Tank is leaking!

Jon Fishman · Feb 25, 2019

AllSignsPointToFish said:
I did this but would only recommend this in smaller tanks. Once the tank is full (mine is only a 125 gallon system), it's impractical to move the tank due to its weight and the chances of damaging something increase greatly in my opinion .

I am thinking a 75 or hopefully a 90. 125 or 150 would be great if I come across a deal I can't say no to

vetteguy53081 · Feb 25, 2019

Agree with hotrocks. . . . . . . . .

Obtain a bin. Stick your heater in it and using the tank water and transfer everything to the bin. Have an air stone or small power head for water movement.
Flush tank out with freshwater. Fill with freshwater and see if you can find area where it is leaking from. ( you can do two inches at a time also and once leak begins, you know where on tank or area it is leaking from). Use a razor blade and scrape away silicone from that area and clean with rubbing alcohol. Then apply aquarium SEALANT such as all glass, aqueon or marineland silicone)
Allow to dry at least 12 hrs- better yet 24 hrs and water test with tank full. if properly sealed, no leak should be the result and you can then repack your tank. ( now will be the time to re-scape, add rock and enjoy the tank once again).

If you are not comfortable with resealing, you can empty and buy a new tank, this way you are repacking in a couple of hours. Tub and sealant may cost about $29 whereas you can apply that $20 to a new tank

vetteguy53081 · Feb 25, 2019

AllSignsPointToFish said:
I did this but would only recommend this in smaller tanks. Once the tank is full (mine is only a 125 gallon system), it's impractical to move the tank due to its weight and the chances of damaging something increase greatly in my opinion .

I did this successfully on a 240g and 360g. I used to own a full line pet store and resealed tanks for customers from 20 to 150g

AllSignsPointToFish · Feb 25, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
I did this successfully on a 240g and 360g. I used to own a full line pet store and resealed tanks for customers from 20 to 150g

How did you move a 360 gallon tank that weighed probably close to 3000 pounds when full? Gingerly, I assume

I think flooring type is also an important factor in now well this works.

jsvand5 · Feb 25, 2019

Just buy a big Rubbermaid trashcan and put everything in that. They are great for water storage anyway now that you have a larger tank coming. When the new tank shows up use new sand, aquascape, and add the fish back. You shouldn’t get much, if any, ammonia. Keep a bottle of Prime on hand just in case though.

vetteguy53081 · Feb 25, 2019

AllSignsPointToFish said:
How did you move a 360 gallon tank that weighed probably close to 3000 pounds when full? Gingerly, I assume

I think flooring type is also an important factor in now well this works.

360 WAS DRAINED AND RESEALED RIGHT IN PLACE BUT AGAIN, IT WAS A PINHOLE AND I KNEW RIGHT WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM WHICH MADE THINGS VERY EASY.

AllSignsPointToFish · Feb 25, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
360 WAS DRAINED AND RESEALED RIGHT IN PLACE BUT AGAIN, IT WAS A PINHOLE AND I KNEW RIGHT WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM WHICH MADE THINGS VERY EASY.

My bad. I thought you were talking about using sliders to move a filled tank around.

Captain Quint · Feb 25, 2019

Jon Fishman said:
Ugh. How common is this?!?!? I don't know that I could bring myself to starting over, but then again I love an excuse to upgrade

I have read recently of similar happening.

Mine, however, was completely my fault as it was the second Acrylic tank I made on my own DIY and was a 25g cube. It was a horror none the less.

MichaelClark55 · Feb 25, 2019

Jon Fishman said:
Not sure about the type of floor it is on, but I plan on putting my next stand/tank on 4-6 of those large furniture sliders and then leveling it etc. It would be nice to be able to slide the whole thing 6-8 inches (slowly with help) for cleaning purposes every once in awhile

That's an interesting concept and I may try it. Maybe fill the tank about 1/3 the way up.

MichaelClark55 · Feb 25, 2019

AllSignsPointToFish said:
My bad. I thought you were talking about using sliders to move a filled tank around.

I am. So this is a 125G. You think this is an iffy proposition? My nerves can't take any more problems. I just got back from buying a new sump tank and refugium tank. Perfect for what I want to do. Cleaning the sump tank cracked it while it was lying on its side. Didn't notice the bulkhead was on the downside! What a moron. Drove 2 hrs to pick up the tank. Oh well, tomorrow another long drive for another tank.

tsav87 · Feb 25, 2019

TitanCi said:
Time to upgrade to a large tank!

+1

AllSignsPointToFish · Feb 25, 2019

MichaelClark55 said:
I am. So this is a 125G. You think this is an iffy proposition? My nerves can't take any more problems. I just got back from buying a new sump tank and refugium tank. Perfect for what I want to do. Cleaning the sump tank cracked it while it was lying on its side. Didn't notice the bulkhead was on the downside! What a moron. Drove 2 hrs to pick up the tank. Oh well, tomorrow another long drive for another tank.

Well, the issue is that the foam on the sliders gets compressed at some point, making them a bit difficult to remove. In addition, all I had was the big circular ones, so they're kind of ugly. Other than that, I don't think it's a particularly iffy proposition as long as all feet are evenly supported.

I had a slight bow in my stand because I was a dummy with only four sliders, so I placed them only at the corners. I had to use shims to take up the slack to ensure the entire perimeter of the tank was supported.

MichaelClark55 · Feb 25, 2019

AllSignsPointToFish said:
Well, the issue is that the foam on the sliders gets compressed at some point, making them a bit difficult to remove. In addition, all I had was the big circular ones, so they're kind of ugly. Other than that, I don't think it's a particularly iffy proposition as long as all feet are evenly supported.

I had a slight bow in my stand because I was a dummy with only four sliders, so I placed them only at the corners. I had to use shims to take up the slack to ensure the entire perimeter of the tank was supported.

Hmmmm. ..... I really would like to do this

AllSignsPointToFish · Feb 25, 2019

MichaelClark55 said:
Hmmmm. ..... I really would like to do this

I think you can...it just has to be something planned for up front, especially if you are building the stand yourself.

MichaelClark55 · Feb 25, 2019

I'm going to have a continuous 2x4 rail on the bottom so I could put felt on the entire perimeter. That might help?

MichaelClark55 · Feb 25, 2019

MichaelClark55 said:
I'm going to have a continuous 2x4 rail on the bottom so I could put felt on the entire perimeter. That might help?

AllSignsPointToFish · Feb 25, 2019

MichaelClark55 said:
I'm going to have a continuous 2x4 rail on the bottom so I could put felt on the entire perimeter. That might help?

What kind of flooring do you have?

Oshengems · Feb 25, 2019

MichaelClark55 said:
Thanks guys for the quick reply. I knew the answer I was just grabbing for hope. My tank is awesome and thriving. I've worked so hard to get it to this point. I am getting new tank hopefully tomorrow. Time to upgrade. Is there anything I need to know to keep corals and fish sorta happy. I have a 40 gallon a friend is loaning to transfer the livestock in to. I have over 30 corals and 6 fish. Already tore down the 30 gallon refugium. Got 5 gallons buckets under the leaks for now.

Yes that’s the attitude!! I had a similar leak on a used 75g and was very discouraged but bounced back! My issue was my floor I did not use enough shims and also used the wood ones so Imagiened when I had spills that wood was warping my stand was also that compressed wood not solid and I had a few big spills that completely got the wood wet and warped. Lesson learned.