pricing a new aquarium

dictionaaron · Jun 4, 2013

any suggestions for ordering a new aquarium, i just moved and im worried i may have a leak now. i get a little salt creep at a bottom corner but i cant find any water. i cleaned it up and it was not there this morning so im still undecided if its a leak or spill. anyway i have plenty of space and most of my stuff will transfer so i was looking for a 120. what are the options on ordering and can anyone here order tanks? aquarium shop wants 629 which seems pricey. i need a 48 incher so ican do a through wall tank visible on both sides. if it is a leak i may also just give up as my wife wont be really excited since our first tank ended in a disasterous blown seam leak.

laytonp · Jun 4, 2013

You should try Reef Life Aquariums down in Birmingham. I picked up a 60g Cube there a couple of months ago for a really good price. Also for being a small shop they have quite a bit of inventory or could order exactly what your looking for.

Chameleon · Jun 4, 2013

Sometimes my powerheads push water out of the tank if the level gets a bit too high because my overflow teeth get gummed up. I would check that before I start thinking there is a leak. If you do have to buy a new tank keep your eye open on the forum and craigslist and you can get a good deal. If you want to make a drive Nashville has stuff pop up quite often. As far as a new Tank have you thought about building one? Sometimes work you do yourself can be the most rewarding and most reliable if you do it right.

dictionaaron · Jun 4, 2013

Chameleon said:
Sometimes my powerheads push water out of the tank if the level gets a bit too high because my overflow teeth get gummed up. I would check that before I start thinking there is a leak.

i dont see any water on the side though, just a little salt at the bottom. its not seeping out of the trim though like i would think for a leak from a bottom seam, and there is no salt on the inside underneath so its wierd. im hoping its just a splash of some kind. im gonna be ****** it if is a leak i just got two new dimmable onyxs from rapid led and i doubt i can return them.

Chameleon · Jun 5, 2013

how do you like the onyx? I was thinking of trying them out. If you end up wanting to sell them let me know. I prefer to build my leds but those ones struck up some curiosity with me as they are very clean looking compared to my diy builds.

c_healy · Jun 5, 2013

If it was leaking you would know by now. I'd guess just a splash...my fish do it from time to time.

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dictionaaron · Jun 5, 2013

i think it is a leak, albeit a very very very slow one. i rememebr when i was testing mine in my garage during the initial build i found some condensation in that corner under the tank and i dried it and it never came back. hopefully it will seal itself again. it takes a week or so to build up any appreciable salt creep. ill just keep an eye on it at this point and see.

H@rry · Jun 5, 2013

If it's a leak that small it will probably stop up with crud, algae, sand dust, etc. I never could get a calcium reactor to drip for a week at about 100 drops per second without stopping up. Put a small container under it to catch it until it stops.

NicoleC · Jun 5, 2013

I've had slow leaks like that. They tend to get bigger, especially in larger tanks. I would prep some Rubbermaid tubs with powerheads, move everything out including the tank water, dry the seam out good and patch it. Let that cure, leak test it and move everything back in. It's not hard to do and doesn't need to be pretty if it's on the bottom.

Chameleon · Jun 6, 2013

H@rry said:
If it's a leak that small it will probably stop up with crud, algae, sand dust, etc. I never could get a calcium reactor to drip for a week at about 100 drops per second without stopping up. Put a small container under it to catch it until it stops.

I cant count that fast...good eyes there Harry

dictionaaron · Jun 6, 2013

H@rry said:
If it's a leak that small it will probably stop up with crud, algae, sand dust, etc. I never could get a calcium reactor to drip for a week at about 100 drops per second without stopping up. Put a small container under it to catch it until it stops.

its not even dripping anywhere, and i dont even see water, just evidence of moisture that after 4 or 5 days makes a little salt crust around one corner(its around the bottom too not in between the trim and glass). if it is a leak its verrrry slow. like drops per hour slow. but im certain im not spilling so that only leaves one culprit. Im wanting to build a thru-wall 120 in my new house but as i just moved in its low on the priority list.

Liquid360 · Jun 6, 2013

This happens to me as well. Whatever splash no matter how small will evaporate leaving small amounts of salt at the base. We're it a leak you'd see water as any leak would provide a constant rate of water loss.