Leaking tank

[Bartman]

One off my tanks has developed a leak. It appears to be below the substrate somewhere. I am collecting about a gallon a day in buckets and towels. Just noticed it about 2 days ago. Any suggestions on where to get good tank silicone or where to have a tank re-siliconed?

Much thanks,
Scott.

[snaggle]

family pet super center sells it I dont remember how much it is.

[LostMind]

jl and king eds carry aquarium silicone.

after playing with my broken tank, I'd say try it yourself, I wouldnt think it to be too hard.

I dont know who would repair it for you tho.

[Richer]

Try looking at your local home depot for GE Window and Door silicone. You want Silicone I, not Silicone II. The stuff is a fraction of the cost of "aquarium" silicone sold in pet stores. I used it to put together the internal overflow box on my 30 gallon... all the inhabitants in my tank have not shown any signs of poisioning... (granted there's only a xenia, a couple of mushrooms and pods in my tank right now).

-Richer

[cc_bruno]

If not there, I picked up some tubes at Canadian Tire, (it will actually say that it's for aquariums as well, but suggests waiting 4-5 days before filling it with water). I think it's about $7 per tube, but the tubes are a fair size, so, one tube should easily do you. Hope that helps.

[johnny rock]

silicone can be bought as suggested at HD or HOME HARDWARE and CT. as long as its 100% silicone and has no mildew killing agent then your fine. The hard part is resiliconing! the tank HAS to be taken apart,cleaned beyond your wildest dreams and then resiliconed in one shot. use razors blades and lots of them, then use a acetate or vinegar to really clean any residue off. It has to be perfect. do not try to silicone over old silicone as it will let go later.

[Bartman]

use razors blades and lots of them, then use a acetate or vinegar to really clean any residue off. It has to be perfect. do not try to silicone over old silicone as it will let go later.

I've just started the tear down. The leak has gotten worse. I hadn't thought whether I was going to remove the old silicone. You're suggested it's a must? Better get some razor blades. :eek:

[muck]

...You're suggested it's a must?...
Definately a must!! You have got to make sure all silicone residue is gone before you try to re-silicone the tank. Otherwise you will be in the same situation you are in now not too far down the road.
(Probably hold together long enough untill you have re-filled the tank and put everything back in. :mrgreen: )

[Quinn]

Just a thought, but could he get away with sealing the leak with Plumber's Goop?

[johnny rock]

nope on the goop, the pressure in any tank especially at the botom seem is pretty intence and eventually it would let go big time. it has to be redone frome top to bottom. It really sucks but its the only way. don't feel bad, I had to resilicone my 500g!!!!! bad tube of silicone[I used GE 11 instead of GE 1 ]and it didn't cure right.

[Bartman]

So, what causes the silicone to start leaking? The tank is about 10 years old. I'd like to avoid this with other tanks.

[muck]

How long have you had the tank up for??
and has the tank sat empty at all ever??

[johnny rock]

there can be a few cause for it to leak.
#1 unbalanced stand
#2 being moved with water[like half full]
#3 being bumped while being moved.
#4 quality control[lack of] when being built.

[Bartman]

Tank has never been empty except when it was moved, twice. Last time was about 1.5 years ago. Only empty for a day or two. Tank has been up for about 9+ years.

I have torn down and wrestled the tank outside. I cleaned and filled it with water and have found the leak while scrubbing the silicone with a toothbrush. There is a leak in the back left corner about 3-4" up from the bottom. Can I redo this spot/side or do I need to redo the whole tank? :frown:

[johnny rock]

you might get some advice to just do that side but no, it has to be done completely IMO. you could get away with stripping all the inside seam and redoing it all in one shot but the seam inbetween your panes of glass is the one that holds the tank together. I'll quickly explain, when I built my tank and other companys build theres they first put silicone on the glass edges and sqeeze them together real tight! this is your actual bond of strength. sometimes theres lots of silicone squeezed out so you can run your finger all along the inside of the tank to get another seal so to speak. some builders will just let the tank dry and cut out this excess,then do an inside seam of silicone[the method I like]

[Beverly]

Try looking at your local home depot for GE Window and Door silicone. You want Silicone I, not Silicone II.

Richer,

Am constructing a terrarium at the moment and sent DH Chris to the store to get Silicone I. However, when he brought it home the package says it's the Kitchen and Bath stuff and not the Door and Window stuff. Silicone II must be the Window and Door silicone, don't you think?

[Quinn]

The kitchen and bath stuff apparently has a mildew resistant in it which is toxic hence the reason one doesn't want to use it. I couldn't ever find Type I but I used 1200 successfully.

http://www.crlaurence.com/ProductImages/G/GE_1200_Construction_Silicone_Sealant_587_th.gif

[Beverly]

qUinn,

Couldn't find the GE 1200, but did find that Rona carries a product for use in aquariums. Product #2401-5426 Rona Window and Door Clear, $3.69. No other colour than clear, though.

[Aquattro]

The 1200 series adhesive is actually stronger than the regular silicone. It's what SeaStar uses in all their tanks.

[Quinn]

Yes that makes sense as I believe it might have been Inter-American who recommended it to me, as they gave me half a tube of silicone once as well. I expect those in the manufacturer business all use the same brand.

[Beverly]

qUinn,

Beside IA giving you some, where do you think I would I have the best luck finding it?

[StirCrazy]

qUinn,

Beside IA giving you some, where do you think I would I have the best luck finding it?

canadian tire, home depot, bever lumber.. can't remember what else is in edmonton off hand.

or you could call a glass shop and ask if they use ge1200 and how much they would want for a tube or two.. call a window maker not a auto glass shop.

Steve

[Canadian Man]

O ring/seal shops usually have it as well. :biggrin:

[johnny rock]

do you guys have HOME HARDWARE out west?? they sell there own brand and it sayd right on the tube''aquarium use'' its super hard! I used it on my 500g

[Beverly]

do you guys have HOME HARDWARE out west?? they sell there own brand and it sayd right on the tube''aquarium use'' its super hard! I used it on my 500g

I'm going to assume that the Rona brand would be made by the same company as the HOME HARDWARE stuff, only it's packaged differently. Will probably be just as good?