ariolex

Hi everybody!!
All of a sudden my tank is leaking. After finding the origin of the dripping I tried to seal it -from the outside- with an aquarium silicone sealant (from Home Depot.) It worked partially, if I fill the tank to the top it starts leaking again. Right now I am using the tank to 75% of its capacity.
Is there any product/sealant that can be used underwater to seal the tank from the inside without having to remove all the fish? The issue here is that on average sealants take about 48 hours to cure which posts a big problem to manage my tank inhabitants for such a long period of time. My fishies are not the most sensitive species but having them on buckets for days is kind of dodgy…

Fishies-for-me

Sorry I know of nothing like that...can you maybe get a real big plastic tote for the fish and then drain the tank?? The tote you can use like a tank....put gravel heater and filtration in it to keep everything wet and happy.

Shawnie

the best way and only sure way is to empty and do it from scratch..get a big plastic tote as fishie said and just put your filter and heater on it...with some tank water...most sealants need to be dry for a few days and the toxins from wet sealants would be more dangerous than the totes you will have them in..or you can check out craigslist or freecycle to find a tank asap that might help....goodluck!

ariolex

Thanks.
Any sealant names??

Phinny12

I had the same thing happen to me this past summer... I was also unable to find any such product...ended up with a new thank.

pinkfloydpuffer

I got some aquarium grade silicon sealant at petco. I don't know if they have a petco where you are though.

ariolex

Thanks PFP, unfortunatly there is no Petco in Puerto Rico. But if your experience with the sealant was satisfactory I may look for it on the web. Of course, i will need the sealant brand.
cheers

pinkfloydpuffer

Well, I don't have it with me right now, but when I get home I can look at it.

Shawnie

do you have a walmart in puerto rico? they sell it also..and you can check some hardware stores for aquirium sealant

ariolex

I got some aquarium grade silicone sealant from Home Depot the thing is that it is rated for up to 30 gallons, mine is twice that size, so i am a bit concern with volume/pressure. Who knows... may be this product will make it, but i do not want to go over the evacuation proccess twice. I am trying to go as safe as possible.

i have not look in Walmart, I will check
thanks

jdhef

Is the leak in the top 25% of the tank, or does the weight of the addional 25% of water cause the leak to occur in the lower 75%. If the leak is in the top 25%, maybe you could drain the tank down so you have access to the leaky spot, repair it, let it cure then refill.

Redtech

Try Mighty Putty! Just ask Billy Mays!!!

Just kidding - don't put that junk on your tank!

ariolex

B is correct the weight of the additional water promotes the leak. Actually, the leak is about in the middle.
Anyway, thanks for the suggestion Jdhef

soldieroffortune1974

You will have to drain the water completely. Scrape all the old sealant from the entire edge it's leaking from,with a razor.The new sealant will not adhere to the old where it joins where you partially sealed it. The brand I use is from PERFECTO MANUFACTURING. it is 100% silicone rubber.It comes in a tube for a calk gun,but you may be able to find different sizes.I get the biggest tubes I can by the case,because of all the aquariums I build. It doesn't have the normal limits of 30" or X amount of gallons.It's the better of many brands I have tried.

Once the "vinegar" smell is gone,it is safe to add water.Good luck,and remember to remove ALL old sealant.I would drain it and reseal the whole aquarium.If 1 spot sprung a leak,usually it wont be long before the other areas fail too.

Fishies-for-me

Don't forget to clean the glass with rubbing alcohol to remove all traces of any grease ( from fingers ) or anything else..it will help promote a good adhesion to the glass

fishlover78

the brand that I have resealed my tank with was made by Perfecto manufacturing, I believe they themselves manufacture tanks with the same sealant, aqueon products also make a black silicone sealant if you prefer that over clear. if you go to aqueonproducts.com you can find a location were the sealant is sold in your area it lists local stores and chain stores, they make clear and black sealant. hope this helps! -fishlover78

fishlover78

and yes, I just checked, Puerto Rico is one of the options to locate a store in! and yeah I would just us a tote to keep the fish in, or if at all possible a 10 gallon tank is only 11.99 here so you could also just do that until its fixed.
-fishlover78

ariolex

thanks everybody.
I will be using a 10 gal tank adn a 5 gal bucket.
Good advise Soldieroffortune, I will seal all the sides.
thank you all--

fishlover78

sounds good!