Resealing aquarium

dugthefish · May 28, 2019

I picked up a 50 long that I'm gonna use for a custom sump. I cut out all the seams, cleaned with acetone, and resealed it. 48 hour water test successful with no leaks.

As I drained the tank, in order to get the last bit of water out, I stuck a 2x4 under one short end, then tilted the long end to get the last of the water into the corner to siphon out. At this point, with the weight of the near empty tank on one one corner, water began dripping out from between that corner and the frame. Thoughts?

ludnix · May 28, 2019

Does the tank have a plastic bottom trim that water could have accumulated in making it appear to leak? I would rule that out and retest.

Pntbll687 · May 28, 2019

dugthefish said:
I picked up a 50 long that I'm gonna use for a custom sump. I cut out all the seams, cleaned with acetone, and resealed it. 48 hour water test successful with no leaks.

As I drained the tank, in order to get the last bit of water out, I stuck a 2x4 under one short end, then tilted the long end to get the last of the water into the corner to siphon out. At this point, with the weight of the near empty tank on one one corner, water began dripping out from between that corner and the frame. Thoughts?

I would just perform another water test.

It could have been an accumulation of water on the outside of the tank that you didn't notice, and then tilting the tank made it all come to that one corner and look like a drip/leak.

dugthefish · May 28, 2019

Pntbll687 said:
I would just perform another water test.

It could have been an accumulation of water on the outside of the tank that you didn't notice, and then tilting the tank made it all come to that one corner and look like a drip/leak.

Not likely. With all the weight on that corner, it dripped steadily and uninterrupted until I righted the tank. Was quite careful while filling to not splash water on the outside, as well.

dugthefish · May 28, 2019

ludnix said:
Does the tank have a plastic bottom trim that water could have accumulated in making it appear to leak? I would rule that out and retest.

Yes. And I believe that can be ruled out.

dugthefish · May 28, 2019

I'm literally torn 3 ways. It had no visible leaks over 48 hours filled all the way. There is no foreseeable circumstance where any weight would be directly on the corner like I tilted it to drain. Do I:

Cut out and reseal the entire thing?
Gob up the corners?
Leave it and call it good?

Pntbll687 · May 28, 2019

If you're that torn over it I would reseal it, or at a minimum run a new bead for several inches in that corner.

If you don't, you'll be thinking about it all the time. Take the time now and fix it right so you don't end up filling it with equipment just to pull it out again.

And by "fix it" I mean do whatever is going to put your mind at ease

bluprntguy · May 28, 2019

agree with @Pntbll687. If you are concerned enough to be posting about it, it's probably always going to bother you. I'd fix it now so that you can sleep at night.

Peace River · May 28, 2019

If you think it is a leak then (if it were me) I would reseal the tank instead of ignoring or patching. The trade off of the time and bother of resealing the tank now seems preferable to the risk off emptying 50+ gallons onto the floor (and any other related damage). Good luck!

Snitch · May 28, 2019

I'd re-do / re-seal it all again... a silicone patch is just a band-aid IMO. Do it right and feel confident about it.

Reefs and Geeks · May 29, 2019

If the tank is leaking when you tilted it a certain way, than it will continue to leak if filled with water again. You could redo the leak test with it full and try to pinpoint exactly where the water is comming from. If it does leak, than a reseal for sure is the way to go. I think any water that could have been trapped in the brace would be hard to see unless you tilted the tank, and could seem to leak for a while as it drains to one side.

In the end, if it is leaking, or if you're worried about it leaking, a full re-do is in order. patches never work as new silicon won't adhear to cured silicon, so there will always be a leak path with a silicon patch. The worst part of resealing, as you've already found out, is scraping out all of the existing silicone. For a 55 gallon, you don't need much caulk, so the real cost would be mainly your time.

jtl · May 29, 2019

When you say "reseal" did you tank the panels completely apart, clean and put it back together or did you just clean and reseal the inner seal? It would not leak unless the seal between the panels is breached so the only long term fix is to completely disassemble the entire tank. I have done that a couple of times on 100 gallon tanks and it is a lot of work.

dugthefish · May 29, 2019

jtl said:
When you say "reseal" did you tank the panels completely apart, clean and put it back together or did you just clean and reseal the inner seal? It would not leak unless the seal between the panels is breached so the only long term fix is to completely disassemble the entire tank. I have done that a couple of times on 100 gallon tanks and it is a lot of work.

Did not pull it apart, just the inner seal. Prior to doing anything, it passed a 7 day leak test without a drop. But there were a lot of gouges and what not in the inner seal, so I decided to redo them anyway.

jtl · May 29, 2019

dugthefish said:
Did not pull it apart, just the inner seal. Prior to doing anything, it passed a 7 day leak test without a drop. But there were a lot of gouges and what not in the inner seal, so I decided to redo them anyway.

Believe me if the structural seal was not compromised it would not leak. The inner seal doesn't do much. I would not trust it.