20 high, leak out top

[ChilDawg]

I have a 20g high tank at home (and I am at school, so I have no more info than that, brand name, etc.) which is very nice, with one exception. There is a black "lip" over the top part of the glass, and there exists a leak from just below the lip on the front right of the tank. While I can underfill the tank, my parents don't trust the filter pump enough to believe that it will withstand the constant work of raising water further than normal. Don't ask, I don't know either.

So I am left with an interesting course of action, and I need to know how well this would work.

1.) I am going to look at the region where the leakage occurs. I assume that, since this is a garage-sale acquisition, the silicone is a little old, so I will check on that.

2.) If such is the problem, I am going to take a razor to all the silicone in the tank, and then re-do it.


My series of questions:

Anything else I can check?

Which silicone should I use?

Is there anything else I should do for this tank?


Thanks for your help with this...Goldie would like his tank back (and Matt would love the tank for something else when Goldie goes to "Summer Camp" outdoors).

Thanks,

Matthew

[Gumby7]

I wouldn't "razor out" all the silicone. Its very easy to pull it loose within the actual joint then the strength is gone. Remember its the silicone that is most likely holding the tank together.

You said its near the very top in which case a localized repair is unlikely to cause the tank to totally fail. I'd carefully cut away the bead, being careful not to pull or stretch the silicone out of the butt joint, clean it, and re silicone with aquarium silicone. (Tip: use masking tape on either side of your desired bead to prevent your finger from smearing silicone all over the glass).

You will have to assess the overall condition though. Older tanks can fail. If it has a real frame on the top and bottom that should provide significant structural support. (Some no-name small tanks are framed with pieces of trim that don't provide any reinforcement).

Gumby