leaking 55 gal tank

[spyderreef]

I tried fixing my leaking 55 gal tank by removing the old silicone and replacing it. It still leaks. The tank is 20+ yrs old and has a number of dings on the inside from when it was a fresh water tank. The plastic also has some cracks in it. It certainly has seen better days but my boyfriend insists it's worth something and won't let me take a hammer to it. I was going to use it for a refugium or save it to make a sump. Is it worth trying again? Anybody been successful at it? Helpful hints?

 

[saltywashington]

I think it is an great idea to try and make a sump out of a tank that leaks. I have been sucessful repairing tanks as well as using glass and building a sump. The thing that you need to do is make sure that the silicone is not to old and just follow the directions on the back. Also make sure that the silicone is made for aquarium use. The third and final thing to make sure to do is make certain that you get all of the old silicone off the glass. If you don't there is a huge chance of leaks from the old silicone.
Good Luck

 

[spyderreef]

I was very careful to remove all of the old silicone. I used new silicone and it still leaks. I haven't looked yet to see where. Any other helpful hints. I was so careful the first time that I am not really looking forward to doing it over. Could I put another layer over the top?

 

[rsd]

Most problems people have from sealing a tank is improper prep work and impatience. You have to cut away all the old caulk, then clean the glass (maybe with an acetone) with something that will dissolve the caulk. Clean and DRY it with a glass cleaner. The surface must be DRY and so must the cracks. Don't use a high heat hair dryer though or you may crack the glass.
Also use 100% silicone caulk made for agauariums... every company GE, DAP, who ever will tell you they have one for that... they lie. All those have fillers and herbicides in the make up and will not stand up to salt water. Pay more, its not worth saving $10 and risk $1000's on livestock.
Recaulk. Let stand for 48 hours (not 24 like it says) You want to make sure that the caulking has completely cured. Also you don't want alot of excess caulking (1/4 " bead is more than enough) and be sure you have pressed it into the corners well.
Now that you've used some really nasty chemicals it's best to run fresh water in the tank ( I put mine in the yard and ran a hose through it for about 3 hours. Then I filled it up again with fresh water and ran 2 PH and a magnum with fresh carbon in it for 5 days. Changed water and repeated.
Never had a problem with it since (75 gal)
Sorry for the length. Good luck!

 

[azonic]

This is just a suggestion...it may be completely off the wall....but have you thought about simply lining the inside of it with pond liner? Would that work? anyone? I have no idea, just trying to throw an idea into the tank....

 

[spyderreef]

Thanks for the tips. I did not use acetone but I scraped it clean with a razor and took my time. I wanted it to look as if it was brand new. (Not easy) I certainly gave it plenty of time to cure. I was told that all I needed was 100% silicone and I was very careful not to buy one that specifically said Not for Aquariums. I am considering trying one more time. This time I will buy silicone from my fish store.

 

[rsd]

I just went to my shop to find THE ONLY exception I would make ( and thats only because I trusted a friend's well established tank made with this) to aquarium caulking. It is made by DOW CORNING. Commercial Grade 100% silicone sealant (clear). The SKU # under the bar code is 0-77472-14022-0.
Good luck.
And I've never thought of pond liner.... may not be a bad alt.

 

[spyderreef]

Bummer, the stuff I bought was GE. Thanks for the tip. I will check my hardware store and see if they have what you suggest. My sump is in my workroom and I would like to set this tank up so I can put fish and other critters in it to look at. A good idea about the pond liner though.