Leaking Tank Fix

[animal877]

ok so this morning i found that my tank was leaking at a decent pace and was asking for a 20g tank just to move everything over. so thanks to a fellow reefer i decided to examine the tank more and i found that the leak is coming from the top corner. my qustion is, is there any way to stop that without taking the tank down? i know silicon is a way to go as far as leaks on the tank problem is that needs a dry surface for a few days to work. it is on the outside so i dont need to submerse anything and there will b little going into my tank i can remove corals if needed but if theres a cheap way to fix it lmk. thanks for the help

 

[wrassefan]

I've resealed a 20 long before and cut out all the old silicone where the 2 glass surfaces meet...it is always dangerous to work with a full tank. The way I looked at it was do it right if you are going to attempt it. Cut out all old silicone and clean joints with alcohol. One heavy bead of silicone and smooth. 24-48 hrs cure time. Is petco still having the dollar/gallon sale? Might be the cheapest way out.

 

[animal877]

no i thought of that they stoped that sale like a week or to ago. i did drain the tank down a little bit so the leak stoped i just dont have the back sump anymore but i think i can deal with that for a month or so till i have some money and will probably build a new tank 29g-55g depending on money haha cuz yea i was thinking just go silicon but if some gets into the water i may b in trouble!

 

[JohnK]

Sometimes the seal between the trim and the glass isn't perfect, and this can allow water to creep up capilary style and leak over the glass, not a lot but enough to make it seem like the tank is actually leaking. What happens if you set the water level right at the bottom of the trim?

 

[animal877]

it does stop i think your right on the money there because if i push on the silicon a little it seems to stop but then when i like put my finger nail under it it comes out much faster. i just turned my sump off and threw an extra pump in the tank and will leave it like that for a while until i can ether get a new one or decide if i want to setup a bigger tank. but we will c what i can afford in a few weeks!

 

[JohnK]

If it is doing the capilary thing through the trim you can fix the tank pretty easily.

Option 1- just adjust the drain/overflow so that the water level stays a little lower
Option 2- Drop the water level for a couple of days to allow cure time, and run a little bead of silicone around the inner edge of the trim to seal it off. (If this sounds intimidating, send me a PM, I'd be willing to come to you and show you how/do it for you)

 

[Ryukin_Girl]

I always let the silicone sit 72 hrs just cause I've seen bad things happen. I don't recommend to set it full you never know when 1 You'll do something wrong and kill your tank. 2 Mother Nature being the awsome women she is and mess with you and kill everything in your tank. Over 1 drop or even the fumes of the silicone.

As for a brand new bigger tank I say go for it lol. Im sure the others will agree.
The first time resealing a tank is the scariest after that its all cake. Need any help just holler.