I have a friend at work who "HAD" 2/55 gal. aquariums, both of which leaked out after a period of years in his home. I also discovered, during conversing with him, that he recently had moved these aquariums to new locations in his home. One of them leaked out about 6 months ago, and the other one leaked out about 2 weeks ago. This has me very concerned because obviously I do not want to deal with this kind of disaster in my home. My question is, what is most likely to cause an aquarium to leak, and what are the chances that an aquarium will leak even if it is never moved?? I almost want to transfer all of the fish to a holding tank and double "reseal" my tank just for safety measures. Thank you for your expert opinions on my concerns.
aquarium leaks?? should I be concerned??
- Thread starter scott wilson
- Start date
Dangerdoll
Global Moderator
wait......let me get this straight..... the tanks both leaked at one time and then stopped?? I don't get it..... I don't know what would cause his tank to leak for just a short time but what can happen to start leaks are maybe his sealer losing grip (which shouldn't) or by placing decore around the tank too roughly. Though if it was leaking at one time, I don't understand how it stopped unless he sealed it. But I wouldn't think there'd be a problem in normal cases. I've never had the problem and I've had my tank up and running for 8 years and has been broken down and moved 3 times out of that 8...... no problem..... If your tank is up and running and through a cycle period, I don't think you'll need to break it down to reseal it......sounds a little over-laborious for me unless you noticed a problem.
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I wouldn't break it down to reseal unless there was actually a leak.
Your friend may have moved the tanks too roughly or with a load in them. Folks have mentioned stressing seals when trying to move bigger tanks with wet gravel in them, for instance, without properly supporting the bottom. Shouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances.
Your friend may have moved the tanks too roughly or with a load in them. Folks have mentioned stressing seals when trying to move bigger tanks with wet gravel in them, for instance, without properly supporting the bottom. Shouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances.
moving the tanks was likely to be a factor if he wasn't careful doing it. i wouldn't worry about your tank springing a leak, its relatively rare. if the silicon is in good condition and the tank isn't put under any stress you should be fine. even if a leak does occur it will more often than not be a trickle rather than a 'torrent'.
you should also be careful about the surface your tank is on. ideally a normal glass tank should be on polystyrene or similar. this is to compensate for any unevenness (is that a word?
) on the stand. even a small piece of grit under between the tank and stand can cause stress on the tank which can lead to cracks and leaks.
anyway the moral of this story is don't worry. it could happen but i doubt it. and anyway you might get run over by a bus tomorrow.....if you see my point
regards
you should also be careful about the surface your tank is on. ideally a normal glass tank should be on polystyrene or similar. this is to compensate for any unevenness (is that a word?
) on the stand. even a small piece of grit under between the tank and stand can cause stress on the tank which can lead to cracks and leaks.anyway the moral of this story is don't worry. it could happen but i doubt it. and anyway you might get run over by a bus tomorrow.....if you see my point
regards
Reseal them. Then you won't be sorry one day that you chose not to. Sometimes when moving a tank....if you don't support it or lift it correctly you can damage the seal.
i actually had a tank that just sprung a leak once and drained half way down (20 gal that was just sitting there). pretty odd.
i'm with OG though, if it was leaking at one point in time there's no way it would just magically stop later. maybe someone was playing a joke on him and sprayed the seam with some water?
i'm with OG though, if it was leaking at one point in time there's no way it would just magically stop later. maybe someone was playing a joke on him and sprayed the seam with some water?
Roland
worlds last gunslinger
If its playing on your mind, you might as well reseal it. That way, once you've done it yourself and are happy with it, you can enjoy looking after the fish without being paranoid and thinking about the movie 'dambusters'!
Don't reseal it.
A lot of the factor's that go into deciding when your tank will go bust are beyond your control. In 15 years, I have had 2 go on me.
The brand is a huge part of it. If the tank isn't siliconed correctly when manufactured, that shortens it's like staight-out.
Also, when tanks leak as a result of silicone sealent failure, they do it slowly. It will be less of a hassle to purchase a new tank 10 years down the road then re-silicone this one (silicone costs money, as does water.) When my second tank's (55 G) silicone failed, the water crept out at a pace of about, say, 3 Gallons, (1.5 inches) a day. I had plenty time to go get a new one.
A lot of the factor's that go into deciding when your tank will go bust are beyond your control. In 15 years, I have had 2 go on me.
The brand is a huge part of it. If the tank isn't siliconed correctly when manufactured, that shortens it's like staight-out.
Also, when tanks leak as a result of silicone sealent failure, they do it slowly. It will be less of a hassle to purchase a new tank 10 years down the road then re-silicone this one (silicone costs money, as does water.) When my second tank's (55 G) silicone failed, the water crept out at a pace of about, say, 3 Gallons, (1.5 inches) a day. I had plenty time to go get a new one.