I Have A Slight "Disaster" Starting

[lebloom]

:help:My 75gal tank has a leak in it and its on the bottom of all places. I really can't pinpoint the spot leaking because its somewhere around the frame of my All-Glass tank. I just know its on the bottom and maybe, just maybe around the left front corner. I don't really know what to do other than seal the bottom frame from front to back with some RTV silicone glue. I also don't have time at the momemt because I am going on vacation in 4 days. I do know that there may be 2 leaks because of the salt formation on the front and back of the bottom. Then what says the RTV will even seal up the leak. This reminds me of my very first tank and I was woke up by a loud noise one morning. The tank cracked in the front for some reason and I had a living room full of water. That was a nightmare. RTV takes awhile to setup and I don't know if it'll even fix the problem. Why does all the bad happen when you don't want it too? :confused:

[BoCoMo]

Why does all the bad happen when you don't want it too? :confused:

I personally NEVER want something bad to happen.

Sorry to hear about your tank! I would definitely resolve this before leaving for vacation. Good luck!

[coach_z]

fix it before vacation....might mean getting a new tank but it will also mean that you dont have a handful of dead fish on the floor of your house when you return.

-chris

[cam191919]

ya, sounds like somthing that cant afford to wait. solve the problem somehow

[Pasfur]

You have to fix this before you leave. I would suggest turning this negative into a positive. Buy a 55 gallon storage tote and use it as a temporary aquarium. When you return from vacation you can purchase a new 75 gallon tank and set it up from the beginning, using this as an opportunity to correct all of those little things you wish you had done differently. Get the sand depth exactly right. Spend time on the aquascapping, really creating a great display with open spaces for strong water flow. Maybe even add a refugium.

[ToeJam]

Check a LFS if they can babysit to... then just drain the tank or put lots of SHAMWOW's all over the floor =p

[evelyn80]

Check a LFS if they can babysit to... then just drain the tank or put lots of SHAMWOW's all over the floor =p
shamwows dont work.... also id just get a real big tub to put everything in while your away cause whos gonna be watchin? then come back and scape er all up the way you want to

[Deanthoreu]

you know there is that real cool epoxy they sell in aquarium stores and on tv and in home depot..that u mix with your hand that seals leaks even when they are wet and leaking...i would definately spend the 10 dollars on that...and seal..course i would also..ummm...make sure i had someone checking on that tank a coule times a day while on vacation..and be sure they know how to bail...and leave out buckets, nets, sponges,,,and a couple 4 dozen bath towels....to sop up the mess just in case.

75 gallons is a lot of water....laying on your floor...molding the carpet,,,,,stinking up the place..to say nothing of the potential dead fish,,,the filter that will be running dry and burning out......

wow how can u sleep during vacation knowing u may come home to that?

[lebloom]

Yeah, I tried to reseal the tank myself and it worked for a short period, maybe a month now. The leak started back and I think I'll just have to replace the tank very soon. I just don't have the room to store all of the LR and sand. I have a 20 to put my fish in for a short period of time which helps. This gives me the opportunity to clean that rock of its apstasia. How long will it take before all of the creatures start dying off if I just leave it in water for now?

[wetwillyjoe69]

Mighty putty! on a serious note if you can afford a new tank, get one. or you can try to reseal again. maybe you didnt reseal it properly? silicone is the cheaper route

[lebloom]

I see the leak on the floor but when I try to locate it on the tank I see nothing. At first I thought it might be on the bottom but now not so sure because I also see a salt buildup on the outer bottom bracket which hold the tank together. Maybe this would be that opportunity I need to take my LR all out and give them that scrubbing they need since they are starting to fill up with apstasia.

[BettaFishMommy]

so if you don't have anywhere to put all the live rock and sand and you only have a 20 gallon to keep the fish in temporarily, just get a few of the big rubbermaid bins and use them for live rock/sand storage. if you have enough filters to run on each tub, great, if not, i think airline and airstones or powerheads might work for temporary water movement/oxygenation while you are gone, if your vacation is not a long one. there is an lfs here that has the large tubs with live rock with just air running into them and the rock does just fine. mind you i'm no salty, but i know dead/decaying/yucky stuff when i see it and this rock i speak of isn't any of the above. bonus on the tub idea is you can wash them out after and use them to store stuff around the house!

if any of my suggestion is incorrect or will be harmful to the rock or sand, would somebody please say so? thanks!

[Ace25]

Rubbermaid bin, powerhead, and heater is what you need to keep the rock good. Make sure you don't put the heater against the side/bottom of the plastic bin so you don't risk melting a hole in it.

[lebloom]

I finally done what I needed to do. If the LR and sand aren't kept up to temp will that really effect it much? I have a powerhead in the 2 of the 3 tubs all but the sand. I really need to clean the rock of its apstasia big time. Will the low temp kill it out or not? I just about don't have enough space for the sand itself may have to dump some water. My house looks like a disaster area because of this. I am trying to figure out if I want to epoxy the tank or buy new. The leak is not really visible and not sure what may happen if I just glue the whole bottom braket. I haven't checked out prices for a new tank either.....

[lebloom]

I been trying to locate the All-Glass website, thats the make of my tank, and I'm running into a problem here. I don't think they exist any longer or someone bought them out whatever. But I also am finding that they come with a 10 year warranty which I don't know if thats good or not if they don't exest any more. Anyone know if they are still around or were bought out. It would be great if mine is covered by a warranty since its under the 10 year rule. And not having the funds to buy new right it would be a big hardship saver. Anyone know if they're still in business and how to contact them? Thanks

[BucJason]

screw trying to plug the leak ...probably be a lot of trouble just to see it start leaking again down the road.

I would just bite the bullet and get a brand new tank. A new tank, with nothing but the tank itself, is not that expensive.

Make sure your tank is level also, that may have caused your problem in the 1st place. A tank needs to be level or puts extra strain on one side.

[Dan06]

If you bought the bins for your LR, then there is no need to rush.

It's not hard to seal a tank. It does not take much to clean the original silicone from the glass. Buy new razor blades, have a hair dryer handy, or a heat gun. This will help you soften the silicone if need be.

After you scrape all of the silicone off, you can closely inspect for any cracks in the glass, if you have no cracks & the glass has not separated (even if it has separated, it can be fixed easily), you can certainly re-silicone the tank and it will be fine.

You can go to a local hardware store, home depot/lowes and pick up 100% silicone, 10oz for around 4.99, versus 9.99 for 1oz from your LFS. Make sure you buy 100% silicone, with no mold inhibitors otherwise you'll have a 75g death spa. Let the silicone cure for a minimum of 12 hours, 24 hours is best. Test fill, check for leaks and then get to aquascaping.

[lebloom]

I got that thing emptied now what? How difficult will regluing that thing be? What type of RTV do I use? Can't just use anything that could harm the h20 plus it has some scratches, that would be my reason for new. Can you get rid of scratches in glass at all and it still look good? Probably not, huh? I been looking at the prices of the acrylic on the net but they ARE expensive you know? It really sounds like a big problem to me.

Who sells acrylic cheap on the net? The All Glass model will cost me about $170 for a 75. :help: