Tank moving disappointment

[SaltieFresh]

I'm a little disappointed and mad at this point. I'm moving about 3 hours away tomorrow, so I decided to break down my 90 gallon aquarium last night. When I first got the tank, there was a small crack in the black plastic base; but it never leaked and I've been keeping an eye on it since I got the tank. So last night once I got everything out and the water drained, I decided to turn the tank on its side to look at the crack. To my surprise, water came out of the crack as soon as it was moved to its side.

I think that the tremendous amount of weight from the rocks, sand and water pushed down on the bottom layer of silicon enough to prevent any leaks while it was setup. As a precautionary measure, I filled the crack with epoxy to prevent it from cracking any further. So, what do you guys think? Do you think that this leak is now permanent, or will the epoxy help? Is there anything else I can do besides completely replacing the plastic and resealing the whole tank?

 

[melosu58]

I`d almost say that if it leaked then it will leak if you fill it up. That same amount of weight might work against you this time.

 

[SaltieFresh]

I have a feeling you might be right. I think I'm going to give it a try in the UNFINISHED part of the basement, lol. I'll monitor it daily. If I don't find a drop of water, I might eventually move it to the family room. I'll put a plastic sheet between the tank and stand so I'll be able to see if any water has accumulated. This leak has got me thinking about acrylic tanks for any future purchases though.

 

[melosu58]

I hope all works out.

 

[SaltieFresh]

Me too, for my sanity. In a perfect world, it will hold up for a few months until I can afford to upgrade to a 125 or 150 gallon acrylic tank. I knowing my luck though, as soon as I fill up the tank, it's literally going to explode (not break, actually blow up). Hahaha.

 

[newfound77951]

Eeek....personally I wouldn't even try it. can you look for a used 75 or 90g on Craigslist? Not sure what the epoxy will do, that's not an application where epoxy is typically used.

You could 'just' reseal the entire tank with silicone. Not a simple job, but you might sleep better that way, and it's cheaper than buying a new tank.

 

[cabezon]

i tipped over a 75 to clean it and the whole front smashed. fun fun.

 

[SaltieFresh]

Well, it has been moved in for a few days and all is well! Like I said, I've used epoxy between the crack on the plastic base to prevent it from cracking any further and I placed a sheet of plastic between the tank and stand to make see if there is a leak. So far, not a drop of water. It's filled up with all of the rocks in place and it's looking good. Of course I'll continually monitor it, but I'm thinking that it's fixed at least until I get a bigger tank (fingers crossed).

Now it's time for me to start saving up for that 150 gallon to replace the 90 gallon tank.