Slow Tank Leak

[allrndgq]

Well, frustrating as it is I need to act fast.
72 Gallon Bow front - AllGlass
~3 Years old (New)
I noticed that my tank and a very slow leak (like a faucet dripping ever so slowly) .. The problem is that i cannot find it .. The leak was in the lowest corner and running along the black trim piece in the inside where you cannot see until it filled high enough and then a salt started to form ..
So i had to drain it, saving as much water as i could .. Trying to protect (Keep Alive) my fish and coral .. Sand/most crabs/and snails are in another container ..
I dried the tank and cleaned it (no chemicals used) .. and it looked good .. no obvisous leaks .. so i perfectly leveled it in the garage, placed news paper under each corner, and filled it with fresh water .. it has been a day+ and no leaks ..
Conclusion: (Help

)
(1) Is it that it wasnt perfectly level in the house (old 100 year victorian) .. It wasnt that unlevel but you could see a difference in the water level though.
(2) I had a 3.5-4 inch deep sand bed .. est. ~150 (3 bags) and a fairly decent rock wall for the coral.
(3) Would I need to take all the old silicone off and re-seal it.
(4) Just buy a new tank.
(5) Just smear silicone on top of the old silicone. (not recommended).
Please Help ? I need ideas, help, thoughts extra ..

 

[dawman]

I know people that have "rebuilt" the tanks by removing the old silicone and resealing the tank and works good for him . If you didn`t have occupants in the tank I`d say go for resealing it . But removing the old silicone , applying new , and waiting for it to cure will take some time . I would get a new tank and transfer everything into it . Then try resealing the old tank and test with just water and then you will have another tank you can setup , have for a spare or quarantine tank , or sell it . Just my $.02

 

[fly75]

If you have an external over flow look at that. It took me a whiele to find it but my external over flow line down to my refugium was leaking just a very little. It was collecting on the bottom tank trim. Hope this helps. I also had a previous tank burst in my house and would not take even the slightest chance with a leaking tank again.

 

[allrndgq]

It is just a basic set up .. no overflow lines or anything .. main filters are just hang ons ..

 

[hogs]

I bought a complete 37g set up. The previous owner said that it leaked so I got it cheap. I took it home and found a crack in the HOB filter. I silconed it and it hasn't leaked in 9 years.

 

[rbrockm1]

yeah i would check the other equipment. i had a friend think his tank was leaking but he just didn't seal his protein skimmer right and he closed the valve and everything was fine.

 

[reefforbrains]

overfilling a tank so the waterline is up beyond the top rim.s foot can lead to water finding its way through the top ring and then the tank will appear to leak.
If you have the tnak drained then just use this an an excuse to upgrade to a new tank that is of course double the size of the old one.....