What would be the best way to permanently repair/fix two small seam leaks. At least I am assuming these are leaks and not just because I rinsed the tank.
Two Small Leaks
- Thread starter BrokenReefer
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slingfox
2500 Club Member
@UncommonSense May be able to advise
Looks like a sizable tank so resealing would likely be a project / major effort
Looks like a sizable tank so resealing would likely be a project / major effort
Oof! This is far from ideal…
If the tank is indeed leaking in multiple places, a permanent solution is going to be a very, very labor intensive one…
— best-bet here would be to break the tank down to glass panes, thoroughly clean them, then reassemble (full rebuild)… this is far from trivial as a job, and is made more difficult by the plastic rims, which don’t like to come off in one piece!
— one company does reliably stock replacement plastic rims, though their selection is limited, and they may not have one which fits this rank!
— another option is reinforcing all eight seams internally with glass rods, which likely isn’t as strong as fully rebuilding, particularly for a tank this size… also, these rods would need to be cut from float glass sheet, vs. extruded borosilicate glass rods one can purchase online… additionally, it’s a LOT of work to reinforce this way; I just did five 20g tanks in a row for my LFS with this method, it took nearly 40hrs total for tank prep, glass rod cutting/finishing, and installing these rods cleanly in all five tanks…
All this to say that this tank may be better suited as a terrarium, or sheets of donor glass if you don’t have a significant financial investment into it!
If the tank is indeed leaking in multiple places, a permanent solution is going to be a very, very labor intensive one…
— best-bet here would be to break the tank down to glass panes, thoroughly clean them, then reassemble (full rebuild)… this is far from trivial as a job, and is made more difficult by the plastic rims, which don’t like to come off in one piece!
— one company does reliably stock replacement plastic rims, though their selection is limited, and they may not have one which fits this rank!
— another option is reinforcing all eight seams internally with glass rods, which likely isn’t as strong as fully rebuilding, particularly for a tank this size… also, these rods would need to be cut from float glass sheet, vs. extruded borosilicate glass rods one can purchase online… additionally, it’s a LOT of work to reinforce this way; I just did five 20g tanks in a row for my LFS with this method, it took nearly 40hrs total for tank prep, glass rod cutting/finishing, and installing these rods cleanly in all five tanks…
All this to say that this tank may be better suited as a terrarium, or sheets of donor glass if you don’t have a significant financial investment into it!
OP
OP
The paper towel in the pictures isn’t completely soaked up, so it seems like *maybe* a small leak. I have my son’s t-ball practice so I took the paper towels off. I’ll check when I get back home if those two areas still have water.
If they are small leaks, could I add more sealant over the existing silicone? This area will be below a sandbed, providing the two leaks aren’t major issues.
If they are small leaks, could I add more sealant over the existing silicone? This area will be below a sandbed, providing the two leaks aren’t major issues.
slingfox
2500 Club Member
If there is any leakage whatsoever (even one tiny drop of water every 72 hours) it would be very inadvisable to continue operating the tank as an aquarium. On a tank that size one small leak can turn into total seam failure very quickly.
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Sadly, new silicone does not bond well to old, solidified silicone…
The primary issue being that this is likely to be much more sinister than a few pinholes… silicone has a finite lifespan, meaning these pinholes are likely indicative of a progressed silicone seam failure!
Let’s keep in mind that distilled water weighs 8.14lbs/gallon, and produces .433PSI per foot of vertical water column…. That said, the viewing pane of a standard 2x2’x6’ 180g tank sees at least 750lbs of hydrostatic force pressing outwards on it continuously, the entire time it’s filled! also, salt water weighs more than fresh water…
— my build thread shows a best-case leak scenario wherein a glass internal reinforcement was mechanically viable… however it is a unusual case wherein water was weeping out AROUND a vertical silicone seam, through the fracture line of a glass chip! (Silicone tank seams still fully intact)
— your tank presents leaks from multiple locations, which indicates that this is much more likely to be a issue with the silicone seams themselves! (This typically occurs due to initial assembly error, age, improper leveling before filling/running, rough handling during moving, or incorrect storage [sun/cold exposure])
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