1UCKY

Niko's Dad
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So I woke up this morning to find my 300g FOWLR leaking from one of the seals. Where the leak is coming from is half way down the tank. Its the size of a pinhole. Any ideas what I can do about this? So pissed off cause I'm leaving on vacation in a few days and I have a ton of live rock in there and a dozen fish.
 

ourcoralreef

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I hate to be this guy but I personally wouldn?t risk it if it?s leaking its not just the silicone in the corners it?s the silicone in between the glass panels that?s the silicone that holds our tanks together

I would definitely play it safe especially if i were to be going away

Silicone on top of silicone doesn?t really stick especially if there is saltwater in between
in my opinion the tank needs to be taken apart and siliconed back together then silicone the corners in to have a nice clean corner
 
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_DZ_r??f

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I hate to be this guy but I personally wouldn?t risk it if it?s leaking its not just the silicone in the corners it?s the silicone in between the glass panels that?s the silicone that holds our tanks together

I would definitely play it safe especially if i were to be going away

Silicone on top of silicone doesn?t really stick especially if there is saltwater in between
in my opinion the tank needs to be taken apart and siliconed back together then silicone the corners in to have a nice clean corner
Second that
 
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That leak will spread, basically what's happening is the glass panes are being pulled apart over time, under pressure. The silicone finally gave out at that tiny spot and will spread over time as the rest of the silicone is now under extra stress. There is no way you can reseal the silicone using silicone, since it doesn't stick to itself. It only sticks to glass and even if you patched up the entire area with silicone, the only area that will stick is the outer patch on glass, That's assuming you got it squeaky clean, AND scraped off all the silicone. Plus you'd have to wait a few days for the silicone to cure before filling it up again. The center of your patch will really be 2 layers of silicone, not connected. As for how long it takes for the leak to spread? I couldn't say, could be months. You can put a bucket at the corner to capture the leak, indefinitely. you can calculate the leak rate by how long it takes a drop to come out, put a big enough bucket, then go on vacation. Personally I have had 2 tanks leak. The first I patched with another piece of glass and silicone, and filled it up a day later, only to have the silicone give out a month later. The second tank, I didn't bother trying to fix it, I simply replaced it. Took me 2 weeks to get a replacement tank, and the flow at the leak was constant and didn't appear to be getting worst.
 

1UCKY

Niko's Dad
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That leak will spread, basically what's happening is the glass panes are being pulled apart over time, under pressure. The silicone finally gave out at that tiny spot and will spread over time as the rest of the silicone is now under extra stress. There is no way you can reseal the silicone using silicone, since it doesn't stick to itself. It only sticks to glass and even if you patched up the entire area with silicone, the only area that will stick is the outer patch on glass, That's assuming you got it squeaky clean, AND scraped off all the silicone. Plus you'd have to wait a few days for the silicone to cure before filling it up again. The center of your patch will really be 2 layers of silicone, not connected. As for how long it takes for the leak to spread? I couldn't say, could be months. You can put a bucket at the corner to capture the leak, indefinitely. you can calculate the leak rate by how long it takes a drop to come out, put a big enough bucket, then go on vacation. Personally I have had 2 tanks leak. The first I patched with another piece of glass and silicone, and filled it up a day later, only to have the silicone give out a month later. The second tank, I didn't bother trying to fix it, I simply replaced it. Took me 2 weeks to get a replacement tank, and the flow at the leak was constant and didn't appear to be getting worst.

I took out about 150lbs of live rock and drained the tank half way last night. The leak has stopped, but I'm not fixing the tank. Thanks to you and all for the info provided.
 

1UCKY

Niko's Dad
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Large plastic pond from HD till you get the funds together for a new tank

I have the funds for a new tank, but I have my place on the market and a lot of people have interest on it so far. I don't want to get anything only to find out that I sold the place; I'm planning on getting a 400g plus for my new home if all goes well. Thanks for your input though.
 

ourcoralreef

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Hopefully all goes well with the sale and looking forward to seeing the new build

Here is another option for other people that might end up in this thread because their tank is leaking

Bracing
empty the tank
strip off all the silicone in all of the corners
clean it well
Get 1?-2? wide x 3/8?-1/2? (thick) strips of glass
and silicone them in all of the corners
Let it cure for a week
This will make a new bond between the two panes of glass and seal the leak at the same time
 

1UCKY

Niko's Dad
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All fish are gone and I will be posting the tank/stand/canopy/75g sump tomorrow as a package when I get back from work. I'm trying to get it out by this coming Tuesday as I leave Wednesday to DR, keep your eyes on the for "For Sale" forum. Thanks.
 

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