How to dry out soaked carpet underneathe the tank?

[gemini9]

I just noticed today, that my Reef Octopus skimmer was dripping. It was leaking around one of the pipes and the constant dripping of water over the course of 6 months, has completely drenched my carpet behind the tank and UNDER the tank. When messing with the tank today, I noticed the front/display end was wet. I got suspicious and began looking around and noticed that the behind the tank was soaked. Drenched. Slopping wet. Horribly wet. Since the sogginess had spread and soaked clear to the front of the tank, I'm sure it's slopping wet underneath as well.

I've got a fan on as far against the wall as I can to try and dry things up back there, but I have no idea how to dry underneathe the tank, as I'm sure there's no ventilation under there. It's a 30g tank, so if I drain 50% of the water, I may be able to move it slightly, but to be honest there is really no where to even put it while the floor dries.

So my question, anybody have any ideas on how to dry the carpet under the tank? Moving it and finding a place to move it to (invloves moving furniture around) will be a pain. I don't want it to mold under there and what's worse, is that I just had this carpet installed this past February. ... i'm starting to not like this hobby. nitrates.... dying fish... leaky tanks.... money.... water...

 

[3Twinklets]

Get a good shop vacuum and vacuum it up. Then put fans on it and hope for the best.

 

[gemini9]

How can I get a shop vac under the tank stand? :sad: It has a flat bottom....

 

[JFrar]

consider it a blessing you only have a 30 gallon tank lol, i know a gallon of water is about 8.5 pounds, im sure its the same with salt... even if you pull a bunch of hte water out just to temporarily move the tank then put most of the water back in the tank.......this situation would suck so bad if you had a big tank lol... good luck!

 

[Rob Top1]

You could drain and lift the yank onto a couple 2x4s to elivate it while the fans dry it. Carpeting will wick the water so with time a fan on the front will pull the water out but mold is a real concern. I would go to Home Depot or whatever store by you that rents equipment and rent an air mover. High air flow directed out the bottom of the unit. Point that at the stand. Eben using a shop vac at the base will wick/pull water from well under the tank. Also running a dehumidifier will help. Finally you could drill a few holes in the stand base to improve air flow. A dozen 1/2" holes placed in from the perimeter won't compromise the stands integrity.

 

[badfinger]

When I moved my tank (60cube w/24 sump) for the new tank coming soon and new carpet. I emptied as much water as I could and lifted the tank onto 2 furniture dollies and that way I could move it where needed worked great and stayed on the dollies for a month

 

[3Twinklets]

I think that with the weight of the tank and the water, your carpet is smashed pretty flat so if you can just vacuum the area around it, the rest would wick out from beneath.

How can I get a shop vac under the tank stand? :sad: It has a flat bottom....

 

[brooks]

I agree with Rob Top. Drilling holes and adding a fan is your best bet. The main issue is the padding. It's best removed when soaked. So here's an idea. Why don't you drill a hole through the middle of your bottom shelf. stick your finger or a paper towel on a stick to see if it's wet under your stand. Might save you some work. Hopefully the compression of the carpet/pad from the weight kept the water from creeping under there if it was leaking at the perimeter.

 

[gemini9]

I also considered drillimg holes in the bottom of the tank stand and did that before bed last night. The stand is rectangle and there is a really thin piece of wood on top of the wood studs (2x3s or whatever) that support the weight. There is about 2 inches of space under there so I drilled some holes. Hopefully tjat will air it out.

 

[brooks]

Sounds good. You should be fine. It wasn't wet that long.

 

[Bad Company]

I would move the tank and make sure it all dries out. Water can damage the floor structure, and weaken it. Which could end poorly.

 

[gemini9]

I would move the tank and make sure it all dries out. Water can damage the floor structure, and weaken it. Which could end poorly.

.... scary thought.....

well I've had a fan back there blowing for a few days and drilled holes in the bottom of the display. It seems to be drying. The carpet padding under my carpet is premium padding so it's supposed to repel water and stop it from soaking through so that will help a little. Never thought to, but I should go down into the basement and maybe check for floor for water damage.

 

[mbert0311]

Shamwow works amazing I use it for every spill a gan wouldnt hurt either

 

[leebecki.whitehead]

Putting clean cat clumping cat litter on the carpet is great it soaks up alot of the fluid then you can hoover it up. Also uncooked rice may work as it draws out moisture in things to sorry can't be of more use ie under the tank.

 

[jam5971]

Try a dehumidifier by the tank. I had a small flood and after mopping up my dehumidifier did the rest. Mine wasn't as big as yours though

 

[debra.robinette.50]

There's an "as seen on TV" item that consists of moving sliders and a curved bar with a thin metal lip that slips under nearly any flat furniture. I've used mine for moving a full curio cabinet all the way across the livingroom without removing or damaging a single piece inside. It's strong enuf to lift a small car an inch off the floor......really! If you go online and Google the description, you could purchase one for about $10 and then you can slide the aquarium out a couple of feet, dry the carpet and padding, then slide it back. I'd even leave the gliders under it cuz they won't show much at all and your aquarium is then movable whenever you need it to be. It'll make cleaning or repairing far easier.

 

[townjas]

I would drain the tank low enough to move it and dry it with towels and a fan. You don't want water sitting like that on your carpet and the floor joists

 

[debra.robinette.50]

I found a pic of the moving kit I was describing. I believe I've seen then in Walmart and Dollar General in their "as seen on tv" section.

 

[oceanfreak09]

There will be mold if you dont move the tank and dry the carpet thoroughly. With a 30 gallon it will be a piece of cake! Id use a shop vac on it!

 

[gemini9]

ez moves... hmmm.. looks like it may work. The only other problem I have, is where to put the tank. lol There is literally nowhere to put it. I have the room full of funiture already and nowhere to move anything.

I may try lifting one side at a time and placing some 2x4 pieces under the tank. That sounds like it might work. Maybe use that ez moves wedge thing to lift the tank to sit it on the 2x4s to elevavate it enough to stick it on the 2x4s and let it air out. Would it hurt anything in the tank or burst the glass if I lift one side about 4 inches to slip the 2x4s under there? while doing this, one side of the tank would be angled. The sides of the tank won't crack or anything will it? sorry if that's a stupid question, but can't be too careful with these things!