tank is leaking; please help

[themadblimper]

:help: :help: :help:
Okay, this is a biggie: My 60 gallon hexagon tank has sprung a major leak in one of the silicone joints holding two panels together. The fish and plants are fine, there is about 8" of water left in the tank to support them. (The hole is right above the water level. No more water is coming out.) I plan on taking everything out to repair the tank w/silicone tank sealant.

My question is this: would I need to completely disassemble the tank and remove ALL of the silicone and glass panels, or just the silicone section that has started leaking? If I need to disassemble the whole thing, any steps or directions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

[dabxchef]

relax! easeier said than done it's the tank!!!! :thud: but checkitout!!! how big is the crack less than a inch does not warrant dissassembly only a quick patching!!!! :duh:

[themadblimper]

No crack; the silicone holding the glass together is whats leaking.

And believe it or not, I tried patching it from both the outside and inside. It just started leaking again FOUR DAYS LATER!!!

[tre8160]

Drain the tank a few inches below the leak, take a razor and remove the silicone, clean the area with some alcohol and reseal where it's leaking. allow the repair to cure 24 hrs and refill. If it still leaks then yes the tank will need to be taken apart and complely re-siliconed. Good Luck.

[dabxchef]

:hang: man try it again this time give it another day or two to set this timeyou do not want to disassemble the whole tank! maybe cop a build a tank book from e- bay if you must dissassemble! that is if a second attempt fails is the hole atleast smaller this time?

[themadblimper]

Okay, not as panicky anymore...
So do i remove just the leaking area of silicone or the entire coulum?

[tre8160]

Go a few inches in both directions away from the leak.

[slipknottin]

You need to remove all the silicone, silicone does not bond to itself.

[themadblimper]

Thanks for the help everyone...
Would it be more ethical to but a new tank (Same kind) and just transfer all of the contents to it, or try to repair the tank and leave its occupants hanging for a few days?

[dougall]

I'm in a similar situation myself.. well, I have a tank that started to leak along a bottom seam, and now it sits empty.

Basically I'm waiting for the spring so I can leak test outside..

but..



You need to remove all the silicone, silicone does not bond to itself.

I'm assuming all the way around the interior of the tank, not just the 1 seam from end to end ?


my biggest issue was how the seal itself would hold, for how long or whatever.. I was planning to reseal the whole perimeter just to be safe.. unless someone can tell me that it's not necessary...


and thanks for any advice..!

[dabxchef]

buy it if you can afford to do so! most leaks ive encountered always come back some a few days some months some years but they ussually come back!!! whatever you do don't leave your fish in sub par conditions too long!

[tre8160]

You need to remove all the silicone, silicone does not bond to itself.
If this is the case (and I'm not saying that it's not) wouldn't he need to remove all the silicone and reseal the entire tank? If you only remove the silicone from one joint then eventually you'll end up overlapping the existing silicone at the top and bottom...right?

[themadblimper]

Thats what I was afraid of. My fish are fine now, placed into a cycled tank with two filters (it had one, no sense having the bacteria colony from the leaker dying.)
So I should buy a new tank. (Seeing as how its the odd shape of the aquarium, I can understand. Cant imagine how I would take it apart and reassemble it... I'll probably give it a try in the spring.)
Thanks again everyone.

[captaincrunch]

I guess it's going around because my 55 gal. sprung a leak. I just don't have the space to keep the fish for a few days while I try to fix the leak. Plus, the post who noted that the leaks eventually come back was very disheartening. It's on to google to look for acrylic tanks. Good luck to all fellow leakers (or is it leakees?).