Leaking 120 Gallon Tank

[bmac300]

My tank has been up for about 4 months without any issues. Prior to saltwater this tank was a freshwater tank for about a year. Today I walked in to find water on the floor and found that the tank is leaking on the bottom. I see no visible cracks but the the bottom of the glass but there is water dripping in the middle of the plastic piece that bonds the side and bottom of the tank. Also water is dripping from the middle plastic piece on the bottom of the tank. What are my options?
I'm currently draining a 90 gallon freshwater and am i'm going to try and transfer everything from the 120 to the 90. My question is this 120 gallon tank salvagable? Is it possible to put some epoxy on the seams and hope for the best. I'm afraid i know the answer but i've been planning and building this tank for over 5 years and finally had the time and the money to build and just as i get it going i'm going to have to shut it down. So dissapointed, in over 20 years of freshwater i've never had a tank leak. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Qasimja]

wow im sorry to hear this happened to you

 

[mfinn]

The tank is probably not saveable, if it is a bottom seam.
You would have to disassemble the whole thing and have it all siliconed up at the same time.

What I would do before completely giving up on it is to check all the bulkheads or hoses or any connection into the tank and make absolutely sure its not one of those. Water travels secretly.
Then try and see exactly where the leak is. Leave no doubt.

 

[Jason mack]

You can reseal it with silicone...just cut the old out first ...

 

[mfinn]

You can reseal it with silicone...just cut the old out first ...

If it's leaking on the bottom seam, the only way to fix it is to take it completely apart and rebuild the tank.
Over the years I've seen many try and do a patch job and I have never seen it work.

 

[Jason mack]

If it's leaking on the bottom seam, the only way to fix it is to take it completely apart and rebuild the tank.
Over the years I've seen many try and do a patch job and I have never seen it work.

I broke the bottom of one of my tanks once ...I removed it and siliconed a new one in ..work great I had no issues....granted it wasnt a 120g ..

 

[bmac300]

That is what I was afraid of i don't think i can salvage it. Going to be a long night.

 

[bmac300]

I checked the entire tank on the outside and all the plumbing and turned of the pumps and the only water i can see is coming from the bottom seams unfortunately.

 

[Dom]

Is the tank glass?

 

[bmac300]

Yes it is glass.

 

[mfinn]

I checked the entire tank on the outside and all the plumbing and turned of the pumps and the only water i can see is coming from the bottom seams unfortunately.

Take a towel and completely dry everything and see where the water is traveling from. See if you can locate the spot where it's coming out at.

 

[MnFish1]

That is what I was afraid of i don't think i can salvage it. Going to be a long night.

Good luck - I would suggest - doing what you're doing - and - trying to trade in the tank - for what you can get at your LFS if you have one - They have the ability to 'fix it correctly' - and you get a new tank. Curious though - what brand of tank is it?

 

[Dom]

Yes it is glass.

With work, any glass can be repaired. If the issue is seams, you can use a safety razor to trim away the old silicon and then reseal. There is no reason to disassemble and reassemble the tank.

If it is a broken panel, then obviously, removal and replacement is necessary.

Have you identified where the leak is? Can you provide pictures?

I believe this tank is salvageable.

 

[Dj City]

You CAN fix it depending on what the damage is.

1. Find the leak
2. Assess the damage
3. Determine if its repairable

If it is a small leak from a seam lifting up, that CAN be fixed pretty easily.

1. Completely remove old sealant
2. Reseal bottom of tank
3. Check for leaks after repair

I had a 125gal spring a leak from the bottom seam.
I removed all the silicone from the bottom and 4 sides. I did NOT pull the tank apart. The silicone that held the glass together was not removed. Just the bead.
I applied fresh silicone all around the tank, let it cure, water tested and set it back up 4 years ago.

I was told I did not have to go up the sides but I figured since I was doing the bottom and the bottom Is connected to the sides, I might as well do the sides too. New silicon does not bond well to old silicon sho I did the whole thing.

I'm sure the small leak between the glass panels is still there but the new secure seal does not allow water to pass.
This was my 1st time EVER trying to reseal a leak on a tank. It has been leak free for the past 4 years.

Turned out great.

DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE!!!

 

[bmac300]

Just a quick update i moved everything from my 75 gallon freshwater into a brute garbage can and then moved most of the saltwater over to the 120, i got all the livestock and most of the live rock and sand. The 120 has about 1/4 of the water left and the leak is down to just a few drips in the centre. I'll get a picture shortly.

I still need to remove the rest of the water and sand/rock today. I'm going to call the only two stores in the city that would possibly sell a 120 hopefully they have a 120 in stock. I don't really feel comfortable trying to reseal the bottom since i don't really know how to do it properly and my wife would kill me if it leaked again.

The tank brand i'm not sure, does have a little sticker with an anchor and it was made in 2014. Sat in my garage for 4 years before i was able to finally use it.

 

[Rickyrooz]

My tank has been up for about 4 months without any issues. Prior to saltwater this tank was a freshwater tank for about a year. Today I walked in to find water on the floor and found that the tank is leaking on the bottom. I see no visible cracks but the the bottom of the glass but there is water dripping in the middle of the plastic piece that bonds the side and bottom of the tank. Also water is dripping from the middle plastic piece on the bottom of the tank. What are my options?
I'm currently draining a 90 gallon freshwater and am i'm going to try and transfer everything from the 120 to the 90. My question is this 120 gallon tank salvagable? Is it possible to put some epoxy on the seams and hope for the best. I'm afraid i know the answer but i've been planning and building this tank for over 5 years and finally had the time and the money to build and just as i get it going i'm going to have to shut it down. So dissapointed, in over 20 years of freshwater i've never had a tank leak. Thanks for any advice.

Who makes the tank? I have a 120, after 6 years it began to leak from cleaning the glass with a scrapper. The silicone seal in one of the corners began to leak. I called Perfecto and they replaced the tank for free, I just had to pick it up from a local LFS and they processed the warranty claim for me. I am, currently still using the new tank and I have been careful not to scrape too close to the seams.

 

[MrsBugmaster]

Sorry to hear about this. Tanks can be resealed, but you gotta know what you are doing.

 

[bmac300]

Here are some pictures, not sure the brand but this is the sticker on the inside of the tank if that helps.

The 2nd picture is looking at the end of the tank from underneath, it is on a metal stand. The white stuff is a horrible attempt at trying to put some epoxy to stop the leak. That leak has mostly stopped.

The last picture is the the centre brace on the bottom and you can still see a few drops of water. In both cases it was only leaking in the middle of that brace and same on the end nothing was coming from the edges.

Is it possible i had too much live rock and sand? I've seen tanks loaded to the top with live rock but mine didn't have that much. I've added a picture of the tank when it was first setup i don't think that is too much rock probably not enough.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Sorry for the headache of pulling a leaking tank.....been there, done that.....not fun.

I'd like to add one more bit of advice.....check the stand to make sure it is spot-on flat. That potentially could have been the reason for the seam failure.

Best of luck.

 

[Dj City]

Good luck.

Sorry you had to buy a new tank.

On the bright side, you can still fix the leak at your leisure and use the old tank for whatever you might want to in the future.