55 gallon tank leaking water.

[kwi]

It was a 26 year old tank I bought at Petsmart with stand and UGF . Never leaked on me in all those years but then began springing leaks. The silicon must have been getting old. I may re-silicon the whole tank one of these days and try it again but that may be years. The new Aqueon tank seems nice but my tank hoods do not fit into the opening and just sit on top but it works.

In the caravan trade it's recomended to reseal the joints every 10 years, no one ever does though.....
The sealants tend to just degrade over time, I imagine aquarium seals are the same.

 

[Retired Viking]

The tank that leaked had sealant just on the outside along the edges and a thin layer between the pans where they come together. The new tank has sealant on the inside of the tank along where the pans of glass come together in the corners and the outside edges. If I try and reseal the old tank I will try that instead, it looks stronger. All of my tanks are over 25 years old so I guess I should expect more leaks in the years to come.

 

[Spalders]

I wish I'd seen this thread sooner. In an emergency case with a small leak I'd go straight for some CT1. You can use it on wet surfaces, even underwater. It won't harm your fish, in fact when I was at a trade show (I'm a decorator by trade) the guy on the CT1 stall recommended it for (amongst many other things) sealing holes in fish pond liners with the fish still in the pond. It even sets faster with water on it. You could have sealed the tank and filled it instantly with no problems.
I wouldn't seal a whole tank with it as it goes off rock hard but for a pin hole it should be fine.
Hope this helps someone in the future for a quick fix

 

[Retired Viking]

Thank you for the information, I will keep it in mind if I have anymore tanks with leaking problems. Considering how old my tanks are I am sure I will have a leak or two in the next few years.