; that really sucks. I don't know what I would do if it were me...

 

Good luck.

[Withers]

The tank is still holding water like a champ. I'm going to go for it.

 

The lamp tree I ordered is finally coming in on Wednesday, I ordered it on May 7th. So it looks like I'll be spending at least half of the 4th setting up a new tank

[Uhuru]

thats a great way to spend the 4th!

[Withers]

Ok, first pics. I still need more rock, even though I just added another 20 lbs this weekend.

 

 

A birthday present from my wife

[dtfleming]

Nice looks good, just like the other one. Get those at BRK

[lakshwadeep]

Great tank and pic of your anthias.

[Withers]

Nice looks good, just like the other one. Get those at BRK

 

Thanks!

 

Yeah, they had some of the best looking Anthias I've ever seen on Friday. It's too bad I already have a male because the ones they had look 100 times nicer than mine. I'm hoping he'll color up over time.

[JG]

nice! glad to see it worked out.

[Detritus07]

I'm so jealous. Glad to see it's not leaking.

[Mr.zissou]

this tank is very nice i just went to the fish store this afternoon and purchased a 120 gallon myself uunfortunately its not rimless but it will just have to do because i got an amazing deal