tank leaking

[lonestar]

I am in the middle of a changover from fresh water to salt. My fresh water tank has been up for 6 yrs with no leaks. Brought it down to get a few holes drilled in it (up high). It has run for a week with no problems. Came home from work today to find about 40 gals on the floor. After viewing it from the bottom, it appears it is leaking from 3 corners. I did a search on here...and alot of people say to completely remove all old silicone. Is this a neccesity? And even when i do remove it, all i can do is put more silicone on top of the seems. Will this hold?....it is a 190gal. Any help is well appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[lonestar]

Do you suppose that it will hold up to the pressure of 190 galons? Also, how high do i need to remove the silcone? It looks like it is just leaking at the corners (3 corners). I will put a healthy bead all the way around the bottom. Maybe 3 inched up the sides? Or do you think higher?
Thanks for helping
Jeremy

 

[lonestar]

Well, I have it all drained. By reading the threads, it looks like that dow silicone is ok. However there are several stores around here that carry aquarium silicone (but small tubes). Im not sure which 1 is better. I guess I will check on the availability.
Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[joez]

you aren't seperating the pieces of glass...just taking the silicone from the ******** off. Go to homedepot and get their clear silicone sealant. Wait 48 hours, or until it's clear. Better to be safe than sorry and wait 3 days.
Just cut a slice in the tube for the silicone and run a nice line on all the seames. It's pretty easy to do. Remember to do it in a clean, dry place so that there isn't alot of sawdust or other in the air which will get trapped in the sealant and look bad.
GL!

 

[lonestar]

thanks, I will do just that. I guess it is just dissapointing that ive had this tank up over 5 yrs and now it seems to have 3 leaks. Ill do just as you said.
Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[joez]

If you have anymore questions, of course, ask
Post how it turned out and your results when you are done.

 

[lonestar]

Well, I scraped off all the old silicone inside the tank. Applied a thick layer of new silicone around the bottom and 1.5 inch up in each corner (6 tubes worth). Let dry for 48 hours. I filled my tank with approx 100 gals of water. I think I am a bit parinoid now cause i think i see moisture. but i dried the moisture and it didnt return (so I am hoping it is water that was trapped until i put weight back on). I put my 400 lbs of sand back in, with the water still in it so I have a muddy mess that will probably take 3 weeks to clear up. Still no leaks. I guess ill finish filling it up, let settle out till almost clear then add my rock.
Thanks for the help,
Jeremy

 

[joez]

Kip...great idea!
I just put a bunch of paper towels under my tank I built to see if it'd leak...never thought of the dye.

 

[lonestar]

That is a great idea. Hopefully I will not go through this again, but if i do, I will take that route. Mine still doesnt seem to be leaking (knock on wood).
Thanks,
Jeremy