LEAKS!! What do I do now???

[alink708]

Was doing paperwork a few hours ago...look over at the tank to see a big puddle
Found the leak.... at the bottom of course, ran to HD and got some water weld because nothing I had here would work. Stopped the leak...another sprung up on the other side....7 leak fixes later I think its under control for the time being
but now I have white putty on the tank which sucks.
Its a biocube14 .... all the leaks were around the bottom where the plastic meets the glass.
re-sealed everywhere else that was still dry with silicone.
Where do I go with this now now, any advice?

 

[alink708]

spoke too soon.... the whole bottom of the back glass started also...stopped it all for now

 

[jose7878]

Your not going to like what I say but , my opinion is to tear the tank down and remove all of the old silicone and redo it with new silicone . Just my .02

 

[alink708]

I might have to.... got most of it to stop, theres a small trickle from the water level viewer now.
Man I wouldnt even know where to start tearing it down... what do you do with everything?

 

[Ryleyman]

I might have to.... got most of it to stop, theres a small trickle from the water level viewer now.
Man I wouldnt even know where to start tearing it down... what do you do with everything?

Buy a new tank

 

[alink708]

Yea im probably going to go grab a new one tomorrow.
How do I go about transfering everything?
Im not going to have to cycle the new one right? Since I will be using all my established stuff and water...??

 

[Tmyboy]

I know it's gonna be a pain in the a$$, but luckily it's not a huge tank and can be done relatively easy. Relatively.... Lol. First of all...setup your qt tank for the fish to have a place to chill while this is taking place and get them in there.

Go out and get a food grade plastic container. 20 or 25g if you can find it.

This is how i did it anyway.....
Siphon out half the water into your new container. Start the painstaking process of removing the rock and place it in new container. Throw in a couple powerheads and Ur heater, then siphon a bit of water in the new tank (enuf for substrate to be submerged ) and start scooping the sand over to the new system.

I wud fill it up half way and let the cloud settle and then test for ammonia and trates.

If your good, proceed with transferring everything else. I would wait until the next morning and test again before transferring the fish to the new tank tho.

Sounds a lot more confusing then it really is. I probably could have worded it a bit better, but I'm hoping you get the idea!

Good luck!

 

[MacDracor]

Tmyboy's procedure sounds good. It's about what I did when upgrading from 29 to 55, and what I will do for my next upgrade. Just keep a real close eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels, as a new cycle is always possible when making a large change to a tank.

 

[alink708]

Just got off the phone with the LFS .... getting a new one for 1/2 off , he's going to keep the lid which is good, at least I dont have to swap all my lights out,just swap lids! I love these guys!

 

[alink708]

Going to stop on the way and pick up some containers also. Thanks everyone I really appreciate it

 

[catmel]

I would agree. it is extreamly tough to keep all leaks sealed for ogod. It will actually save you time ( and a lot of frustration) to go ahead and get a new tank and move everything.

 

[alink708]

Got the new one set up, sand is in plus a few gallons...waiting for it to settle. Everything else is in a new 10g I forgot I had with a circulation pump and heater. Will everything be ok in there until tomorrow?

 

[MacDracor]

Anything in there for filtration? Might see some ammonia as the fish poop. If they aren't going to be in there long, I image it's probably ok, but keep an eye on ammonia.

 

[alink708]

No filtration in there ... It will only be tilltomorrow, but then again I pretty much use natural filtration in my main tank anyway....just skimmer, floss and chaeto

 

[Tmyboy]

No filtration in there ... It will only be tilltomorrow, but then again I pretty much use natural filtration in my main tank anyway....just skimmer, floss and chaeto

I would throw a couple good pieces of rock in there for filtration just for good measure.

 

[alink708]

O yea sorry, I meant the rock is in there also as well as the cheato. I only have 1 circulation pump so I had to put every thing in the same tank

 

[alink708]

Well got everything transfered today. Was able to use about 10 gallons of my original water and most of my sand, had to mix in alittle bit of new stuff. Everything is 0/0/0 , all the fish and critters are acting normal and eating. Corals are all opened up and looking good. I'll keep a careful eye on my levels over the next few weeks.
The only thing im really concerned about right now is the sand...my rainsford goby doesnt eat food , just sifts sand for pods. I'm worried with the change there wont be enough for him at the moment...