HELP: Leaking Return Pump. Worried about major issues.

[Joe Rogers]

Hi, I was just getting my tank set back up again and filling up the display with water. Just when it started to get to the level that water was flowing down the durso pipe, I started to notice some leaking. I have an SCA 66 tank, which hold about ~50 gallons up in the display and has a ~20 gallon sump. While filling the tank (by pouring water into the display), I started to notice leaking from the return pump and the other bulkhead that is blocked off. Both are leaking (the two that have arrows pointing at them in the picture).

I am really scared to turn on the return given that leaking. It looks like the leaking is coming from the seal between the return pump pipe and the bulkhead (circled that area for reference). Does anyone else think this could be a sign of something really bad? I'm already taking the water out and am considering just getting a whole new tank at this point. I don't understand how it would be leaking because the return hasn't even been turned on so there is no water in that pipe (it is a durso drain and T-pipe return). I could of course take the water out and try to reseal all of that, but it sounds like putting a bandaid on a gunshot wound.

Am I overreacting here? What would you do in my situation?

 

[Silver14SS]

Is that a slip or threaded bulkhead? If threaded I’d take it apart, clean the excess sealant up, and try it again. If it’s a slip fitting, it needs to be installed with the appropriate pvc glue.

 

[Joe Rogers]

Is that a slip or threaded bulkhead? If threaded I’d take it apart, clean the excess sealant up, and try it again. If it’s a slip fitting, it needs to be installed with the appropriate pvc glue.

It is a slip Bulkhead.

Sorry for the dumb question, but are you saying that the PVC glue needs to be applied to the area of connection between the return pipe and the bulkhead? That does seem to be where the leaking is for the return pipe.

But I still can't wrap my head around why the other unused bulkhead is leaking....

 

[Silver14SS]

The slip fitting going inside the bulkhead needs to be glued. You may want to start over with new bulkheads if you can’t remove whatever is on them now.

https://gmacreef.com/plumb-reef-tank-glue-pvc-drill-glass/

Unused bulkhead may be leaking from the gasket or from however you blocked it off on thoverflow side.

 

[mfinn]

Looks like new bulkhead time.

IDK, but the fitting on the far right looks like it has silicone squeezed out.
Did you use silicone to seal the pvc fittings into the bulkheads? Or PVC glue?
What's that white stuff?
As far as the unused bulkhead, what and how did you seal it?