Aquarium Co-Op 340 Gallon Tank Bursted

PokeSephiroth

PokeSephiroth

Member
I got the news from Cory, via facebook, that Hank's tank had burst. I'm not exactly sure on the details, whether a glass panel shattered, or if the sealant broke, etc... Please, let's not bother Cory at this time, by asking any questions or sending him messages/texts until we hear more from him first. I know a lot of you will want to help, and I'm sure he greatly appreciates that, but I'm sure if he needs any extra help, he'll contact whoever he needs to contact to make things work.

I'm making this topic, to let everyone know what I know so far, so that questions can be diverted to me, for now...until Cory has time to answer them himself. I would appreciate everyone's cooperation, and keeping this news between us fishboxers for now, until Cory feels comfortable with getting any information out. So please, keep this on the down low between us.

Current Updates as of 1/29/2014 - 3:40pm
- Hank is alive, whether or not he was harmed during the accident, I'm still unaware of...
- The store is closed Today, and MIGHT be closed tomorrow. I usually work Thursdays, and I'm usually the only one working at the store on Thursdays. Cory said that I won't be working tomorrow, as they will be cleaning up the mess tomorrow as well.
Current Updates as of 1/20/2014 - 3:57pm
- From what Cory has told me, it seems that Aquarium Co-Op will still be closed on Friday, and hopefully be open on Saturday. Thank you for everyone's concern and cooperation!

I will continue to update this thread once more info gets out. In the meantime, let's wish for the best.

Just throwing this out here, but if anyone is willing to donate a huge aquarium to temporarily hold Hank, that would be great. I'm assuming that the tank needs to be more than 300 gallons, as he was kept in a 340 gallon tank. If you do have such a tank, please let me know, and I will be more than happy to forward the info to Cory. Granted, if he's looking for a tank or not.
 
P

poffman

New Member
Oh my... I wondered when I saw the webcam was down and he had posted about the emergency, I hoped that wasn't the case.. Anything you guys need I'd be happy to help out :(

All the best to you guys, sorry to hear about this..
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Well Darn. Hope hank is ok and shop is with out or slight damages.
 
C

cichlid-gal

New Member
Well this is terrible news. That was a beautiful tank and there were some gorgeous fish in that tank. Hank was of course the STAR. I hope with all my heart that he is OK and that Cory is able to recover from the mess speedily. Thanks for keeping us informed Angelo.
 
Cory

Cory

Administrator
Staff member
At 6:27am I received an email notifying me that Hank Cam had been offline for 30 minutes. I saw this email at 7am and drove into the shop. When I got there, Lamont was already there and had called me 5 minutes before I got there to say water was everywhere and the tank seemed empty. When I arrived, Lamont had just put a flash light on Hank and saw his eye move. He raced into action and got our giant net from the back of the shop. and scooped up Hank. We dumped him into the 75 gallon Neon tank as that was closest. It took him a few hours to right himself. I took a picture this morning of him upside down. When we left the shop tonight he was upright and beaten up. But we are hopeful he'll pull through it.

Unfortunately most of the other fish weren't so lucky. We were able to save a few like a green phantom pleco, a few catfish, and a random tetra or two. Oddly enough the Jurupari landed in front of the tank wedged between two Aquatop rimless tank box kits. I believe this kept him wet enough until we found him.

The back panel of the 340 gallon tank gave way. The force was so strong that it moved the tank a couple of feet from the wall. The lace rocks and sand behind the tank were forced out. Unfortunately it took us many hours until we could get to behind the tank. We actually took the tank apart as time was of the essence and it takes a group of 6 people AND glass suction cups we didn't have to move the tank. It was in the back that we found a few flagtail catfish and some other little fish still alive many hours later!

During this time my fiance Katie was using a rug doctor to get up the water. Lamont was using a shop Vac to get up the water in between helping us dismantle the tank.

At this point we have dehumidifiers, carpet blowers, and fans going.

Everything except the fish tanks with water in them was moved out of the store and the water was extracted from the carpets. The store may be a bit disheveled on Friday depending on if it's completely dry or not to set the merchandise stands back down.

I'll be sure to update on Hank's condition tomorrow. The loss of so many fish is unbearable. However we feel lucky that we were able to save some. Had it happened any earlier in night, I think there would have been 100% mortality rate.



 
H

hobbyorobsession

New Member
wow, that sucks. sorry for your losses there. if you need any help I do not work tomorrow and would be happy to lend a hand in anyway possibl if you need one.
 
PokeSephiroth

PokeSephiroth

Member
Thank you for the updates Cory. I'm glad that Hall is alive, we hope he recovers swiftly.

Kudos to Lamont, for being there so early and doing what he could do at such short notice.
 
C

cichlid-gal

New Member
Cory thank you so much for the update. Glad that Hank showed some recovery. Will keep my fingers crossed. Hopefully, the other fish you were able to rescue will make it also. And I'm very sorry for your losses. What a mess. A fishkeepers worst nightmare. Really...340 gallons worth. Geez. Sad...truly.
 
S

strider

New Member
I don't have the words, Cory. I am retired and have no commitments. If I can help in any way, don't hesitate.
 
K

kingneptune

New Member
Our hearts go out to you! I'm so sorry this happened to you and I know we are not the best equipped to help in a situation such as this but please don't hesitate to ask, even if its holding a hair dryer to your carpets. Hoping for the best and sending positive thoughts your way.
 
PokeSephiroth

PokeSephiroth

Member
From what Cory has told me, it seems that Aquarium Co-Op will still be closed on Friday, and hopefully be open on Saturday. Thank you for everyone's concern and cooperation!
 
Cory

Cory

Administrator
Staff member
I am confident we will be open on saturday. Tomorrow is all about making sure we get rid of the wet dog smell.
 
Seattle_Aquarist

Seattle_Aquarist

Well-Known Member
Aquarium Co-Op said:
I am confident we will be open on saturday. Tomorrow is all about making sure we get rid of the wet dog smell.
Click to expand...
Hi Cory,

I have had some experience with this on a smaller scale (45 gallons / twice) and getting rid of the 'wet dog' smell (or fish poo smell) is relatively easy.  When the carpet is dry sprinkle baking soda on it and let it set for several hours and vacuum up; repeat as necessary.  Costco sells baking soda in 13.5# bags.

Sorry for the flood, I hope Hank makes a full recovery.
 
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