Emergency !! Tank Leaking!!

Y

yeffre kix

Guest
I just woke to the sound of dripping water. I went downstairs and my 300 Gallon tank is leaking. I see a crack in the back corner at the bottom of the tank. Any thoughts on how to stop the flow. No stores open yet, not for a couple more hours. I squirted a tube of super glue in the crack and it seemed to slow but not stop. Do I have to worry about the whole thing suddenly failing and crashing down. The wooden stand is water logged and I'm afraid that may worsen the problem if it starts to warp or bend. I've stil got my old 125 in the garage but it wont come close to holding my liverock and sand and reef in habitants.
 
ohioguy06

ohioguy06

Member
Originally Posted by Yeffre Kix
I just woke to the sound of dripping water. I went downstairs and my 300 Gallon tank is leaking. I see a crack in the back corner at the bottom of the tank. Any thoughts on how to stop the flow. No stores open yet, not for a couple more hours. I squirted a tube of super glue in the crack and it seemed to slow but not stop. Do I have to worry about the whole thing suddenly failing and crashing down. The wooden stand is water logged and I'm afraid that may worsen the problem if it starts to warp or bend. I've stil got my old 125 in the garage but it wont come close to holding my liverock and sand and reef in habitants.

What is the stand made out of......... if cheap i would reccomend takeing 2x4s and postioning them on the inside of the stand for added support........... as for the leaking let me do some reasearch for a min and i will try to reply some more for ya.
 
Y

yeffre kix

Guest
i shored up the ends with 2X6's before filling it cause I cut open one end and installed a door for addint the sump into. Its made out of 1"oak panels all the way around so the stand is inclosed but the water could wreak havoc on those joints too.
 
ohioguy06

ohioguy06

Member
Originally Posted by Yeffre Kix
i shored up the ends with 2X6's before filling it cause I cut open one end and installed a door for addint the sump into. Its made out of 1"oak panels all the way around so the stand is inclosed but the water could wreak havoc on those joints too.
How fast is the water leaking out of the hole in the tank like an estimate....
 
Y

yeffre kix

Guest
not too fast maybe a gallon every 10 min.
I am moving all the livestock and rock I can fit into the 125 right now. Trying to save as much as possible. The weight of the tank is about 800 lbs dry so still worried about stand integrity.
 
ohioguy06

ohioguy06

Member
Would you happen to have any local acrylic people in you town?
If so i would be on the phone calling all the people i could get ahold of to see what they say.
 
hagfish

hagfish

Active Member
Maybe you could set something tightly against the crack on the inside to prevent as much water as you can from coming out. If you can get it dry enough maybe you could put some silicone sealer on it. There may even be some quick drying epoxy out there you could use. But I don't know. See if there's something that can dry quickly and can put up with some water.
 
hagfish

hagfish

Active Member
If you can't stop/repair the leak while the tank is full, maybe go get some trash cans or some other big plastic containers and use them for temporary storage.
 
Y

yeffre kix

Guest
Well here it is a few hours later and I've moved everything into the 125 that I could. All the fish, corals and about half the liverock. Looks like everything survived so far !!! I am working on setting up the sump so I can get the skimmer working again I'm collecting about 400 lbs of sand in buckets and the remaining 300 lbs of liverock I'm going to dry out and use it for baserock when I replace the tank.
The system has had water in it for about 6 months. I contacted the manufactuer but they state on their website that the warranty lasts only 90 days. Still haven't heard back from them. I really don't feel good about trying to repair the damage, The corals and fish are worth more than the tank itself, not to mention the possible damage or injury should the tank come crashing down. I hope my insurance will cover replacement and damage costs. I will be replacing it with an acrylic tank. I'm not sure if the stand should be reused either, I may have led to the split seam. The water may have caused it to warp or become unstable.
I had a 90 and 125 acrylic before which lasted trouble free for years. The move for a glass tank is very difficult too, so I'm not interested in doing that again. I'll keep you posted...
Be back soon with my new baby!
 
drizcol

drizcol

Member
Sorry to hear about this huge mess.
Is there anyway that you would sell me some of that live rock before it all goes to waste?
Im looking for anywhere from 45-100 lbs worth.
you can email me at sdriscoll@wi.rr.com
thanks
 
my way

my way

Active Member
Originally Posted by DRIZCOL
Sorry to hear about this huge mess.
Is there anyway that you would sell me some of that live rock before it all goes to waste?
Im looking for anywhere from 45-100 lbs worth.
Yeffre Kix, This sounds like a better solution for you than turning it into base rock.
 
Y

yeffre kix

Guest
Beleive it or not I felt like I wanted a bigger tank than the 300. I'll look into the cost factor and might go bigger. This tank was 30" wide but a little wider would be nice. Maybe 36" wide and 30" tall that would be about 370 gallons. I really dont have room far anything larger unless I went longer than 96"
 
bob a.

bob a.

Member
Dont waste the rock, buy some five gallon buckets from HD and put the rock in that and fill it up to the top with tank water and the rock will stay alive. You could also pick up a cheap 20 gallon tank and put the rock in there along with some of the corals. Sand can e kept alive in buckets as well. Trust me, I have been there and done that. Amazing how some people are like sharks, come out when they smell blood in the water to take advantage of your misfortune.
 
drizcol

drizcol

Member
Bob A,
Are you calling me a shark because i offered to buy the live rock that he is going to let go to waste because he has no room for it? If so you are an idiot! I need live rock and he dose not have the room for it. Im not asking to have it for free, Im aksing to buy it.
 
hagfish

hagfish

Active Member
Drizcol, when you posted I was thinking that was a low blow. This person is looking for some quick help and your looking to save a quick buck.
 
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