Need help with a leaking tank... :O

[jschottenfeld]

This is the post that I hoped I'd never have to write....

I have a 125g AGA (All Glass Aquarium) that has been up and running since 2007. Lately it has been dripping into my stand below and I can't for the life of me figure out where it's leaking from. I've checked all 4 bulkheads at the bottom and they are all bone dry. No drips or salt residue on any of the pipes coming down from the bulkheads.

For a little backstory, after I saw some puddling inside of my stand it made me realize that over the last couple of years I had noticed some random drip marks inside my stand which I always thought was strange, but never paid too much attention to it. Over the last month or so is when I saw an accumulation of a puddle on one of my shelves inside of the stand and that had me thinking...Oh crap! My guess is that it had been very slowly leaking for a few years and it appears to recently be getting worse. Below is a pic of what my setup looks like. The tank is recessed in a tray that was created at the top of the stand.

Here is what it looks like in the tray...

The water is dripping into my stand from two cut out areas that I have in the tray where my bulkhead plumbing comes from the bottom of my tank, through my stand and then through the floor into my sump in my basement. Keep in mind that at no point was there ever any dripping along the piping coming from my bulkheads. All of the dripping was coming from the two cut out holes in the top tray of my stand. Here's an underside view showing the dripping.

For the last month or so it would drip some days and then be bone dry for another 4 or 5 days...then the dripping would start again. Up until now I've been putting my head in the sand because the dripping wasn't too bad (an ounce or so of water in a day on the days that it was dripping). Today was different and that's what made me finally post in search of some guidance.

Today for the first time I saw a bead of water along the top edge of the black plastic moulding that surrounds the bottom of the tank. Might be hard to see, but if you look closely you can see it.

The bead of water runs along the entire front, both sides and a little in the back.

Note that I have repeatedly run my fingers along all sides and edges of the tank to see if there is water dripping down from the top or the two unused bulkheads in the back and have found nothing. No drips or salt traces.
Also I have tried lowering my Tunze streams so that they don't splash or push water over the top.
Another note is that I do not move around my landscaping. What you see is pretty much how it's been for the past 13 years.
I am extremely careful around the silicone seams on the occasions when I use a scraper for algae.

I'm just baffled (and a bit scared) with this one. Could it be a crack somewhere??

Do many tanks fail at the lower silicone seams over time? I understand that the tank is 13 years old, but is this common?
The thought of replacing my tank is a lot for my brain to wrap around.

Any guidance or brainstorming on this would be a huge help,
Thanks

 

[Cell]

If it's been dripping for years, then either you've finally hit the point where it has filled any possible extra space in the tray and the cut out areas in the tray can no longer keep up with the leak, so now it's coming up the sides or the leak is getting worse. Either way, I would recommend you start planning on where to put the livestock ASAP.

 

[Crustaceon]

I’d set up a temporary “pond” for your critters, drain the tank and reseal it. If the panels are still good, there’s no reason why you can’t just take the tank apart, get some aquarium sealant, put it back together giving it plenty of time to cure and keep using it.

 

[Cell]

Any way you slice it, you are going to have to drain it and see what is going on. Unless you have a way to pull the trim off the stand so you can see the bottom edge(s).

 

[jschottenfeld]

It's such a bummer. The thought of taking down my tank with all of my colonies seems like such a nightmare. I guess the possibility of a major tank fault is waaaaay worse. Might be time to round up as many Brute containers as I can find.

 

[Biokabe]

I echo what everyone else has said: Make preparations to drain and inspect or replace the tank. At this point it's a ticking time bomb.

The lower seams are one of the most common failure points for tanks. I had a 55g AGA tank fail on me two years ago, also on the bottom seam, but in my case it was more catastrophic...

Just eating dinner one night when suddenly one of my cats looked over at the tank. There was a steady stream of water pouring out from it... three hours later the tank was empty. One of the longest days of my life. It had failed on the bottom seam... never did find the actual hole, but by the time I was done with it I just didn't even care any more.

No matter what, draining and repairing/replacing your tank is going to be a pain... but better to do it on your terms, with everything set up and ready to go, than to suddenly have to scramble to find temporary accommodations for your entire tank and a replacement tank at 9 PM on a random Tuesday night.

 

[jschottenfeld]

Oh wow....
That must've been horrible.
Guess it's time to go tank shopping. The tank is in my living room and a failure of those proportions would just really be bad.

 

[fishguy242]

hi,is unfortunate ,but new tank in order ,don't bother trying to fix..asap..best wishes

 

[vetteguy53081]

Some tubs will be your best friend. I have repaired over 70 tanks for people including my own. My guess will be the seam along the length-Not width of tank
You obviously will need to drain the tank and the bad part- Remove the sand.
Once done, you can add water to the lower 1/5 of tank and verify if its the bottom seal and even where it is leaking. If not, continue to fill Until you see presence of water.
Once found, you will use a very sharp razor and cut away the entire bead of silicone from left to right.
MAKE SURE YOU GET EVERY BIT OF SILICONE REMOVED.
tHEREAFTER: Clean area with rubbing alcohol and apply aquarium SEALANT - not silicone. I actually like the aqueon brand. Allow to dry a full 36-48 hours and leak test filling tank to at least 3/4 full and allow to sit 24-36 hours. If no leak- Begin repacking it.

 

[jschottenfeld]

Vetteguy, wasn't thinking the repair route. Maybe something to consider but because the tank is already 13 years old I'm might lean to replace. Good part is if I go the repair route is that I have a bare bottom.

