Tank Split-help Please

[Fish_Girl]

We had a real emergency last night-we were just about to sit down to eat and all of a sudden we heard this strange noise-then i realised it was water. ran to the stairs(as our fishtank is at the top of the stairs) and sure enough there was water spraying from the back corner all over the place was coming out at a pretty fast rate and we paniced and first ended up putting some of the fish in a basin, until i realised we still had a small betta lifepspace tank in the bedroom(unused) so dragged it out and started putting them in that with there own tank water-obviously this isnt ideal as this tank doesnt even have working lights. so at the moment all the fish and frogs are in the small tank and we need to get them out of it!

we were just speaking to other halfs Dad(whos been keeping fish much longer then us) and he said that our tank should be easily fixable with some sealant-is this right?

we went to the fish shop today to get a light for the other tank not knowing how long they would have to stay in there, and i told the owner/manager about it all and he was so preoccupied he didnt mention any ways of fixing it, but other halfs dad says they sell it bit annoyed if thats true, especially as the light bulb they sold me doesnt even work in the tank!(i wasnt sure which one i needed so asked them as they sell the actual tank and it took them ages to decide which one was the right one )

anyway, just wondered if anyone could confirm if a sealant designed for fish tanks would do the trick at fixing our tank? it isnt a crack or anything like that, the tank we have is a reckord one and it basically split right in one of the corners(other half had to hold the sides together while i was trying to get all the fish out-that was fun!)

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yes, you can buy aquarium silicone specifically for this job, any good/large fish shops should sell it. don't use any other sort of silicone as it won't be safe, be sure to buy the aquarium specific stuff

 

[Fish_Girl]

Thankyou for that, thats really good to know. i have been panicing all day wondering what to do so thats a relief knowing we can just fix the old tank for now. really wish the fish shop manager had just told us that, not too good for business!

Other halfs dad has said he will pick some up for us first thing in the morning because he needs to go to the fish shop anyway and he will help us fix it. he also said that if for some reason that doesnt work he knows of another shop that sells just the actual tank for cheap without the lid or anything so atleast we have a couple of options now. just hoping that it hasnt stressed the fish out too much-tested the water late last night and again this afternoon and all seems ok. never thought id have an emergency with the fish-its all the other animals that get me stressed like this and the fish that relax me

 

[rabbut]

Aye, fixing is easy if you know how. It's not something us LFS workers like to let people in on though, as it looks better for us to our bosses to sell you another tank. For this reason, unless you specifically ask if it is possible to repair the tank you are unlikely to be told yes....

Onto the question though, the fix is easy. Cut out the old silicone with a sharp knife (careful with this, slipping = big cut and the possibility of pain as I found out last weekend ) and then clean the seam to be fixed. All water, mineral deposites gravel, dust and silicone residue must be removed. The trick to a good seam is doing a good clean-up job. After this, wipe the seam down with any solvent based cleaner (I use meths at home and Johnsons flea spray at work) to remove any trace of silicone residue and allow the nes silicone to stick to the joint. If you are looking for a clean finish, apply masking tape at this point to limit where the silicone can go. Run a generous bead of silicone down the joint and then smooth over with a wet filnger. Allow the silicone to rest for 5 mins and then remove your masking tape. Leave 48-72 hours to cure and then remove any mess before water testing the seam.

In short, don't cut corners, and all will be fine. Cut corners and you will have a problem

HTH
Rabbut

 

[Fish_Girl]

Aye, fixing is easy if you know how. It's not something us LFS workers like to let people in on though, as it looks better for us to our bosses to sell you another tank. For this reason, unless you specifically ask if it is possible to repair the tank you are unlikely to be told yes....

Onto the question though, the fix is easy. Cut out the old silicone with a sharp knife (careful with this, slipping = big cut and the possibility of pain as I found out last weekend ) and then clean the seam to be fixed. All water, mineral deposites gravel, dust and silicone residue must be removed. The trick to a good seam is doing a good clean-up job. After this, wipe the seam down with any solvent based cleaner (I use meths at home and Johnsons flea spray at work) to remove any trace of silicone residue and allow the nes silicone to stick to the joint. If you are looking for a clean finish, apply masking tape at this point to limit where the silicone can go. Run a generous bead of silicone down the joint and then smooth over with a wet filnger. Allow the silicone to rest for 5 mins and then remove your masking tape. Leave 48-72 hours to cure and then remove any mess before water testing the seam.

In short, don't cut corners, and all will be fine. Cut corners and you will have a problem

HTH
Rabbut

That definately helped, thankyou Rabbut. we managed to get some sealant yesterday from the fish shop(just the day before they tried to tell other halfs dad that we needed a black sealant and they would order it in for £13. we went in yesterday and found one id read about on the net for £4.99 grr) and we followed the intructions on the back which were similiar to yours so hopefully we have done it right. will leave it until saturday night now before attempting to put water in, and will update on how it goes!

i was wondering, the tank the fish have been in for the last four days now doesnt have any lights and the lfs didnt have any to fit our tank-are they ok a few more days without the light? i tested the water last night and its gone quite bad so we are doing water changes and will be testing again tonight. all the fish appear to be fine and its not too suprising that the water isnt the best what with going into an unmatured tank, but hopefully the water changes will keep it ok for them until they can get back in the other tank.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

fish don't need the light, they are actually calmer in the dark, lights are just there for us to view them and to grow plants if you have any

 

[Fish_Girl]

fish don't need the light, they are actually calmer in the dark, lights are just there for us to view them and to grow plants if you have any

how have i been keeping fish for 2 years and didnt know that? thats good to know. you know in a way im glad this happened because ive learnt alot about the way tanks run and things like that in the last few days that i wouldnt have learnt otherwise. thanks for telling me that

 

[Miss Wiggle]

fish don't need the light, they are actually calmer in the dark, lights are just there for us to view them and to grow plants if you have any

how have i been keeping fish for 2 years and didnt know that? thats good to know. you know in a way im glad this happened because ive learnt alot about the way tanks run and things like that in the last few days that i wouldnt have learnt otherwise. thanks for telling me that

goes that way sometimes doesn't it. don't know until you need to know!

 

[Fish_Girl]

fish don't need the light, they are actually calmer in the dark, lights are just there for us to view them and to grow plants if you have any

how have i been keeping fish for 2 years and didnt know that? thats good to know. you know in a way im glad this happened because ive learnt alot about the way tanks run and things like that in the last few days that i wouldnt have learnt otherwise. thanks for telling me that

goes that way sometimes doesn't it. don't know until you need to know!

it does indeed! have gone two years without so much as a change in the water with these fish so havent had to learn anything. i suppose thats lucky, but atleast i know now lol last night was the first time i have tested the water and not found it perfect

 

[Miss Wiggle]

happens to all of us at one time or another!