Tank leaks? Where in tank did it leak?

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kageh124

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Mar 14, 2012
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Hello, for those who have sadly experienced this... where did the tank leak?

I just bought a 150 gallon tank and some reviews mentioned the tank leaked after several years. Before I complete my setup I am going to apply additional sealant at along the bottom edges but i'm not sure if this is enough.
 
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kageh124 said:
Hello, for those who have sadly experienced this... where did the tank leak?

I just bought a 150 gallon tank and some reviews mentioned the tank leaked after several years. Before I complete my setup I am going to apply additional sealant at along the bottom edges but i'm not sure if this is enough.
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Is the aquarium new or used? I've sealed a couple of aquarium's but stripped off all of the Silicone.
 
A small leak is likely just a sloppy silicone job coupled with ragged edge glass, doubt its really fixable by just adding more silicone on top of the old stuff. The higher quality tanks polish the glass after cutting it to get a cleaner seal, which holds up better. Also a lot of high quality custom glass tank makers started putting another glass rod in the corners to help brace as well.

Worst case for glass tanks is a complete blowout. What generally happens is the top brace is cheap plastic, and after years of being under a hot light it gets brittle and cracks, and then glass panels just fall over. High quality tank makers use metal for the brace (stainless steel or aluminum), or do a "euro brace" with glass.

Prices are all over the board though. A "pet store brand" 150 gallon could be $500 or less on sale, and a custom one you'd pay $1,000-$2,000. But that extra polishing and metal isn't cheap.

Personally I would never buy a cheap and large glass aquarium, seems like a flood waiting to happen. But, plenty of stories of them set up for decades with no issue, so who knows.
 
If the tank is new, I would not reseal it. Putting new sealant over the old won't actually help and might hurt.

I've heard some not so great things about Aqueon tanks springing leaks or blowing out after minimal use. I would probably take an older, heavier tank over a new 150 almost any day.

You can use multiple shorter lights to avoid having a light over plastic braces, but always watch them for cracks, etc. LED lights also run relatively cool (particularly if you're just looking for fish-lighting, rather than high-light/high watt plant lighting. You can use mounting brackets or hanging kits to keep them higher above the tank, too, so there's more airflow around them.
 
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TheBtchWhisperersWife said:
If the tank is new, I would not reseal it. Putting new sealant over the old won't actually help and might hurt.

I've heard some not so great things about Aqueon tanks springing leaks or blowing out after minimal use. I would probably take an older, heavier tank over a new 150 almost any day.

You can use multiple shorter lights to avoid having a light over plastic braces, but always watch them for cracks, etc. LED lights also run relatively cool (particularly if you're just looking for fish-lighting, rather than high-light/high watt plant lighting. You can use mounting brackets or hanging kits to keep them higher above the tank, too, so there's more airflow around them.
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Thanks for the info. Just so I know,; How could layering new seal on top of the old one hurt?
 
kageh124 said:
Thanks for the info. Just so I know,; How could layering new seal on top of the old one hurt?
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For the most part, silicone doesn't stick to silicone. If it does somehow stick somewhere and the rest of the silicone starts to peel (which it generally will) it might cause you some issues.
 
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Most tank leaks I have seen on glass tanks are due to the tank not being supported equally on all sides. This causes the tank to try to twist to conform to the non flat surface it is resting on which puts much more stress on small areas of the silicone... trying to rip the silicone apart. Over time this doesn't cause the tank to suddenly fly apart one day but for very small dribble leaks through the stressed silicon joints to develop.

For any tank, especially a glass tank, the best preventative for tank leaks is not to apply extra silicone but to make sure the supporting surface around the perimeter of the tank is perfectly flat. Some people will even put a thin mat like a yoga mat between the tank and the supporting surface to help level out minor surface inconsistencies and distribute the downward force of the tank equally.

Be ware that a perfectly flat stand on an uneven floor will project the high and low points of the floor up through the stand once the tank is on the stand and all the weight of the water is added. When I setup a stand I take extra care to shim the bottom of the stand to account for any inconsistencies of the floor BEFORE putting ANYTHING on top of the stand. With the stand equally supported by the floor the stand won't flex and telegraph the high and low spots of the floor up through the stand into the tank itself.
 
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TheBtchWhisperersWife said:
For the most part, silicone doesn't stick to silicone. If it does somehow stick somewhere and the rest of the silicone starts to peel (which it generally will) it might cause you some issues.
Click to expand...

You have to understand that while silicone is somewhat flexible it is the foundation that truly creates the seal. Silicone on silicone is like putting oil in water. Sure it’s in the same container but there is no bond between the surfaces.

Also depending on the drying agent in the “new” silicone it might be an additive that could erode the first layer.
 
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