Crack in tank!

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

I noticed that i was losing water volume at a relatively fast rate considering my tank had a lid and was covered and then i noticed this!

i noticed that there was salt crystals beginning to form at the bottom frame of my tank and then i saw it! is it fixable, or am i gonna just have to totally restart with a different tank? i think im going to siphon the saltwater out and turn off the filter and heater / etc. if its not and maybe just take the plunge and move my setup over to a bigger tank?

Can a little super glue fix this? i can't even feel it when i rub my finger over it save for the larger crack on the side. should i just suck it up and move my sand and rock to another tank?

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

note that it mostly seems like it goes thru the silicone...

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

and, if this isnt fixable, what do i do? do i just get a bunch of buckets and bowls and put all the rock and sand in it, siphon the water, and then put it in the new tank and start the cycle over?

19Mateo83 · Jun 14, 2023

A brute trash can or Rubbermaid storage tubs make good temporary tanks.

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

19Mateo83 said:
A brute trash can or Rubbermaid storage tubs make good temporary tanks.

I have neither of those, at least neither of those currently free. (No brutes though.)

Salty_Northerner · Jun 14, 2023

seanarino said:
I noticed that i was losing water volume at a relatively fast rate considering my tank had a lid and was covered and then i noticed this!

i noticed that there was salt crystals beginning to form at the bottom frame of my tank and then i saw it! is it fixable, or am i gonna just have to totally restart with a different tank? i think im going to siphon the saltwater out and turn off the filter and heater / etc. if its not and maybe just take the plunge and move my setup over to a bigger tank?

Can a little super glue fix this? i can't even feel it when i rub my finger over it save for the larger crack on the side. should i just suck it up and move my sand and rock to another tank?

Do you have any aquarium silicone? You can temporarily seal it off and it will cure under water FWIW.

That might buy you some time to figure out an alternative solution.

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

fullinfusion said:
Do you have any aquarium silicone? You can temporarily seal it off and it will cure under water FWIW.

That might buy you some time to figure out an alternative solution.

I don't

I have more tanks, but no silicone.

Kmst80 · Jun 14, 2023

Think about a new tank fast. That line coming from the impact area could run all the way across the whole panel at any time. This tank is not structurally sound anymore. A bit of silicone won't help for long anyway. If you got corals and fish in it relocate them asap and empty that tank.

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

Kmst80 said:
Think about a new tank fast. That line coming from the impact area could run all the way across the whole panel at any time. This tank is not structurally sound anymore. A bit of silicone won't help for long anyway. If you got corals and fish in it relocate them asap and empty that tank.

thankfully its got nothing but bristleworms and maybe a single baby trochus snail that hitchhiked LOL

David3147 · Jun 14, 2023

What about flex seal? I have noooo idea if it works but maybe search this forum and the a quick run to Home Depot. May buy u a few hours.

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

David3147 said:
What about flex seal? I have noooo idea if it works but maybe search this forum and the a quick run to Home Depot. May buy u a few hours.

it's 2 AM :')
but i have an empty tank!

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

I wanted to ask though, is the silicone *NOT* around the seam peeling a problem? when i was using my scraper, i scraped the seam on accident, and some of the seals are flaky despite being a basically brand new tank. should i worry? i dont know if i have much time.

edit: the actual seals are intact and undamaged, but the thin silicone on the glass rubbed off while i was cleaning the tank out.

AydenLincoln · Jun 14, 2023

Is this a Red Sea tank lol? And no it’s definitely not fixable/I wouldn’t fix it or even try. Drain the tank ASAP and remove the livestock before a catastrophic failure.

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

AydenLincoln said:
Is this a Red Sea tank lol? And no it’s definitely not fixable/I wouldn’t fix it or even try. Drain the tank ASAP and remove the livestock before a catastrophic failure.

Once again, no livestock...

Anyway, no, its an old (questionably old) Aqueon 10 gallon standard.

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

I don't have any other tanks I can use right now, and this is the silicone seal in the 20 gallon. is this going to be a major problem? The seams between the panels are COMPLETELY unscathed, and I don't have any aquarium silicone / don't live nearby a LFS at all (closest one is 35-40 minutes away)

Also, it's 2:30 AM.

AydenLincoln · Jun 14, 2023

seanarino said:
I don't have any other tanks I can use right now, and this is the silicone seal in the 20 gallon. is this going to be a major problem? The seams between the panels are COMPLETELY unscathed, and I don't have any aquarium silicone / don't live nearby a LFS at all (closest one is 35-40 minutes away)

Also, it's 2:30 AM.

If you don’t have any livestock I personally would just drain it and put anything that was in it in a container like a large bowl.

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

AydenLincoln said:
If you don’t have any livestock I personally would just drain it and put anything that was in it in a container like a large bowl.

I do not want to do that. Temporarily for an hour or two, maybe, but I'd rather not just shove everything in a bucket for an unknown amount of time...

EDIT: Though, I doubt I have much say in the matter...

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

I'm not sure what to do and I'm freaking out. Is the tank ok to use? It like just had water (fresh) in it like 2-3 weeks ago but the seals didnt have non-structural peeling at the time... I rubbed the silicone a little hard with a paper towel while i was wiping it out and it sorta peeled/flaked off? Not like it was dry but like it was too thin, but the seals themselves are still totally intact and the damage isnt structural at all

seanarino · Jun 14, 2023

I'm gonna start moving some stuff to a bucket since this is time sensitive and don't have any other solutions

Hats_ · Jun 14, 2023

That tank can burst at any time and yes it is not structurally sound right now, drain it asap or youll most likely flood the room that its in. It is fixable but you have to take it apart completely and replace the broken panel and the reseal the whole tank. Wouldnt waste any time if i were you. Id rather have to recycle than deal with a flooded room...