Leaking Tanks?

[johnblaid]

I bought a couple of sturdy bedside table/chest of drawers to put a pair of 29 gallon tanks on them. Both were Aqueon brand. After 6 months, one has had no leaks and is doing fine. the other has had two tanks start leaking. I got curious and checked the level on both and the on that breaks tanks is not level and the top appears to be "Torqued" or flexed so that it is not flat.

But not by much.

Is leveling the tank really that important or could something else be causing these blown tanks. The leaks are always around the top. I find it hard to beleve that two tanks were bad on their own and did not start leaking for a couple of months.

Any comments>

 

[coralbandit]

The leak could actually be 'capillary action'.
With the tank being un level it could be possible for water to get out under the top rim.
I have had this happen when I installed new top trim on tanks that I did not completely silicone.
I hadn't thought about it before.
I saw water trails and drops on the corners from this till I resealed the whole trim.
If your water touches the silicone for top trim I would look closely for this possibility..

 

[Brookster123]

If the tank twists it can pull the silicone which will compromise the seal. And.. leaks...
Even worse it can crack and.than you'll prelly have an issue. Tanks should always be level and have good contact with the flat surface below.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Andy Sager]

I bought a couple of sturdy bedside table/chest of drawers to put a pair of 29 gallon tanks on them. Both were Aqueon brand. After 6 months, one has had no leaks and is doing fine. the other has had two tanks start leaking. I got curious and checked the level on both and the on that breaks tanks is not level and the top appears to be "Torqued" or flexed so that it is not flat.

But not by much.

Is leveling the tank really that important or could something else be causing these blown tanks. The leaks are always around the top. I find it hard to beleve that two tanks were bad on their own and did not start leaking for a couple of months.

Any comments>

Unfortunately, sturdy furniture is not always good aquarium furniture. It's always best to use dedicated aquarium stands for your fish tanks. For a 29 gal tank, at just over 7 lbs per gallon for fresh water ( 8 lbs for saltwater) , your "stand" will be holding over 200 lbs or more when you add in the weight of the tank and decor. Bedside tables are not designed to hold that kind of weight. The fact that the one is might just be luck more than anything else. That said, it is very important that the tank be on a solid enough surface to not twist ( as previously mentioned.) You can achieve this if the stand is not too warped by placing some styrofoam/ polystyrene sheeting under the tank to help absorb the different pressures the tank will be having. This can be purchased at your local Home Depot or Lowe's in the insulation department generally. I use 3/4" or 5/8" thick styro under all my smaller tanks under 50 gals. I double that thickness for larger tanks. The tank does not necessarily need to be flat level front to back but it needs to be not twisted. The problem when the tank is not level front to back is that water dripped onto the top edge will travel down to the lowest point then drop off the tank. I currently have 2 tanks that do this when the filter inside gets moved and the bubbles hit the top of the tank. I get a nice puddle of water on the floor in front of the tanks when this happens so I know to move the filter. This may or may not have been your situation but something to keep in mind.

Hope this helps

 

[johnblaid]

thanks Andy.

The furniture is pretty massive and well built but it may in fact not be up to the task.

I think the problem is more at the top.

If I blow another tank, I guess I'll get some dedicated furniture. Style is an issue here.

 

[Andy Sager]

thanks Andy.

The furniture is pretty massive and well built but it may in fact not be up to the task.

I think the problem is more at the top.

If I blow another tank, I guess I'll get some dedicated furniture. Style is an issue here.

Then I would definitely try the styro under the next tank to see if that makes a difference. Put a piece of cloth under the styro to protect the furniture and you can color the styro edges with a magic marker or colored tape so that it doesn't show or stand out against the furniture.