Resealing and setting up a leaky aquarium

[A jar]

With the recent leak to my 75 gallon, I will be sharing the process of resealing the tank and getting it back up and functioning.

There have been multiple threads concerning what type of caulking should be used, the process of resealing, and what steps to take to best prevent another leak- hopefully this thread can help others in similar situations.

I would like those who are knowledgeable and have experience to chip in- and those with concerns, to clearly ask so the forum can be best utilized.

With that said, my goal for the next few days is to simply remove the old silicone and apply a new seal. I do not want to rush into this and will be taking my sweet * time.

I will be using GE silicone 1 in the process. I know Dap and Dow have also been suggested, but at the time and my location- GE was the easiest to acquire. There was another member here building a tank who did a test and concluded that GE was one of, if not the best medium for caulking a tank- with a budget in mind- I will be looking for that link and will post it asap.

After getting the tank clean of most of the dirt and grime, I am using small razors- the basic flat, rectangular ones, to remove the old silicone. Rubbing alcohol and a glass cleaner that claims to be non-toxic will be used to remove/clean all leftover silicone.

With that said, I am mindful of not cutting into the existing silicone that binds the tank together. Now depending on the extent of the leak, I would determine if the whole tank needs to be taken apart. In this case, I feel that by replacing the small amount of faulty silicone used in the interior with a thicker seam of silicone- I will be able to successfully do the job(hopefully). I would suggest for anyone with a drastic seal problem to take apart the whole tank or fill in the problem areas with silicone using a small syringe .

(I know there are people out there skeptical of not removing all of the silicone and taking the whole entire thing apart- and redoing it all over)

I will update shortly on the progress and welcome anyone to chime in if I'm doing something wrong.

BTW, this tank will be dedicated as a future geophagus community. And for those interested in substrate, I will be using pool filter sand.

 

[ken 429]

just resealed my 265 gal. filled it this morning and no leaks yet. i uesd 20 razor blades and 2 bottles of alcohol. ge 1 silicone and a small spoon to smooth it out. i also used blue painters tape on the sides it gives you a nice straight line just make sure its not to thick where it meets the tape and peel the tape before it drys. good luck-its not that hard but it is tedious.

 

[Knowdafish]

Take your time, make sure the surface is REALLY clean, and lay out a nice smooth bead of sealant. Piece of (time consuming!) cake!

 

[MaddMaxx]

Looking forward to reading your results, as I am hoping to pick-up a cheap "leaky" 75 gal myself.

 

[A jar]

Ok. Worked on it and finished around noon yesterday.

Lessons learned.

Remove the tape early. Its not that I didn't do that, but after the caulking was applied i realized how quick it started to solidify. The last piece of tape I pulled off was a little sketchy- I bet that if I waited a little longer I might have ruined the job.

Discard tape properly. A couple drops of silicone from the tape was brushed on the tank. A little annoying- but easily fixed with a razor and some cleaning.

With the advice of the pops, I used a wet finger and/or spoon to smooth out the corners. It helps if the liquid used is water with a little bit of soap- so he says. Still, mission accomplished. Will post pics later and looking to test on Sat night. Will post pics later.

 

[MaddMaxx]

Nice, looking forward to pics! I just picked up a 75 with bad leak, planning on doing the same thing.

Did you remove the whole glass pane that was leaking or just scrape the silicone out of the corners where the glass panes join?

 

[A jar]

Did you remove the whole glass pane that was leaking or just scrape the silicone out of the corners where the glass panes join?

On the one side that it leaked from- actually towards the middle, i scraped and removed most if not all of the caulking(this was probably the most tedious thing). So to be clear, I would not suggest just adding and removing the inner seal of silicon- remove the joint seal as well. I then used a small syringe like tool and applied it between the joint(those mini silicon kits that are used for small jobs). After that dried, I applied the inner seal.

So did it leak afterwards? Thankfully not. It filled and held water overnight.

Originally I was going to grab a table off CList and reinforce the ish out of it but I found some scrap 2x4s and OBF in the shed. I spent the afternoon and built the stand, but I still have to add a center brace and side walls for added security- last thing I need is to hear a loud crash at night.

I'm not in a rush, but having gotten this far, I'm getting excited for some CYCLING TIME! I even went ahead and cleaned off the pfs(really clean when bought btw- took 5 rinses... 5 rinses... lol). I also have a giant garbage full of water and driftwood waiting for me too. Tomorrow I'm going to be painting the back black.

 

[MaddMaxx]

Looks good man. Hopefully my resealing project will go as smoothly...

 

[A jar]

Looks good man. Hopefully my resealing project will go as smoothly...

I hope so too! Good luck and take your time. It'll be well worth it.

So I didnt get to paint the back like I wanted to. I thought I had an extra can of black in the basement. I'll probably get it done this weekend- although I'm curious on how I'm going to seal the tank and not mess up the habitat. We shall see when the time comes...

The tank has been running for over 4 days with two power filters/seeded scrubbies and four wc, I've added the fish into the cycle. Soon I'll have the 350 canister going as well- need to replace the piping and o-ring. I'll be working at home for the next week or so and I'll be able to monitor the tank appropriately.

The current inhabitants are 3 supposed female rotkiel severums- 4+ inches end to end(not the tail). In the video, you might be able to tell how badly a jar had nibbled away at one of the sevs fins. After the leak I had to house one sev in with the jar in a 30 gal cooler... Thankfully it's healing nicely. They arent much to look at since the accident, but I'm betting with some extra care and the ample room, they'll get back the cool flushes of color.

New in the group, I believe are some Bolivian Rams- impulse buy. Hopefully they wont spaz out during the cycling and that required water conditions are met.

I think this pretty much ends this thread. Maybe one more post with the lights hanging above it. Or when the sevs downgrade to a breeder, or when the red head tapajos come in...

Lessons Learned.

"Measure twice, cut once"

When you build a stand, make sure it stays standing. The comfort that a strong stand gives- priceless. Even with the 2x4s I felt confident, but with the siding consisting of two layers of obf screwed together and the absurd amount of chuck norris liquid nails used, I can hang back.

Keep the extension outlets off the ground and high to accommodate all electric plugs.

Always have dechlorinator. Always.

If the quality of driftwood looks diminished after re-soaking, scrubbing, or boiling- toss it. No reason to ruin and dirty up the habitat.

Dont freak out and sell your equipment away after a leak. Even if it was a scary a** leak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APCEnk1lZa0
[YT]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APCEnk1lZa0[/YT]

That's about it. Thanks for reading.

 

[MaddMaxx]

I like your tank set up, especially the long driftwood across the back. Definitely post up some pics when the severums color-up!