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melev

The 280g reef is leaking

Rating: 7 votes, 4.57 average.
The top left corner of my tank is leaking. Ugh. I'm going to have to figure out what I can do about it today. The carpet is wet in the entry way.

Update 7:57 pm 7/03/10:


Here are the pictures I took this afternoon. I didn't take a picture of wet carpet because you know what that looks and smells like. I removed the wooden column on the left side of my tank as soon as I saw how it was soaked with saltwater. I also checked tank salinity, and it has dropped to 1.024sg. I'm making RO/DI water now, and will probably keep it going all night.

Here's the leak. Doesn't look like much until you realize it drips non-stop.


Note the hollow spot pointed out where the silicone is no longer making contact, below the water line.




At Home Depot, I found these huge 48" clamps for $40 each. I bought two, but only have one in place at the moment.


A wooden block front and back helped disperse the pressure a bit. I had to improvise because of the plastic trim. For the back piece, I used a piece of acrylic behind the block to help even out the pressure.


For the front, I ran a block through my table saw to create a small offset.






As soon as it was clamped, I slowed the leak down. A couple of ml have drained so far.

While that was holding, I grabbed some 3/8" acrylic and created a internal overflow, so to speak. Using common Plumber's Putty, I rolled it out 1/4" thick and created strips to affix to the edges that would press against the glass. Not may favorite choice, but I had to do something. My skimmer hasn't gone nuts yet.

The water pressure holds the box in place, once I scooped & siphoned out the water in the box to create that dry void.




Had to rescue this lost snail.


I had some acrylic mirror material to see what is going on in the corner now that the water was out of my way.






For now, I'm planning to cut out the current silicone in that corner and reapply new silicone to the area. It's a patch, and essentially hold things together and keep the water in my tank for the time being. I hope the putty doesn't hurt the livestock (it isn't melting), and the box doesn't drop away all of a sudden.


UPDATE 12:39 am 7/04/10:

The mending job is not going to help save the tank. The seam continues to fail, which was visibly altering as I worked the silicone in the dry box above. It was frightening, actually. I drilled a hole through the wall for a second clamp to be implemented.


The towels did a good job sopping up the water from the leak earlier today, but I'm not doing anything else with the chance that it is going to blow out soon.


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Updated 07-04-2010 at 12:41 AM by melev

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NEED HELP STAT!

Comments

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  1. TBDuval's Avatar
    Is that were the bracing was seperating from the glassfrom a while back?
  2. dread240's Avatar
    I don't want to hear about this while I'm on vacation I'm literally stressed beyond belief at the moment that my tank has to survive a lil over a week with rookies watching over it (my parents are stopping by every other day for topoff and to look into it)
  3. NightShade's Avatar
    ouch. . . uhhh I think petco is having a sale on standard tanks 55gallon for 55 plus tax, 40gallon breeder 40 plus tax. Maybe transfer out and reseal for a permanent solution.

    I can't think of anything that would fix the leak and not ruin the tank most everything is for plumbing repair that fixes leaks

    If you need some help let me know will make a quick trip, if none available local could see if one available near here and grab it.
  4. melev's Avatar
    Just got back from Home Depot with some clamps, silicone, putty... now I have to see if I can fabricate an idea. I already contacted my LFS to start finding me a new tank.
  5. NightShade's Avatar
    Is the tank starting to separate? It may be ugly but you may try finding a ratcheting strap at wal-mart that is long enough to go around the whole tank. Hook the ends and use that to tighten it up. Don't know exactly what is happening but that may save you a little bit more time. Are you looking for an exact replacement or something close to bigger? Used, New? Glass, Acrylic? Willing to drive to pick it up or pay for delivery? I am sure with that information you can have everyone close by looking for something for you as well.
  6. Hat39406's Avatar
    Man that's a bummer! Hopefully you can stop it. Lucky the leaks at the top and not the bottom. LFS finding a tank..hmmm I can smell an upgrade from two hours south. Hope ya get it fixed though. ;-)
  7. Hat39406's Avatar
    Wish we were in same city, I would come help ya, sorry Marc.
  8. marks69's Avatar
    when my 120 sprang a leak i lowered the water as far as i could, wrapped ratchet straps around the tank to hold it, and recaulked the area. it held for another 4 years till i sold the tank.
    gl
    mark
  9. melev's Avatar
    I slowed the link significantly and took some pictures that I still have to upload. It is dripping out, but in the past 30 minutes it isn't even 5 ml worth, probably. I made a small three-sided box that I hoped I could immerse into that corner, seal it against the glass and siphon out the water create water pressure and hold it in place. If that works, I have a dry zone to work in and can hopefully patch it up to hold until a new tank arrives.

