HELP!!! Leak!

[Jdj211]

I built a 750 gallon plywood tank over the summer. It was completed in September. Fish were added and it was fully operational in October. It has been running just fine since then. Now I have noticed two small leaks. Combined, I am losing 0.25-0.5 gallons of water per day. I cannot find where the leak is. I tried using water weld epoxy to patch it, but it doesn't seem to have done anything. It has worked before during the build so I know it is a viable product. Should I be concerned? Is there some trick or strategy to finding the exact location of a leak?


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[DIDYSIS]

Most people always go back to draining and drying and recoating and looking for possible leak spots and coating more, but with how small it is good luck at that. And when I was just starting to think that a plywood tank might be a good idea, lol

 

[CJH]

With the tank already stocked it's a bit tough. Without fish you can drain the tank and keep adding water until the first leak starts but even that does not ensure the leak is at that level.

In your case you could so the opposite, drop the water level until the leak stops, but that does not necessarily provide the exact location of the leak.

Can you provide a link to your build thread? Or can you describe here the exact method and materials used?

What do you mean when you say water weld epoxy worked during the build? Do you mean you had leaks on the test fills and you plugged them with the water weld?

 

[Jdj211]

I never made a build thread. I used Max ACR epoxy to seal it. Roughly 4 coats with extra around the seams. I used fiberglass on the seams also. And yes, there were several small leaks after my first fill that I patched. The approximate dimensions are 8'x5'x30". The actual height of water that I keep in the tank never exceeds 27". The stock in the tank is one 22" RTC, one 26" RTCxTSN, one 24" alligator gar, and one 10" irwini cat. I don't have a other tank that can house the 3 larger fish, so draining is not an option.


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[Jdj211]

To be explicit, I used water weld to patch small leaks during the test fill. Then I said what the heck and coated it in Max ACR again anyway. And when I say coats, I pretty much poured the epoxy on it so I'm talking really thick coats


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[CJH]

To be explicit, I used water weld to patch small leaks during the test fill. Then I said what the heck and coated it in Max ACR again anyway. And when I say coats, I pretty much poured the epoxy on it so I'm talking really thick coats
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Really thick coats but how many gallons of epoxy would you say you used in total between the original coats and the coat that went over the water-weld?

What type of fiberglass? Cloth? What weight? Was it applied in the first coat or two of epoxy?

Did Max ACR say it was okay to go over the water-weld with the ACR? Just because the WW stuck to the ACR doesn't mean necessarily that the ACR can go over the WW.

Is there any silicone along the interior seams or just the epoxy and fiberglass?

 

[808_fairladyz]

Most people always go back to draining and drying and recoating and looking for possible leak spots and coating more, but with how small it is good luck at that. And when I was just starting to think that a plywood tank might be a good idea, lol

I've built a 430 gal plywood aquarium, and it was worth it. Though I did apply three full layers of chop mat & marine grade polyester resin, fully saturated with an additional 4 layers of sealer. Is your seams leaking or glass. Did you apply your silicon for your glass onto the sealer itself? It may not have sealed properly. I hope u figure this out.

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