Lost ParrotHunter

Hi everyone. i need some recommendations on what is best to repair a 150 gallon tank that has sprung a leak. the leak occurred in a bottom corner.

i wont go over the sordid details involved with evacuating the tank. the tank is currently empty and all substrate has been removed. it's cleaned of all debris.

i'm ready to start the repair process. would like to know from the community what is the best repair solution/brand of silicone/is it worth the time to repair?

MizRamzi

How sure are you that it's from the bottom corner?

Lost ParrotHunter

thats where the water came pouring out. i have a pic of the tank (when it had a water in it) in my albums.

whiskeyhill

Well what I would do is completely seal the tank,just guessing where the leak originated from will more than likely be incorrect. I know it seems extreme to seal entire tank but you want to be sure if you only seal that corner and start filling again and it leaks still will cause you great stress.It's really not that big of a job..corners first then bottom. Just make sure after removing old sealant glass is free of debris and clean,you'll be fine

CWO4GUNNER

You can use non toxic water dye marker solution (florescent green) used to ID water sources and leaks or a non-toxic water soluble leak detector. It will pin point where the leak is coming from by the intensity of the color stream concentration. Then just remove that section of dyed silicone with a razor and sharp wood chisel and re-caulk with a high quality clear non-toxic silicon specifically designed for high pressure applications like for potable water pumps, boat intake drives units, or aquariums.

Lost ParrotHunter

thank you all for your suggestions.

i'm not afraid of spending the time on it, just needed ideas on how to tackle it. will post when i have it holding water again.

where might i find silicone specific to this application?

CWO4GUNNER

bigreddog

I picked up DAP aquarium silicone at Menards for around 3$

Sarkazmo

Be sure to clean the glass surfaces that the silicone will be applied to. Use a razor blade type scraper to get ALL the old silicone off in the are that you're resealing. If you can, wear latex/nitride gloves while doing the actual silicone work. If you can't lay a pretty bead of silicone, an old spoon (or plastic spoon) is great for working with the silicone. This can be extremely messy if you're not prepared. It would be best to reseal the entire tank if you're up to it. Get a caulking gun and the caulk style cylinders of PURE silicone instead of the squeeze tubes. The gun'll allow you to do a much neater and more precise and even job. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.

Sarkazmo