Apparently I got a little ahead of myself in terms of projects; I bought a used 45-gallon corner tank (pentagon-shaped) which had a known leak a few weeks ago, and decided I was going to reseal it and get a bargain. Well...
The project seemed to go pretty well; I removed all the old sealant, leaving the structure intact (that is, I didn't separate the panels) over a couple of days, and resealed it with fresh GE window & door #1. Everything seemed to go pretty well, and I had it filled about 2/3 full for a couple weeks with no issues.
A couple days ago I started thinking seriously about using the tank, so I filled it the rest of the way up while still in my basement and got most of the equipment together for a freshwater test (I was planning on this being my first saltwater tank - luckily, no salt yet!). I left it running for a couple days, but after I thought I was out of the woods, I went down this morning to find about 2/3 of the water gone. Didn't have to look far - it was all over the floor!
At first I thought I'd accidentally left a siphon going, but upon closer inspection it appears as if one of the seams failed - it looks like water may have squirted out a few feet while it was emptying. The seam that failed was one of the non-90-degree-angle seams, and I did notice when I was sealing the tank that those seams were coming apart somewhat, but I assumed the reseal would take care of it.
Should I attempt to fix this? I'm more than a little worried that I just don't know how to fix it properly once it's all dried out. Do I need to completely separate the panels? Should I approach the non-right-angle seams differently? Needless to say, I'm gun-shy. The last thing I need is a catastrophic failure when this thing is in my living room. Does anyone have any helpful suggestions or pointers for fixing an odd-shaped tank? I was already starting to realize a traditional shape might fit my space better, but I'd like to be able to sell this in good conscience if I decide not to use it...
I feel lucky I was dragging my feet getting everything together - I almost put saltwater in it yesterday morning. I think _if_ I try again, I'm going to do it OUTSIDE this time. (Thankfully, it doesn't freeze here in SF) The basement isn't too bad a cleanup, but I'd certainly prefer no cleanup at all
The project seemed to go pretty well; I removed all the old sealant, leaving the structure intact (that is, I didn't separate the panels) over a couple of days, and resealed it with fresh GE window & door #1. Everything seemed to go pretty well, and I had it filled about 2/3 full for a couple weeks with no issues.
A couple days ago I started thinking seriously about using the tank, so I filled it the rest of the way up while still in my basement and got most of the equipment together for a freshwater test (I was planning on this being my first saltwater tank - luckily, no salt yet!). I left it running for a couple days, but after I thought I was out of the woods, I went down this morning to find about 2/3 of the water gone. Didn't have to look far - it was all over the floor!
At first I thought I'd accidentally left a siphon going, but upon closer inspection it appears as if one of the seams failed - it looks like water may have squirted out a few feet while it was emptying. The seam that failed was one of the non-90-degree-angle seams, and I did notice when I was sealing the tank that those seams were coming apart somewhat, but I assumed the reseal would take care of it.Should I attempt to fix this? I'm more than a little worried that I just don't know how to fix it properly once it's all dried out. Do I need to completely separate the panels? Should I approach the non-right-angle seams differently? Needless to say, I'm gun-shy. The last thing I need is a catastrophic failure when this thing is in my living room.
Does anyone have any helpful suggestions or pointers for fixing an odd-shaped tank? I was already starting to realize a traditional shape might fit my space better, but I'd like to be able to sell this in good conscience if I decide not to use it...I feel lucky I was dragging my feet getting everything together - I almost put saltwater in it yesterday morning. I think _if_ I try again, I'm going to do it OUTSIDE this time. (Thankfully, it doesn't freeze here in SF) The basement isn't too bad a cleanup, but I'd certainly prefer no cleanup at all
