55 leaking.

[fishtaco]

My 55 has a slow leak somewhere and I will be tearing it down in a few days. I can't tell where it is leaking from yet, but I suspect it is the bottom of the tank.
My question is if resealing it is an option that I should try or since 55 can be had for fairly cheaply, would it be a better bet to just buy a new one and not chance having it not seal up?
If I need another tank, are there any brands of tanks that are better than others? This is a total drag and I only want to deal with it once.
Fishtaco

 

[wfd1008]

You know, now would be a good time to upgrade to something bigger. Still, just for peace of mind, I would buy a new one, but that's just me.

 

[scsinet]

Resealing, if done carefully, isn't a risky operation... in fact a reseal job can often leave a better seal job than the factory did.
Are there any brands that are better??? Well there used to be a whole bunch of manufacturers, but mergers and aquisitions have consolidated them down to about 2 main manufacturers, Aqueon and Marineland. Quality has shifted so dramatically that I'm not sure what if any differences there are between the various manufacturers.
There are also a slew of custom builders out there, who can build (or overbuild) a tank to your specifications.

 

[ryancw01]

Mine is All-Glass 65 with built in overflow. I had to upgrade in the same fashion...because of a leak. Before the upgrade I had a 46 gallon bowfront. The difference is night and day. The glass is much thicker on the 65 so it is almost impossible to scratch whereas my 46 had scratches all along the bottom from the hermits hitting thier shells on it. My theory is that up until recently, most people bought smaller tanks primarily for freshwater so the tanks were built just to hold water. In saltwater though, you have critters that will dig and eat through the glue in some cases so it needs to be more durable. I would upgrade and get something with built in over-flow so that you know that it is made for saltwater applications.

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by Fishtaco
http:///forum/post/3214821
My 55 has a slow leak somewhere and I will be tearing it down in a few days. I can't tell where it is leaking from yet, but I suspect it is the bottom of the tank.
My question is if resealing it is an option that I should try or since 55 can be had for fairly cheaply, would it be a better bet to just buy a new one and not chance having it not seal up?
If I need another tank, are there any brands of tanks that are better than others? This is a total drag and I only want to deal with it once.
Fishtaco

First make sure it is a tank leak.
I had a 55g once and I thought it was leaking…it was a HOB penguin filter that got wedged in the corner and it allowed water to fill the edge grove and slowly over flow it. So double triple check everything before you settle on it being the tank that has the leak.
Look for salt creep, if there is a leak from anywhere there will be salt creep from where it trickles from.

 

[fishtaco]

Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3214996

First make sure it is a tank leak.
I had a 55g once and I thought it was leaking…it was a HOB penguin filter that got wedged in the corner and it allowed water to fill the edge grove and slowly over flow it. So double triple check everything before you settle on it being the tank that has the leak.
Look for salt creep, if there is a leak from anywhere there will be salt creep from where it trickles from.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Flower I am going to double and triple check for sure, I have the tank on some trex decking material directly on the floor and I can't find any evidence of leaking except the trex is damp along the back of the tank.
Fishtaco