Leaking Tank

[saleen385]

Bought a used 180g 8 weeks ago and now it's leaking. It's leaking from the seam between the bottom panel and the back panel in the middle of the tank.

What is the best course of action to repair this?
Tank has started to be broken down and drained.

Advice and any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[TrialandError]

Completley empty the tank and take all sand out. Take a razor blade and take off the silicone. You may want to do the whole tank just to be safe. Just don't put the blade between the pieces of glass and break that seal. You will need a few razor blades as you want all silicone cleaned off the glass. Then get new tubes of silicone and reseal the tank. Make sure the surfaces are clean and oil/fingerprint free or you may have problems.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Completley empty the tank and take all sand out. Take a razor blade and take off the silicone. You may want to do the whole tank just to be safe. Just don't put the blade between the pieces of glass and break that seal. You will need a few razor blades as you want all silicone cleaned off the glass. Then get new tubes of silicone and reseal the tank. Make sure the surfaces are clean and oil/fingerprint free or you may have problems.

This is the only way, and only correct way of repairing a leaky tank.
Some people have had success using feeler gauges to get in between the glass panels, lil harder to break those.
How to remove panes of glass on aquariums - YouTube

 

[TrialandError]

You don't want to break apart the 2 panes of glass. That could be a disasterous mistake if you did.

Only need to replace the inside seal since that is the one that failed. That's the only one I have ever replaced and never had a problem with leaking afterwards.

 

[saleen385]

wouldn't the seal already be compromised if it's leaking? I guess I'm concerned if I need to remove the panel.

Jim

 

[TrialandError]

If you remove the panel it could not go back right. Could have tons of gaps and cause more problems. Everyone I know only reseal the inside of a tank. As long as the panes of glass aren't coming apart there's no reason to take them apart.

 

[saleen385]

Alright sounds good. will start working on it this weekend.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Reefing Madness]

You don't want to break apart the 2 panes of glass. That could be a disasterous mistake if you did.

Only need to replace the inside seal since that is the one that failed. That's the only one I have ever replaced and never had a problem with leaking afterwards.

The water is leaking from in between the panez of glass, meaning there is a hole somewhere there. The silicone there is what holds yiur tank water tight, the outter bead is just a sanity check for most. I dont even have a bead on mine, just the original glass seems.

 

[saleen385]

The water is leaking from in between the panez of glass, meaning there is a hole somewhere there. The silicone there is what holds yiur tank water tight, the outter bead is just a sanity check for most. I dont even have a bead on mine, just the original glass seems.

So are you saying I need to break the seal between the 2 panes and reseal the panes together or just try and push the silicone in where the hole is?

Jim

 

[Reefing Madness]

If its my tank, im taking that panel off and redoing it the correct way. The leak can manipulate itself around the silicone bead on ghe outside, and can get worse without notice.

 

[TrialandError]

Wouldn't the failing of the inside silicone bead be the cause for the leak. The pressure would build up behind the silicone till it found a way out. In theory wouldn't there be pinholes between all panes of glass reguardless? Hence the reason to have the silicone bead on the inside to keep the water in the tank.

Sorry if I sound combatant but I have never heard of taking the panes apart to fix a leak.

 

[saleen385]

Don't get me wrong about this but you get so much conflicting advice about this I'm really at a loss as what I need to do. If the panel needs to be removed I don't have the means to do that. Not sure if there is anyone in my area that could.

Jim

 

[Intricateart]

No need to remove the panel. If you start removing panels then you will need to completely reassemble all panels as if they were new. The glass seams need to line up perfectly. I completely resealed our 150 gal. It was a snake tank and all silicone had been rubbed off. I used the razor blade technique and removed all silicone. I did not scrape in between panels. After cleaning it all you do is reseal the whole thing. Try to go for the look and size of the original silicone bead making sure it adheres to both panels evenly. Also avoid air bubbles in the seal. The inner seal is for rigidity and structural support, the inner seal "silicone" holds the water. Now we have a 50$ 150 gal that has been set up over a year and a half with no leaks or even salt creep. For a 180 be prepared to buy a lot of silcone. I would never buy a new tank again. Good luck its def worth it.

 

[cdness]

The only correct way is to take it apart, clean the seams and reassemble...

You MAY and I repeat MAY be able to fix it with a re-seal of the inside, but it is temporary and will not last as long as a real fix.

Also do not use regular silicone. You need to look into the GE RTV stuff which is more of a silicone adhesive, not just sealant.

 

[CastAway]

Almost all of the structural integrity of the tank comes from the silicone bond that exists between the glass surfaces. While the new bead, or new fillet of silicone may appear to stop a leak, the break in the bond between glass panes remains and the structural integrity is compromised. It's a roll of the dice really. The outward pressures will remain even if the leak stops. Thus, over time the dis-bonding may continue and even hasten, even without leaking. If it were me, I would not risk damage to my home, or, loss of livestock. Better to spend the money now, and sleep easy. Of all the financial expenditures on a reef tank, the tank itself is the most important one. Just my two cents.

Heck, in hindsight the leak may have been a blessing in disguise, and preferred over a catastrophic failure, that dreaded "pop".

 

[saleen385]

Just an update. Found someone in the area that will take the whole tank apart and resilicone it. Hopefully I will have it up and running again in 3-4 weeks.
A little tip that I'm sure you guys already know but if you need to completely drain your tank. when you have that little bit of water and sand left use a wet/dry vacum.

Jim