Resealed aquarium, wanting to do water test

[trentj3232]

Hey guys, I plan on doing a water test on my new aquarium. I just resealed it a few days ago. but it’s cold at night and I do not have a garage. Like 25-35 degrees. Do you think I will be fine leaving it outside for a few days? I didn’t want to compromise the silicone with it being cold.

 

[cilyjr]

It will freeze. When water freezes it expands. It could crack the tank.

 

[trentj3232]

It will freeze. When water freezes it expands. It could crack the tank.

What if I put an aquarium heater in it ?

 

[Troylee]

Put a heater in it and some circulation you should be fine..

 

[Tired]

Put several heaters, if possible, and definitely circulate. Make sure to have something pointing up at the surface so it can't form an ice layer across the top.

 

[cilyjr]

What if I put an aquarium heater in it ?

Yeah sure. Heater and a pump.

How big is this tank

 

[trentj3232]

Yeah sure. Heater and a pump.

How big is this tank

93 cube

 

[JayM]

I’d err on the side of caution and wait until you expect a few days of above freezing temps. Sure a heater and circulation will most likely prevent freezing, but what if you’re sound asleep and the power goes out at midnight?

 

[mfinn]

Hey guys, I plan on doing a water test on my new aquarium. I just resealed it a few days ago. but it’s cold at night and I do not have a garage. Like 25-35 degrees. Do you think I will be fine leaving it outside for a few days? I didn’t want to compromise the silicone with it being cold.

Was this a leaker?
I would wait until it was warmer.
Silicone needs time to cure. More than just a few days.

 

[trentj3232]

Was this a leaker?
I would wait until it was warmer.
Silicone needs time to cure. More than just a few days.

It will be a week tomorrow

 

[mfinn]

It will be a week tomorrow

Did it leak before?

 

[Fish Fan]

I've resealed many tanks over the years, though I'm no expert. My gut instinct is that the silicon will take a lot longer to cure at such a low temp, a week may be good, but it might need even more time.

I wouldn't risk doing your water test outside in sub freezing weather. Things can happen, as others have noted. When I was a kid in the 1980's I watched as my friend tried to hose out his 29 gallon tank on a very cold New York day. The hose water hit the ice cold tank, and the tank immediately exploded into a thousand little pieces.

I would do your water test inside. I'd put the tank on its stand making sure everything is level. Unlevel stands/tanks can lead to tank breakage. Then, just go very slowly with the water. Fill it just a couple of inches and wait and see. No leaks? Then add another couple inches of water and wait and see. You don't have to fill the whole tank up all at once, and if you do have a leak it will likely not be completely catastrophic, but likely just a slow leak from a small part of the seam.

Also, before you applied your silicon, did you clean the glass with acetone or alcohol? Using a solvent like these before the silicon really helps to get a good seal.

Good luck!