    This makes me sad, because as you know when you move even a few corals and a rock, you can never get it back to how it looked before. I have things growing on the overflows that are not possible to save, like the Pavona patch and the puddle of the Pink Lemonade acro. The acro on the opposite side in above the Leather also won't be something I can simply put back up in the new tank. The monti on the left wall is also not going to simply peel off.

    Full tank shot from two weeks ago.
  10. mhowe9's Avatar
    Sorry to hear this Marc. Hopefully you will be able to save most everything once you get a new tank
  11. NightShade's Avatar
    Marks69, my thought exactly but I would figure drain down the whole tank, fully reseal and rebuild. Make any changes that may prevent the problem, check stand level make sure it hasn't fallen and caused the problem replace the foam on the top of the stand. Then set the system back up. . . it would probably be a week job but would fix the problem right.

    But I also smell an upgrade in the works on top of resealing the original 280 and it being put into another room. Though I think someone is going to lose a closet if that happens.

    If I am wrong and mark is considering the current tank a total loss, I want to claim dibbs on it right now, LOL. I have resealed a 70 gallon tank before and would enjoy resealing/rebuilding this one if it is possible.
  12. Hat39406's Avatar
    Man, i'm starting to bum out now. ;-/
  13. melev's Avatar
    First post updated with pictures.
  14. Hat39406's Avatar
    Wow, you been busy. Does it look like the box you made is not leaking? Fast thinker you are!
  15. melev's Avatar
    So far, it is holding. I'm watching it before I do anything else. I ran up to the LFS to get some aquarium safe silicone (squeeze tube kind). He and a friend both recommended rubbing alcohol to prep the area I'm going to be working on.

    Aaron suggested I get some glass to sandwich the eurobracing top and bottom. It would need to be two pieces that are 3" x 6" x 3/4" thick. Heck, I'd do four pieces and hit the opposite corner as well to strengthen that wall as well.

    NightShade, I've thought about redoing the entire silicone job in the past, then letting it cure. The front panel has a few scratches, so a repair would be a thrifty move but it would be a shame after all that work to have to look at scratches anew. Setting it up in another room isn't going to happen. I do like the size I have now, and have considered other sizes and how they would affect the humidity level of the home and how it might affect the structure over time. Getting a new tank with a warranty sure sounds good to me, and getting the old tank out of the fishroom would allow me to make any adjustments to assure the stand it level and true.
  16. NightShade's Avatar
    If I remember right your tank had black silicone in it didn't it? Anyway a patch is a patch it's all good as long as it holds as long as you need it to. And I agree that repairing would be kind of a shame with scratches, though if you do tear down and reseal you could very possibly use some rubbing compound or jewelers rouge and a dremel with a buffing wheel or a drill with a buffing wheel, depending on the size of scratches and the area and buff them down/out. I do agree that checking the stand would be a good thing if there was even a little bad spot in one of the supports could allow something to shift especially if it got wet at some point.

    And a tank with a warranty. . . WOW!!!! That would be realllllllyyy nice indeed.

    I really don't know about the plumbers putty though. . . it is generally used on drains not supplies. I know plumbers grease is safe for use in water supplies and will not cause harm to people. So I would do my best to get it out as soon as possible. . . you may even take a piece of the putty and make a flat wide sheet cut out a piece and put in the bottom of a cup and put in some tank water and test if there are any major changes.

    A home made plumbers putty can be made using modeling clay, linseed oil, and powdered limestone. http://www.ehow.com/how_5032013_make...ers-putty.html
    So it is possible oil could leach into the water but I think that the protein skimmer would take care of that all eventually but I don't know what it would do to the water even in small amounts.
  17. NightShade's Avatar
    Just noticed something above. . . pics were updated at 7:75 PM. . . Marc if your still up and reading this, slow down and breathe man.

  18. melev's Avatar
    Good point. So far, the box is staying dry so I'm about to start cutting out silicone. Then I can apply the new, and probably tomorrow remove the box.
  19. melev's Avatar
    Well, it was around then if I recall. I was handling putty - probably poisoned my bloodstream. ;O)
  20. Hat39406's Avatar
    You don't think that the silicone you put on will hold, so you don't have to change tanks out?
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