RFBF's Five Footer

[914joe]

If disaster strikes and you need help I'd do my best to get there.

 

[trio91]

Then you better bring your party hats because we're entertaining 25 family/friends at a Holiday party. :p:D

Again working on "hold over" measures right now. Off to HD to pick up silicone to try Engineer's idea of putting it on the outside.

ok bud...good luck

 

[redfishbluefish]

Thanks Joe.

 

[redfishbluefish]

With multiple applications of epoxy.....both liquid and putty versions....followed by multiple silicone applications, it appears it has stopped leaking. Hopefully this will hold me over a couple days until I can address this properly. Doesn't look pretty, but it's holding.

 

[TheEngineer]

Watch out the blob is coming to eat you!? Haha

Doesn’t have to pretty. Just has to work!

 

[ecam]

Paul I sent you my cell number. Call me an I will be there ASAP. Anytime.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Just read thru your thread. Hugs on the leak. Not a nice holiday happening!

 

[redfishbluefish]

Just read thru your thread. Hugs on the leak. Not a nice holiday happening!

Thank you Susan. I can't say hugging "the leak" was the first thing that came to my mind.....unless you're talking about hugging me! :rolleyes:



So here's where the leak stands now:

I'm going to try installing an acrylic corner molding inside the tank during a 50 gallon water change....using "acrylic" silicone.

Spent the day finishing up making 50 gallons of RO/DI and mixing with salt. It's now 9:45PM, and I'm not quite up to temperature, and the molding is slightly warped, so I've made the executive decision to put it off until tomorrow. I don't want to start this late and run into a problem....and with stores not open....tomorrow it is.

The acrylic molding piece cut from 1/2 inch acrylic turned out to be more of a pain to make. Here's a picture of it....prism shaped to fit into the corner.

I'm guessing the heat of the cutting process caused it to slightly warp. So I've got it in a 200 degree oven to hopefully relax the piece back to being straight.

And I've just poured myself a scotch on the rocks!!! :D

 

[redfishbluefish]

Twenty minutes at 200 degrees flattened out that acrylic piece of molding. The biggest issue was finding something flat to rest it on while it baked. We have six aluminum cookie sheets and not a single one is flat and straight. Ended up using a piece of 3/4 plywood in the oven with the acylic laying on top. Now it's nice and flat and straight.

Tomorrow is D-Day.

 

[Susan Edwards]

Thank you Susan. I can't say hugging "the leak" was the first thing that came to my mind.....unless you're talking about hugging me! :rolleyes:

:D who or whatever needs the hug the most.... Fingers crossed you are successful tomorrow!

 

[redfishbluefish]

It's done....or maybe I should just say, the molding piece is siliconed in place.

I dropped the water level to about 5 inches.

The epoxy was chiseled off and the corner scraped clean with a single edge razor, and dried. Silicone was applied to the molding piece and it was pressed into the corner. I then waited about 15 minutes, although I still knew that it would take days for a complete cure. I will state that this silicone sets up faster than any silicone I've ever used.

Casualties: I must have hit my bird's nest colony and it fell onto my hammer colony splitting that into three pieces. I've decided to pitch the bird's nest and just keep a couple pieces and start over. It had some algae growing in it, and also grows like a weed in my tank. I think this is the third time I've done this....starting it over from a frag.

Corals were PO'ed, slimming and staying closed, but I'm convinced that was for being out of water for 45-60 minutes. All the corals residing in my sump are unchanged. The only fish I haven't seen is my tiny yellow clown goby. I don't see much of him anyway as he hides and resides in a large acropora colony.

I'm going to leave that ugly patch job up for a couple days to allow the silicone to cure. Therefore I'm not going to know if my "fix" worked until then.

 

[Maritimer]

Got my fingers crossed for you!

~Bruce

 

[trio91]

It's done....or maybe I should just say, the molding piece is siliconed in place.

I dropped the water level to about 5 inches.

The epoxy was chiseled off and the corner scraped clean with a single edge razor, and dried. Silicone was applied to the molding piece and it was pressed into the corner. I then waited about 15 minutes, although I still knew that it would take days for a complete cure. I will state that this silicone sets up faster than any silicone I've ever used.

Casualties: I must have hit my bird's nest colony and it fell onto my hammer colony splitting that into three pieces. I've decided to pitch the bird's nest and just keep a couple pieces and start over. It had some algae growing in it, and also grows like a weed in my tank. I think this is the third time I've done this....starting it over from a frag.

Corals were PO'ed, slimming and staying closed, but I'm convinced that was for being out of water for 45-60 minutes. All the corals residing in my sump are unchanged. The only fish I haven't seen is my tiny yellow clown goby. I don't see much of him anyway as he hides and resides in a large acropora colony.

I'm going to leave that ugly patch job up for a couple days to allow the silicone to cure. Therefore I'm not going to know if my "fix" worked until then.

Was this that massive piece that you had forever?

 

[redfishbluefish]

Thanks Bruce, fingers crossed here as well. I'm glad I got this done now....I can relax for Christmas Eve, although I'm on Filet Mignon grilling duties for tonight's surf and turf family dinner.

And yes Marcus, this was the large center piece that had grown to the surface now and was catching algae and growing it on it's branches. I've got a ton of frags, and in six months or so it will be big again. I've had to do this a couple times already. If you'd like some frags, let me know......steak and lobster for dinner. :D

Merry Christmas, happy Holidays everyone.


And @trio91 , I could also give you hammer.....looks like three heads.

 

[ecam]

Awesome work as well Paul.... fingers crosssed . keep us up to date when you get water in there

 

[TheEngineer]

Good luck! Hope it works!

 

[redfishbluefish]

Awesome work as well Paul.... fingers crosssed . keep us up to date when you get water in there

Edwin, thanks for the words, but water IS in the tank.

The fix is that white vertical line one the back right corner.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Thanks @TheEngineer


And now all souls accounted for.....Lemon Drop, as my wife has named the clown goby, has returned to it's home....the acropora!

 

[Susan Edwards]

Hope you managed to fix it and glad your goby has shown herself!

 

[redfishbluefish]

Well, it was great while it lasted. Came down today and found the tank leaking more water than I've seen in the past. This told me the seam was separating. I have yet another temporary fix that appears to have stopped/greatly slowed the leak.....a pipe clamp.

So it looks like I'm going to be doing exactly what I didn't want to do....find a new custom tank. If anyone has suggestions, I'm open. Going to first go to a local LFS who built most of his own display tanks. Want to see if he'll give up where he got his glass and any details about putting this thing together.