tank leaking on bottom panel

[thetonyage]

well yesterday i woke up to the bottom panel of glass on my tank leaking. not just a few drips a second either, like totally leaking, i think the glass cracked. so i took it all apart and i have my sailfin tang, sixline wrasse and a few damsels in my 10 gallon QT with my 4 pieces of coral. my LR is in the garbage can i mix SW in. i am completely lost here. im obviously going to have to get a new tank. i dont think it would be worth removing all the silicone and then putting it back together. the tank was made in april of 1987 wich makes it a month older than me. i dont know what to do. help?

 

[Krypt]

If you can find the individual leak, you can just reseal it. But, as with any band-aid fix, it just fixes that little problem and is probably only a matter of time before another leak pops. I think your tank is telling you that it needs a re-seal, after 23 years of service, that would probably be your best bet and then you would have piece of mind that all your seals are fine and good for another 20 year service.

You probably don't need to rip the whole tank apart, just remove the inner silicone with the tool to rip out seals from your bathroom, then reseal it. The whole cost of silicone and tool would probably be only $10-$20.

However, if your glass is cracked, that will compromise the integrity of the tank and then you'd be safe in assuming you need a new tank.

 

[thetonyage]

If you can find the individual leak, you can just reseal it. But, as with any band-aid fix, it just fixes that little problem and is probably only a matter of time before another leak pops. I think your tank is telling you that it needs a re-seal, after 23 years of service, that would probably be your best bet and then you would have piece of mind that all your seals are fine and good for another 20 year service.

there is a crack on the bottom panel though, can i fill the crack with silicone and have it be fine?

 

[Krypt]

there is a crack on the bottom panel though, can i fill the crack with silicone and have it be fine?

Oh a crack on the bottom? No, that's not repairable afaik. The bottom is the most important part and if its cracking, its time to put the tank out of commision.

 

[thetonyage]

Oh a crack on the bottom? No, that's not repairable afaik. The bottom is the most important part and if its cracking, its time to put the tank out of commision.

thats what i figured. it was a 48"x18.5"x33" tall 125 gal. i would like to get another tank that is 48" wide because thats the size of my light fixture. building a new stand isnt a problem. i dont know where i could find another similar sized 125. glasscages has 150's in 48 x 24 x 31 and 48 x 30 x 25.

 

[austinsdad]

Maybe in the meantime, get a larger QT tank. NO, I'm not bashing about tangs in small tank. I know it's just a QT tank and for emergency purposes, but you're gonna have to change water may like 5x a day (just kidding), to keep ammonia at bay. Maybe a 29? Same footprint as a 20.

Looks like you're gonna be a while getting the main tank replaced or repaired.

You got a powerhead on that rock, right? Gonna have to drop som fish food in there ever coupe days or so to.

 

[thetonyage]

Maybe in the meantime, get a larger QT tank. NO, I'm not bashing about tangs in small tank. I know it's just a QT tank and for emergency purposes, but you're gonna have to change water may like 5x a day (just kidding), to keep ammonia at bay. Maybe a 29? Same footprint as a 20.

Looks like you're gonna be a while getting the main tank replaced or repaired.

You got a powerhead on that rock, right? Gonna have to drop som fish food in there ever coupe days or so to.

well if im going to be getting a new tank i cant really afford a bigger QT, maybe ill put something in my sump with a hob filter.

yea i got a powerhead on the rock, how often should i change the water?

 

[austinsdad]

Monitor the water to check for any ammonia. If none, I'd prolly not worry about it for 2-3 weeks. Nothing scientific in my assessment there. Just my gut tells me that if the ammonia stays at zero, maybe no need to change it.

 

[eyring2210]

If you end up getting a new tank I'll take the old one I'll even bring you a 29 gallon QT tank for the trouble.

 

[mfdrookie516]

if the bottom of the tank is just cracked, and you cant afford another tank, you could always get a piece of glass or plexi and put over the bottom piece, silicone it in with like 10 times what you would normally use, and it should be fine... thats how alot of people repair their bottom glass

 

[Krypt]

if the bottom of the tank is just cracked, and you cant afford another tank, you could always get a piece of glass or plexi and put over the bottom piece, silicone it in with like 10 times what you would normally use, and it should be fine... thats how alot of people repair their bottom glass

I've read about people doing that and I guess I just don't agree with the repair method if the glass is cracked under it. My logic is if the glass underneath is weakened and compromised, the load from the glass placed above it will cause it to eventually crack further and maybe even break. If that happens and the glass that is placed on top of it is not rated to support that kind of weight, it may fail and break also causing a megaflood.

Think about it like this, if you have a cracked 1/2in floor board, and just staple a new 1/4 board over it, it may hold for a while but the flexing from the new board will cause the old board to flex and break further, eventually giving way. Then that 1/4 board isn't going to be able support the weight so it will fail too.

 

[mfdrookie516]

but you have a brace that goes all the way around the tank and one in the middle... there is nowhere for it to go. if there wasnt a support, then i would agree

 

[Krypt]

but you have a brace that goes all the way around the tank and one in the middle... there is nowhere for it to go. if there wasnt a support, then i would agree

You have a point mfd, if there is a sturdy supporting bracing system, then it should be ok. I may have to revise my opinion on the repair in some situations.

In his case, that may have been part of the issue. After 23 years, maybe the integrity of his braces failed causing the crack. If it's one thing I've learned doing construction, is that nothing breaks for no apparent reason. There has to be a cause, whether it be metal fatigue, stress fractures, or something. In his situation where it just happened without any movement, it could be a sign of other more serious issues that we don't know about.

IDK, maybe I'm just thinking to construction minded with this type of repair lol.

 

[mfdrookie516]

thats where a nice thick sheet of plexi comes in handy... it would easily give if the bracing is sagging or something of that sort... and the silicone would bond enough to seal it up since there would only be downward pressure on it... but a new tank would be better, funding being a big factor there

 

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

new tank = cheap then fixed tank and replacing a floor from a flood not counting the things in the tank

 

[thetonyage]

new tank = cheap then fixed tank and replacing a floor from a flood not counting the things in the tank

my thoughts exactly, thats why i decided to go with a new tank from glasscages.

 

[mdaniel2882]

my thoughts exactly, thats why i decided to go with a new tank from glasscages.

I have been thinking about ordering a tank from there. you you please let us know how the quality and the workmanship is. what kind of overflows are you going with...

 

[thetonyage]

I have been thinking about ordering a tank from there. you you please let us know how the quality and the workmanship is. what kind of overflows are you going with...

im goin with one overflow with two 1 1/2" drains, im getting the overflow covered w black acrylic