100 gallon reef cube sprung a leak tonite!

[av8soulfly]

Water started gushing from the top 5 inches of my tank tonite. I immediately shut off the sump pump to lower the level of water and drained 15 gallons out to lower it more. The leak stopped, so it's only at the top 5 inches. I wrapped two ratchet straps around the whole tank to give support. There are 2 circulation pumps working to keep everyone alive while I repair the seam. I scraped the old silicone from the seam about 6 inches down. I'll clean it with acetone tomorrow and apply a fresh bead of silicone and let it dry for 2 days. Does this sound like it'll work? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[homer1475]

Nope isn't going to do a thing. May stop the leak for a short time, but it's the silicone between the panels that holds the glass together. The "fillet" on the inside, is just "window dressing".

The leaking panel needs to be completely removed, silicone removed, cleaned, and resealed to the other pane with a fresh bead of silicone. Something most DIY'ers won't try to do on their own(not an easy task).

 

[av8soulfly]

Nope isn't going to do a thing. May stop the leak for a short time, but it's the silicone between the panels that holds the glass together. The "fillet" on the inside, is just "window dressing".

The leaking panel needs to be completely removed, silicone removed, cleaned, and resealed to the other pane with a fresh bead of silicone. Something most DIY'ers won't try to do on their own(not an easy task).

Thanks for your input...not the answer I was looking for though. I guess I'll try the quick fix I stated above and see how it goes. If it doesn't work, I think I'll get rid of the whole mess and try to sell off what I can.

 

[jcolliii]

Sorry to hear man, but I second the comment above. I know it's not what you want to hear, but the strength of the seams comes from the material between the pieces of glass not the beads on the inside. I suggest getting a new tank, and transferring everything over to that. Alternatively, a plastic stock tank will make a good temporary home if you did want to drain, remove the front pane, clean, and reseal. There are some good videos out there that show how to do this.

 

[Yates273]

Unfortunately it’s a gamble to reseal one spot because eventually it will leak again. Silicone does not stick to silicone very well. I’m sure you can get it to stop but the thought of it leaking again would worry me. Not to mention Murphy’s law. It always happens at the worse times.

 

[av8soulfly]

So I smeared some silicone into the corner and I'll leave the ratchet straps in place. This should buy me some time to run the filtration and figure out what to do with this point of sale Marineland tank. I bought it from reefapalooza for $500 and welded a steel stand for it. It's 30x30x25 inches, so finding a replacement tank the same size won't be easy. I certainly won't get another Marineland tank. Maybe I'll just junk the whole mess and place an artificial palm tree in its place.

 

[Phlynamjax]

I think petco has $1 per gallon sale right now. I think you should pick up 2 x 40g breeder and move everything until you find the permenant tank.

 

[av8soulfly]

I have a 20 g, a 10 g, and a 5 g to house most of my critters and coral. They are already set up with small amounts of coral and a few fish. I think I might try to repair the leaking tank by removing the front glass and resealing it.

 

[Snoopy 67]

Make sure all surfaces are cleaned & then cleaned again.

 

[Supa]

I would agree with the person above that says go to petco and get the 1dollar per gallon tanks grab two of the 40 gallon tanks that’s a reasonable way out until you can find new nice tank or something

 

[av8soulfly]

Well, I'm committed now...or maybe I should be committed!

 

[Yates273]

Perfect. Now at least you know it’s going to be done right. I used the ASI silicone when I did mine 120. It’s super tacky and strong.

 

[av8soulfly]

I already picked up GE 100% silicone from HomeDepot. The one you're showing looks better since it states for aquarium use. What do you think about the GE stuff?

 

[ScottB]

I already picked up GE 100% silicone from HomeDepot. The one you're showing looks better since it states for aquarium use. What do you think about the GE stuff?

As long as there is NO mention of mold/mildew prevention.

I just wanna say that your emergency response was all good. Wishing you well on the repair.

 

[av8soulfly]

As long as there is NO mention of mold/mildew prevention.

I just wanna say that your emergency response was all good. Wishing you well on the repair.

Thanks. I ordered the ASI silicone just to be safe. Delivery on Sat. It'll take me that long just to scrape off the coraline algae on the back glass! I'm going to do all the inner seams, and maybe pull the back glass off too.

 

[Yates273]

I already picked up GE 100% silicone from HomeDepot. The one you're showing looks better since it states for aquarium use. What do you think about the GE stuff?

GE 1 silicone will work but when I used this on my 40 after awhile it turned yellow. You will not be disappointed with the ASI. If your just doing the front panel then your fine if your doing the entire tank. Have a plan since it skins over pretty quick. I did all 4 corners first and spread with finger. Then I did the bottom. Also to make your corners look good tape everything off

 

[av8soulfly]

Thanks for the help and advice. Definitely gonna tape up after I clean the glass 50 more times. Tiki is the inspector;Happy

 

[Yates273]

One other piece of advice is once it skins over don’t touch it.

 

[floatchop]

Yikes! What pita. Good on ya for tackling it and not giving up!

 

[ScottB]

Paper towels soaked in vinegar solution placed over that coralline: Magic.