Sprung A Leak

[moochy13]

just noticed a line of water stain down the side of my tank, looks like ive got a leak. its not dripping out, but there seems to be a small gap, because if i press the glass where teh seal is, i can see water seep into the silicone. fortunately, its only a few inches from the top.

can i just empty the tank to where the leak is and repair it ? i really dont want to have to empty everything out of it. or will the pressure of the water push the glass out when i remove the old sealant ? does the old sealant need to be removed, cant i just plug it up ?

ive got some silicone, how would i go about repairing it ?

excuse the dots, had a brain fart. ive ringed where the leak is. as i said, the leak is so small you cant actually see water coming out, but obviously it is.

 

[Noahs ark6]

 

[sheffieldlad]

AAGGH!! That looks nasty!!

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/42516-how-to-repair-a-tank-seam/

 

[moochy13]

i dont know if i should be more concerned than i am, but other than go around some shops asking some advice and checking out new tanks, ive not done anything about it today. water has definitely penetrated the silicone seal between the glass, but despite the water mark on the tank, ive been checking all day and havnt found any wetness in that area of the tank yet. however the area the water has got in, is obviously now a weak point. its probably about 1-1.5" long.

im unsure what to do.

option 1 - drain the tank to below the failed seal, clean and reseal the failed section. this will mean i can keep my fish in the tank, although they will be a bit cramped for a day or so while the silicone sets. it will trap a tiny amount of water in the seal though, hoping that wont be a problem.

option 2 - empty the tank and do it properly. ive got nowhere to put my fish, so this is pretty impossible. though it would give me the chance to thin out my stocking and give the tank a good clean. the water would still be trapped in the seal, unless i removed the whole front panel - not happening.

option 3 - buy a new tank. i can get the same tank for 61 quid new, except it has glass braces at each end and in the middle. my current tank doesnt have these. the braces are not only awkward to get around when doing tank stuff, but will also require major rerouting of my pipes, and cutting more holes in my lid. aswell as obviously having to spend 60 quid. this is the least desireable option.

option 4 - get some of the underwater sealant for 8 quid a tube. not really much different to using normal sealant, except i would be able to fill the tank back up straight away.

 

[moochy13]

would appreciate some more help with my specific problem

heres a picture i just took, showing where the water has penetrated the silicone, the blue tack marks where the leak is coming from. yesterday, i turned my filter flow up, and i dont know whether its coincidence, but now im getting more water coming out. its still barely a dribble, but it has increased. the flow is directed from the the other end to the end with the leak.

you can see how close to the to it is, the patch is between 1-2 inches id say. although im sure i can stop the leak by bunging some more silicone on, im concerned about whether the structure is considerably weaker given the penetration of water into the seal ? but the problem persists - without taking the whole front off the tank, the failed area cant be fixed, just patched up.

 

[Tizer]

Its only going to get worse mate, once the water has got between it and the glass the water and air will rot it. If you've got a clamp you can brace on there with some wood between the clamp ends it will stop you stressing out until you can drain it down and reseal the whole front. Your gonna have to do it fresh, from bottom up, its time consuming, but not too tough.

 

[LongS]

This is my worst night mare. is your tank sitting completely level on its surface? have you checked it with a level? Something i have recently did and noticed mine isn't completely level.

I think this has something to do with the actual floor though. Sounds silly but the unit it is sitting on is backed right up to the wall and i think the carpet is fractionally higher near the wall due to its tight fit, and is very very marginally making the entire unit sit off balance. I can't see any other reason for it.

Anyway i'd check your level and when you fix it, do it properly as tizer has said, it will just get worse.

 

[windsor-aquatic]

What size is the tank? I ask because you mention it has no bracing across the centre, and the pressure on the silicone is probably caused by the lack of bracing. Re-sealing the seam won't cure the problem as the water is between the 2 glass surfaces, it really needs the panel removing and re-fitting.

 

[raptorrex]

Its only going to get worse mate, once the water has got between it and the glass the water and air will rot it. If you've got a clamp you can brace on there with some wood between the clamp ends it will stop you stressing out until you can drain it down and reseal the whole front. Your gonna have to do it fresh, from bottom up, its time consuming, but not too tough.

for a repair, that will last any time, the above is the only way to go.

 

[nanoMama86]

I have a forty tall that is a million years old, and all the seams look like that! It bulged in the front, and sloped down the back. I have re-sealed that beast a million times and I finally retired it to hold fuzzies about 4 months ago. It is an oceanic,though.


To me, it depends on the quality of the tank. Is it a cheap tank? If so, don't fix it. Do something cool like mudskippers in it and get a new one. Is it a high quality tank like Oceanic? Drop your water level, strip off old silicone, dry with a high powered blow dryer, then re-seal.


I totally agree with raptor about clamping it after you re-seal. That will ensure a good,strong bond. That is how I kept pumping life into my dino of a tank. lol

 

[ian_m]

My mate had a similar issue to what you are seeing. He got a tiny leak from the top 1/3 of the silicone on the front of his tank. Fixed by applying aquatic silicone from the inside, but a year or two later leaked again same edge but higher up.

Whilst talking to a glazier, he went to a glass shop to see if they could take apart and reseal his tank (they could), the guy explained that this type of failure is due to the bottom of the tank being bowed and placing a shearing force on the top edges of the tank corners. In fact his tank had a leak on one of the back edges as well, but he hadn't noticed.

The tank had been placed on a small solid wood cupboard unit in his lounge and was originally flat and should have been no problem. However over the years a floor board under one of the cuboard front legs had bowed, as well as the cupboard distoring (side wall bowing out) due to the tank weight. This had caused one corner of the cuboard top to be slightly lower (maybe 0.5cm) than the other corners and it was this bowing that had caused his leak.

Spurred on by this, he built a rather over engineered cupboard (out of 2x4's I think) with a completely flat top. He resealed the leaking tank and that was 12 years ago. I am guessing, as I haven't heard any leaky tank horror stories since then, the tank was fixed.

Oh by the way your remaining silicone above the leak doesn't look too good either, are those air bubbles or even worse shear marks in the silicone ?

May I suggest, in the nicest sense, you check you have a flat bottom ?