150g re-seal or re-build ???

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FisHaRNekEd

Candiru
MFK Member
Feb 21, 2007
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no longer in a tent, in a house for now...
Friends neighbor sprung a small leak last week and immediately drained the tank. The stand wasn't wet for long and has no signs of water damage. He said it was a "small" leak.

The tank is supposedly 2 years old and it's believable looking at the silicone and stand, it definitely looks new. I scrubbed it out ad started removing the silicone.

I've successfully resealed 20 and 50 gal tanks before but this is a HUGE tank.
Here is my question, should i finish cleaning up the tank and reseal it?

Or
Should i completely disassemble it and build from scratch? I've never done a build from scratch this large.
I wouldn't think that the integrity of the tank is ruined because of a small leak???
 
If the tank is 2 years old I would give the manufacturer a call they might do something for you if it's on one of there stands. But if not, depending on there the leak is you might be able to just reseal the inside
 
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Thanks. He gave it to me. Stand doesn't have any water damage. I don't think he had any foam between the tank and stand. Might be why it formed a leak.

I've resealed smaller tanks. My concern was the integrity between the panes. With water in it, this thing is probably 3/4 of a ton.
 
Well, I've cleaned out the old silicone bead.
I have decided to add strips of glass to all 8 corners on the inside. I'm just waiting for several glass companies to give me quotes.
This should reinforce all the joints and prevent any leaks. I don't feel like gambling with almost 1,300lbs of water.
 
FisHaRNekEd said:
Well, I've cleaned out the old silicone bead.
I have decided to add strips of glass to all 8 corners on the inside. I'm just waiting for several glass companies to give me quotes.
This should reinforce all the joints and prevent any leaks. I don't feel like gambling with almost 1,300lbs of water.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't bother with the glass in the corners. If you are that concerned take the whole tank apart and reseal the whole thing
 
Inspect the silicone in the seams between the glass. If it's solid, no air pockets, and the silicone all look the same color it should be okay.
If the silicone has been stressed or pulled away from the glass it will look sorta opaque and white.
If everything checks out I would just reseal the inside, but if you see damage in the joints it may be time to take it apart.
You mentioned foam under the tank. If the tank has a frame around the bottom you wouldn't use foam just make sure the stand is level front to back and side to side.
If the tank does not have a frame you will need a layer of foam to prevent pressure points from forming. The stand still needs to be leveled.
If you do need to take it apart, resealing a big tank is no different then smaller ones just plan it out and get you a helper.
 
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