Leak in tank need advice

[EpicWin]

So I re siliconed a tank. I water tested it and everything seemed well. It's been a week with the tank set up and I notice that I have salt creep every morning in one of the bottom corners....... I'm so mad.... Question is do I tear down the tank again and seal it or do I just deal with the salt creep every morning? Any chance it will just eventually seal itself? And finally is it a structural issue?

 

[ZOAKING1]

i say play it safe brake it down and do it right this time and never have to worry about it again...u dont wanna come in from work one day n see ur tank empty and all the water on the floor.if u leave it alone it might get worst.so just do your self a favor and do it right...

 

[Troylee]

Yeah that's structural and needs imidiate attention... Prolly easier to find a new tank honestly... You will need to dissemble that whole tank and spend hours stripping the old silicone and acetone baths in hopes of a repair...

 

[EchoPapaGolf]

Agreed.....start over. How big is the tank?

 

[EpicWin]

Geez u really think its that urgent? Like I need to go drain it tonight kind of urgent? I was thinking I could just re silicone the leaking area. Ugh.
Tank is 20"x20x20.

 

[Troylee]

Thats the thing... You can reseal the inside but it's not really gonna help the overall integrity... It's not a 911 situation and being that small you might get away with just sealing the inside... The structural bond is actually between the 2 panes of glass... The silicone inside is really only a seal..

 

[EpicWin]

So I let it go for 12 hours just to see exactly how large the leak is and it is absolutely tiny. Half a pinkie fingernail of salt creep in 12 hours. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

 

[SmokeyCFH]

could it be moisture gathering at the top corners and dripping down? my uncle had that problem so I siliconed the hood where it meets the tank. But it's better to be safe than sorry and tear down and start over, you don't want a bigger mess on your hands.

 

[ignatz]

Once water is leaking between the panes of glass, your internal seal has failed and the structural silicone used to hold the panes together is being threatened. The lower down the leak, the more serious the problem. Eventually the water will wear away the silicone. Who knows how long? In any case, the tank needs to have the structural silicone replaced along with the internal seals. I would estimate something like 80 man hours (for me, an amature) to clean, prep, and reseal a 20" cube tank. Add the cost of silicone and replacement trim and it's probablly cheaper to buy a new tank and sell this one to the reptile guys.