Leaking tank!! Please help!

azreefgirl

azreefgirl

Member
I woke up this morning to find my Biocube leaking.
Fortunately it was only leaking from the upper curved corner where the glass meets the trim. I turned off the pump and let the water level drop a little bit, then my boyfriend went to HD and picked up some clear silicone to reseal it. He put a good bead around the leak and then took the hairdryer to it to help it cure quicker.
My questions: Is it ok to use silicone from a hardware store, or is it toxic to the tank? Is there a special aquarium-grade silicone I should be using instead?

Also, all I have in the tank right now is LR and snails (was hoping to get a critter on Thursday, but this leak thing may have sidelined that for a little while), will they be ok all day with the pump off, or should I run home on my lunch hour and turn the pump back on? Should the silicone be completely dry by then? :notsure:
 
uberlink

uberlink

Active Member
You can also use GE brand "Silicone I" for patios and windows. It contains no anti-mold or anti-microbial chemicals, which are very bad for tanks and which many kitchen and bath silicones do contain.
You should check to find out if silicone is the best bet for use on an acrylic tank like your biocube. I don't think it will harm it, but for some reason it sticks in my head that it might simply not work on acrylic. Do some searching to find out for sure.
Otherwise, I'd say just keep your water level a bit lower and don't worry about it.
 
symon

symon

Member
I have the same issue, my tank leaks ever so slightly around the top trim piece, I just keep my water lvl down a little to prevent the mess!
 
uberlink

uberlink

Active Member
I'm not sure those top bits are really intended to hold water. They're more there to ensure that the tank doesn't bow out under pressure of the water inside. I'd just keep my water level an inch down.
 
saltn00b

saltn00b

Active Member
i would also suggest you make some adjustments to lower the water level. silicone is meant for glass-2-glass applications, and cures over 24 hours. im not quite sure if there is one thing in particular you can use to seal that.
 
saltn00b

saltn00b

Active Member
yea but it sounded like the top trim she was talking about is plastic - is it not? if that is glass too, then what i said doesnt apply
 
ahmoser

ahmoser

Member
U r correct noob - I was speakinig to the reference earlier in the post that referred to them as acrylic tanks.
 
uberlink

uberlink

Active Member
My mistake. I thought they were acrylic, and I stand corrected.
I'd still keep the water level below the top.
 
sly

sly

Active Member
Always use aquarium grade silicone. The difference is not only in the anti-fungal ingredients that some silicones have, but also in the base they use for curing. Aquarium grade silicone will cure fully under water while regular silicone is mixed with a differend solvent that will leach into your water over time releasing acid in your tank.
I made the mistake of using "100%" pure silicone one time and I almost lost everything in my tank because of it... the difference is not the silicone, it's the solvent.
 
ahmoser

ahmoser

Member
np, I had mine for 5 months before I could get a straight answer on either glass or acrylic! It sounds like acrylic if you tap it, but it is glass according to Oceanic.
 
azreefgirl

azreefgirl

Member
I went to LFS and picked up aquarium silicone and a Rio 50 pump to run until I can get this thing situated (can't use the stock pump because if the water level's too low, then then the pump pumps almost all of the water out of it's compartment to get the water level up.)
I think I may have figured out why it's leaking. My snails usually stay on the rock, in the sand, or fairly low on the glass, but yesterday a couple of them decided to explore new heights. Last night I found 2 Trochus snails moving along the seal underneath the trim at the top. The manager at LFS says it's possible that they may have taken a small chunk out of the seal (it is a small leak).
Any comments supporting or shooting down "the snail theory" are welcome!
 
saltn00b

saltn00b

Active Member
im not sure that snails ate away the seal - but if it is not supposed to be sealed i could see climbing snails bringing a little water with them that rolled off and out of the hole. then again i dont know how small of a leak it really is...
 
azreefgirl

azreefgirl

Member
Originally Posted by saltn00b
im not sure that snails ate away the seal - but if it is not supposed to be sealed i could see climbing snails bringing a little water with them that rolled off and out of the hole. then again i dont know how small of a leak it really is...
I lost probably a few cups of water. A large droplet would roll down the side of the tank, followed by another one about 5 seconds later. The carpet around my tank stand is pretty damp--and I just shampooed my carpet over the weekend!

But there is a definite seal under the frame of the tank. LFS thought it didn't have a seal either, but we checked theirs, and it certainly does!
 
saltn00b

saltn00b

Active Member
maybe the snails are spitting water out?
lol sorry i had to - im not sure what to tell ya except try to lower your water level
 
azreefgirl

azreefgirl

Member
Originally Posted by saltn00b
maybe the snails are spitting water out?
lol sorry i had to - im not sure what to tell ya except try to lower your water level
Ok, now you're just making fun of me.

I'm going to tell...
 
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