Possible Leak or Just Pressure?

H]-[H · Dec 10, 2013

The tank bottom was normal two days ago after filling up until this afternoon but when I came home just now, there's water mark at the bottom of the tank..
Below the tank is a piece of styrofoam that fits the tank dimensions (4' x 2')
I've attached before and after pictures for references.. (the first two pics were shot with the fish because I never intended to shoot the bottom)
The first two pics were before the water marks appeared..
Please advise, thanks..

Gill Blue · Dec 10, 2013

could the styrofoam or bottom of the tank wet when you put it together?
have you felt around? does it feel wet?
keep an eye on the watermark. if it gets bigger you're in trouble.

Fat Homer · Dec 10, 2013

Make sure to rule out condensation getting trapped in the hood (if you have one) and running down the back..

Or if you have a bubbler and a hood, make sure its not near the back wall of the tank incase the same thing happens...

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H]-[H · Dec 11, 2013

Gill Blue said:
could the styrofoam or bottom of the tank wet when you put it together?
have you felt around? does it feel wet?
keep an eye on the watermark. if it gets bigger you're in trouble.

I'm not really sure if it's wet but let's say it was, then by right water marks should appear the moment I finished filling up the tank, right?
I can't reach the back of the tank but by just eyeballing it, I don't see any dampness around the edges..
The front and sides are completely dry..
The water marks are definitely spreading since yesterday night..

Fat Homer said:
Make sure to rule out condensation getting trapped in the hood (if you have one) and running down the back..

Or if you have a bubbler and a hood, make sure its not near the back wall of the tank incase the same thing happens...

Nope, my tank has no hood or bubbler.. in fact, I keep everything within the tank cause I was afraid of equipment failure..
Between the water marks I could see really tiny water droplets like those caused by condensation but I don't know how it formed..
One thing though, the fish did splash water yesterday.. I know this because when I came home, there was water on the glass panel but the sides were dry..
So if it's not leaking, how did water form at the bottom?

Fat Homer · Dec 11, 2013

^ Just from splashing i'm not sure if its possible... but from condensation, i have seen water build up over a period of time, and once its started to collect long enough, i actually thought i had a small leak in one of my tanks... but later found out it was from one of my bubblers + the condensation collecting on the lid / hood and traveling down the back...

Gill Blue · Dec 11, 2013

H]-[H;6722982 said:
I'm not really sure if it's wet but let's say it was, then by right water marks should appear the moment I finished filling up the tank, right?

I can't reach the back of the tank but by just eyeballing it, I don't see any dampness around the edges..
The front and sides are completely dry..
The water marks are definitely spreading since yesterday night..

Nope, my tank has no hood or bubbler.. in fact, I keep everything within the tank cause I was afraid of equipment failure..
Between the water marks I could see really tiny water droplets like those caused by condensation but I don't know how it formed..
One thing though, the fish did splash water yesterday.. I know this because when I came home, there was water on the glass panel but the sides were dry..
So if it's not leaking, how did water form at the bottom?

yes, it's possible from splashing, or condensation. or wicking. or even a combination of all 3. my 90G has been re-siliconed several times around the top because condensation on the glass lid flowed over to the plastic frame before it wicked up the small crack between the two pieces of plastic frame in the left hand corner, over the top of the tank and down the corner of the tank. I finally figured it out and all I needed to do was change how the top sat in the frame.
my sunnies are constantly splashing water out around the glass tops. that's why the food is dumped in the middle and I have towels standing by during feeding.

the droplets could be condensation, and would argue against it just being the styrofoam pressing against the glass instead of a leak.
not seeing signs of water immediately after filling is good, but it doesn't preclude a small leak. a drip every few minutes can take a while to show up.

I don't run bare bottom tanks, nor do I put styrofoam under them so I'm not sure how either would look in a leak situation, but I'd be worried and crawling all over that tank looking for a leak. can you drain it 90% and get to the back that way?

H]-[H · Dec 15, 2013

Fat Homer said:
^ Just from splashing i'm not sure if its possible... but from condensation, i have seen water build up over a period of time, and once its started to collect long enough, i actually thought i had a small leak in one of my tanks... but later found out it was from one of my bubblers + the condensation collecting on the lid / hood and traveling down the back...

Thanks for the feedback.. I've never experienced these symptoms so I'll be watching closely for anything out of the norm..

Gill Blue said:
yes, it's possible from splashing, or condensation. or wicking. or even a combination of all 3. my 90G has been re-siliconed several times around the top because condensation on the glass lid flowed over to the plastic frame before it wicked up the small crack between the two pieces of plastic frame in the left hand corner, over the top of the tank and down the corner of the tank. I finally figured it out and all I needed to do was change how the top sat in the frame.
my sunnies are constantly splashing water out around the glass tops. that's why the food is dumped in the middle and I have towels standing by during feeding.

the droplets could be condensation, and would argue against it just being the styrofoam pressing against the glass instead of a leak.
not seeing signs of water immediately after filling is good, but it doesn't preclude a small leak. a drip every few minutes can take a while to show up.

I don't run bare bottom tanks, nor do I put styrofoam under them so I'm not sure how either would look in a leak situation, but I'd be worried and crawling all over that tank looking for a leak. can you drain it 90% and get to the back that way?

The tank is just too heavy so I'll just keep an eye.. So far I don't feel any water on the floor..
I guess it's the humidity in my room that's caused the condensation..
But it's a second hand tank so I'm still slightly concerned though not too much..

Gill Blue · Dec 16, 2013

if it stays wet you should be concerned. no air movement and humid conditions are an invitation for mold.


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