resealing an aquarium

[kuatto]

Well I just wasted 3 hours :evil:
I tore down one tank and put all live rock and fish in buckets and started to set up the cube tank I just picked up.Everything was going smooth,rock all placed in the centre and tank filled,then it happened,a leak in the bottom left corner :eek: .I drained it,dried it and found the spot.It says it cures in 24 hours,but wondered if I can fill slightly less then 24 hours?The fish are sitting in the frag tank with snails,but the few nice peices of live rock are in a bucket,so I don't want to wait too long.Man,after all that time making sure not to stir up the fine white sand...all for not :sad:

[Aquattro]

Jim, if the surface of the silicone is dry, and their isn't too much weight against the seal, you'll likely be fine. I have siliconed pieces into my sump and run water thru it 1 hour later, no problems ...

[kuatto]

It's a 16x16x16 cube,and there would be about 2 inches of sugar sand.

[Aquattro]

That's not too bad, if it was a small hole, you should be fine. Did you reseal the whole tank? Are the seams still fully bonded? You're probably fine..how long has it been drying now?

[kuatto]

I just ran a bead around the bottom on the inside and smoothed it out with my finger.Been curing for an hour or so.I never removed any of the existing silicone.

[Aquattro]

As long as the leak was tiny, that should work fine. By now, though, it's dry and you probably have water in it... :biggrin:

[kuatto]

Well,all is well so far(knock on wood)
The tank actually looks real bright with the white sugar sand and a nice arrangment of rock in the centre.Lesson learned,always test for leaks BEFORE you start setting it all up :redface: