Cracked skimmer

Mstanker · Jun 3, 2014

Alright so I have been waiting about a yr to get everything g together for my tank, now my skimmer has a hair line crack in the neck. The crack is very fine. I took some silcone aquarium safe/fish and went over the crack. Anyone have a idea of if they will work or if just junk now?

berbotty · Jun 3, 2014

I used weld on to fix my broken cracked skimmer - works like a champ

mcarroll · Jun 3, 2014

If the skimmer still functions and it runs in-sump, the crack may not matter at all.

If the silicone ends up not being sufficient, I'll second the WeldOn suggestion.

Definitely not junk.

-Matt

Mstanker · Jun 3, 2014

What like a plastic weld?? Any name brand

Mike J. · Jun 3, 2014

My skimmer has had a hair line crack by the cup drain for years; it's never leaked.

Mstanker · Jun 3, 2014

J-B Weld - 8277 - Epoxy Adhesive, underwater, 2 oz, Stick would this work

Mike J. · Jun 3, 2014

No, probably will come off plastic. Try this:

Loctite 0.85 fl. oz. Plastic Epoxy-1360788 at The Home Depot

Mstanker · Jun 3, 2014

Cool I'll see if the silicone works first. Also should I pour a bottle of instant ocean start up or I have some cril will that start the cycle?

Mike J. · Jun 3, 2014

Oohh, I have bottles of that stuff from prizes and stuff, but I won't even give it away. Take a raw shrimp and put it in a net hanging in your tank and let it dissolve. That will start the ammonia off nice and strong like it should be.
The krill will work too. Make sure you get a good reading on the ammonia.

Mstanker · Jun 3, 2014

What about a couple of krill shrimp?

Reefing Madness · Jun 4, 2014

Weld On #3 or #16

saltyfish · Jun 4, 2014

The WeldOn mentioned above works great as it is a liquid solvent that can get inside the crack and chemically bond the acrylic back together.

mcarroll · Jun 4, 2014

Mstanker said:
Cool I'll see if the silicone works first. Also should I pour a bottle of instant ocean start up or I have some cril will that start the cycle?

Putting your live rock in and waiting is all that's required for a cycle....no shrimp, etc. Since you have the Startup you could use or return it.

-Matt

ethridge78 · Jun 4, 2014

weld-on

Mstanker · Jun 4, 2014

mcarroll but i am using dry rock not live rock

mcarroll · Jun 4, 2014

Unless you are already in a hurry, let it run a few weeks. At most add a little flake food or similar...bacteria will colonize your tank+rock. Stock the tank slowly and you won't have an issue. The stuff you have should shorten this process up, but I'd still execute the same.

-Matt

dougers31 · Jun 4, 2014

Reefing Madness said:
Weld On #3 or #16

+1000

You can usually find it on ebay or amazon for a decent price. One of them is thicker than the other(I forget which) and usually easier to work with but the thinner stuff will get into the crack better. Both should work though. I would definitely NOT use silicone, epoxy, jb weld, or super glue as they are either temporary or ugly fixes.

Mstanker · Jun 4, 2014

I'm not in a hurry but i'd like to get the show on the road lol. So when i get home ill pour that instant ocean start-up in and maybe let a krill decay in my tank. The cycle should turn out the same. Plus put my skimmer in the sump and get that bad boy working right. I hope the silicone will hold up. Thanks for the help going on here.

ReefMedic68W · Jun 7, 2014

Soooo.... I woulda just filled this thing up with water and seen if it leaked first. Just a suggestion! Haha

Think of it like a cracked windshield. Sometimes there's a hairline crack in them, but it's purely cosmetic and the windshield still does it's job just fine. Probably the same with your skimmer.

WeldOn over silicone for this any day of it does leak. Would have you fixed in seconds and fixed RIGHT as opposed to silicone.

Simple