 

[Dr. Jim]

Some tubs will be your best friend. I have repaired over 70 tanks for people including my own. My guess will be the seam along the length-Not width of tank
You obviously will need to drain the tank and the bad part- Remove the sand.
Once done, you can add water to the lower 1/5 of tank and verify if its the bottom seal and even where it is leaking. If not, continue to fill Until you see presence of water.
Once found, you will use a very sharp razor and cut away the entire bead of silicone from left to right.
MAKE SURE YOU GET EVERY BIT OF SILICONE REMOVED.
tHEREAFTER: Clean area with rubbing alcohol and apply aquarium SEALANT - not silicone. I actually like the aqueon brand. Allow to dry a full 36-48 hours and leak test filling tank to at least 3/4 full and allow to sit 24-36 hours. If no leak- Begin repacking it.

OP: I know you don't want to repair it, but for anyone reading this that wants to repair a tank, vetteguy's suggestion is good. One additional step would be to use sealant to cement a strip of glass (2" x 3/8" x L of tank) along the bottom right up against the vertical glass. (2" dimension on the bottom) to give extra support. (Actually, it's not a bad idea to extend strips of glass around the entire perimeter after removing old silicone and cleaning well).
I learned this from a professional after my 180 gave way along the middle of the front panel. This was over 30 years ago when I was partying down at the Jersey Shore on Memorial Day weekend. I came home at 3 in the morning to find that half my tank flooded my living room floor (with parkay tiles). (Needless to say, I didn't get my deposit back when I left that apartment!)

 

[jschottenfeld]

OP: I know you don't want to repair it, but for anyone reading this that wants to repair a tank, vetteguy's suggestion is good. One additional step would be to use sealant to cement a strip of glass (2" x 3/8" x L of tank) along the bottom right up against the vertical glass. (2" dimension on the bottom) to give extra support. (Actually, it's not a bad idea to extend strips of glass around the entire perimeter after removing old silicone and cleaning well).
I learned this from a professional after my 180 gave way along the middle of the front panel. This was over 30 years ago when I was partying down at the Jersey Shore on Memorial Day weekend. I came home at 3 in the morning to find that half my tank flooded my living room floor (with parkay tiles). (Needless to say, I didn't get my deposit back when I left that apartment!)

Sounds like excellent advice for added support.

 

[jschottenfeld]

Great idea to clamp the tank!
Thanks to Tony @reefexotics and Joe @glasscages

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

Great idea to clamp the tank!
Thanks to Tony @reefexotics and Joe @glasscages

excellent. that can be scary. How is it doing now?

 

[jschottenfeld]

excellent. that can be scary. How is it doing now?

Unfortunately not so great Joe.

It continued to drip after applying the pressure from the strap. I thought that it could be residual water dripping for a few hours. Woke up next morning and the drip was continuing at the same rate.

My thinking (actually my wife's thought) is to pick up to 36" long tanks (my current tank is 72") at a LFS and swap my fish, rock and coral into these two new tanks. I will set up these two new temporary tanks in the existing stand after I empty, drain and disconnect my current leaking tank.
Between these 2 new temporary tanks and my 40g fuge I should be able to house all of my creatures and most of my rock. More importantly it will allow me to continue filtering all of the livestock and rock so that I won't have to cycle a new tank when it arrives.

This will at least reduce my stress by not having to worry about a leaking tank turning into a catastrophic event.

 

[fishguy242]

hi, use a tub,80-100 gal,don't want to set up on existing stand,too many moves

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

Unfortunately not so great Joe.

It continued to drip after applying the pressure from the strap. I thought that it could be residual water dripping for a few hours. Woke up next morning and the drip was continuing at the same rate.

My thinking (actually my wife's thought) is to pick up to 36" long tanks (my current tank is 72") at a LFS and swap my fish, rock and coral into these two new tanks. I will set up these two new temporary tanks in the existing stand after I empty, drain and disconnect my current leaking tank.
Between these 2 new temporary tanks and my 40g fuge I should be able to house all of my creatures and most of my rock. More importantly it will allow me to continue filtering all of the livestock and rock so that I won't have to cycle a new tank when it arrives.

This will at least reduce my stress by not having to worry about a leaking tank turning into a catastrophic event.

@jschottenfeld so sorry to hear this. I agree with your decision. lots of unknown here. take action for sure.

 

[Brett S]

I will set up these two new temporary tanks in the existing stand

That sounds like you’re making way too much work for yourself. You could move everything to new tanks somewhere else, then fix or replace the display tank, then move everything back.

But with your plan you will need to move everything to somewhere. Move the display tank and put the temporary tanks in, then move everything again into the temporary tanks. Then fix or replace the display tank and move everything to somewhere, move the temporary tanks, set up the display tank, then move everything a fourth time to get them back in the display tank.

 

[ZoWhat]

I have a 180g and have a tiny leak bc the bottom front seal has gotten old....pulling away ever so slightly to let SW thru as droplets

I'm planning on a new 215g from Planet in 2021but in the meantime this is what I did...

Took about boxfan and blew air in the general area of the leak. Constant airflow eventually sealed the leak with salt creep, dried saltwater.

If I bump the tank with my hips during maintenance then it goes back to leaking about a quarter to a half gallon a day..... then I have to blow air on it again to seal it up.

Hth



.

 

[gentlefish]

I am very surprised not to see salt build up. We are sure there is no indication this could be condensation or top up to water? Is there enough water that can be collected to test salinity? I would expect tank water partly evaporated to have a higher salinity than 35.