Tank Is Leaking!

[patchman]

i think i hav found the problem, a small crack, can it be fixed, if so, how?

pics:

 

[*Fishkies*]

You will probably have to take the water out so you have a dry area to work with. Do you think it's coming out of the corners and the side there?

I would try using aquarium sealant.

 

[patchman]

You will probably have to take the water out so you have a dry area to work with. Do you think it's coming out of the corners and the side there?

I would try using aquarium sealant.

i have drained the tank and found the problem:

will that fix if i just put sealant on it, or will it be more complicated?

 

[*Fishkies*]

Hmm...even though that is close enough to the edge. I don't trust cracks on the bottom of tanks, just because you never know how much pressure they'll take till they will crack. I would see if your tank is under warrenty from the company or if you can get a replacement from the store. Not sure how long you have had that tank so that may not be an option.

What size is the tank?

If it is over 10gallons I personally would replace the tank. Just to be sure, cause you don't want to add stones, decor and fish only to have a mess on your floor one morning.

 

[patchman]

Hmm...even though that is close enough to the edge. I don't trust cracks on the bottom of tanks, just because you never know how much pressure they'll take till they will crack. I would see if your tank is under warrenty from the company or if you can get a replacement from the store. Not sure how long you have had that tank so that may not be an option.

What size is the tank?

If it is over 10gallons I personally would replace the tank. Just to be sure, cause you don't want to add stones, decor and fish only to have a mess on your floor one morning.

the tank is about 4ft x 1ft x 1.5ft, and it was given to me by some-one, so no warranty there. how much is a replacement gonna cost me?

 

[BigIan]

I think i`ve found your problem aswell looking at your stand its home made right?
get a nice bit of 18mm ply wood pver the top of the stand, as i doubt those joints are perfectly level meaning one part of the glass is taking more weight that the others and so it goes CRACK
fitting some 18mm ply to the top would even it all out.

as for repairing it you could either replace the entire bottom pane of glass by ordering a new one then getting a stanley knife and slicing it all round the bottom edge of the side pieces,

remove all the silicone and all other crap thats on the tank so its nice and clean.

get some aquarium silicone and put a nice even bead all around the bottom edge of the 4 sides and place your new bottom pane onto them. adding some weight to it such as books then clean off any excess silicone on the exterior (the inside dosent matter as its covered by substrate then just wait until it is set (24- 48 hrs.) and your fish tank is back in action....

other option is patching it get a piece of glass that is large enough to cover the crack then a few inches aswell...

and simply glue it down with aquarium silicone making sure you get where the edges of the new piece meet the sides of the old tank

as for how much it`ll cost for a new one....

EBAY IS YOUR FRIEND

theres loads like that and loads in free ads and the local rag ect

 

[patchman]

would the patching method be as safe as replacing the glass?

 

[BigIan]

nope..

you still have a weak point there but looking qat the crack it can`t really get any bigger as its already gone edge to edge.but to be honest i`d just get a second hand tank.

by the time you`ve bought the glass to patch it at 5 quid then another 15 quid for silicone you may aswell have bpught a new second hand tank for 30

 

[patchman]

i did think about the ply idea, cos if you look at the tank side on, there is a visible gap either side of the corner in question, there isn't on any other corner.

 

[BigIan]

thats whats caused your problem then,

what route have you decided to go down?

 

[knt5005]

If you do decide to replace the bottom pane of glass I will say that resealing a tank is a piece of cake. Google it and you will quickly find clear, step-by-step instructions. My boyfriend and I resealed his tank (bought used, so it was just to be safe) and it was very easy to work with. The thing is: if you reseal, you have to reseal the ENTIRE tank because new silicone will not stick to old silicone, and the last think you want is another leak! Good luck!

 

[Davidtq]

A layer of polystyrene under tanks helps prevent this sort of thing. It could well be possible to patch a crack like that Ive patched a worse crack in the base of a 500l tank 5 years ago and thats still holding. But this is only a small tank for £30 secondhand possibly with some spare equipment (always good to have) wouldnt be a bad idea or maybe £60 and get a nice new tank - with no scratches or scuffs . I always like brand new tanks whenever I get an excuse .