Quick Q: Should I snag 80 gal tank that leaks?

I just found out about a guy that wants to get rid of his 80 gal. bow front tank because it 'sprang a leak yesterday.' He say's it doesn't have any cracks, 'the silicon just let loose in the front.' He said he was in his bed and heard it dripping, and now just wants to get rid of it.

I don't know any other info (mfr, salt/fresh etc.) and it is about 60 miles away. Well, I do know that it comes with a stand. I'm hoping it comes with related equipment, and maybe even fish...

The only reason I am hesitant is I'm currently unemployed, and I have no idea what it will cost to fix it.

It seems to me, if what he said about the silicon giving way is accurate, I should probably re-caulk the whole thing.

Can anyone give me an estimate on what it would cost to re-caulk an 80 gal. tank?

What is the cheapest source (I’m in Austin, TX USA) and brand of aquarium-safe caulk? (I know, do a search)

Also, I will search for repair advice when and if I get the thing, but does anyone want to offer up links to the best threads?

As for me, I’ve got a little 10 gal. I’ve had running for several months (one molly, one platy, and a snail), and I have probably better than average handyman skills.

What say ye, oh venerable board?

 

I wouldn't know how much it would cost to actually recaulk the whole thing, but from everything that I have ever read, yes, you would have to recaulk the entire thing.

If you just try to recaulk the one side of the tank, it will leak in the corners where the new caulk meets the old caulk.

I can't imagine it would cost that much to recaulk the whole entire thing, but I am no expert and could be way off.

Even if you use 4 tubes to recaulk the whole thing, that's about less then 40$ to do it.

And just because a caulk doesn't say 'aquarium safe' or even if it says 'not for use in aquariums', does not necessarily mean you cannot use it. As long as it does not contain any fungicides it should be okay.

But don't take my word for it, I would definitely get second/third opinions. I have no first hand experience, just read information. Although I have used caulk to hold vinyl tubing to power heads...that's about it.

 

I know it depends on where the leak is, but personally, I wouldn't use a leaky aquarium. Especially not an 80 gallon. just my opinion, though.

 

You might want to do a search on the forum. Several members have resealed tanks or built them.

 

There are two different kinds of caulk jobs. The inside seams are not a big deal. However, if it's leaking, you'll need to separate the pieces of glass and start from scratch. You would essentially be building a tank from scratch, and 80 gallons is a lot of water. I would try on a couple smaller tanks first.

 

I would jump on it in a heart beat,specially if its a good price, recaulking would probably run around 30 bucks, I can't remember what I paid for a tube that goes in a caulk gun. make sure you get as much of the old silicone out as you can with a box cutter and clean it with acetone real good then lay the silicone to it and wallaaaah

 

Hello DadOfTwo.
The above link may help you some. I wish I could quote you a price but I wouldn't think it would be too much. Best of luck. If you do decide to get it I hope you share some photos of the process with us.
Ken

 

Heck yes, I'd jump on it! I'm not much of a DIYer so I know you can fix it if you're handy.

An 80 gallon bowfront is an expensive tank and resealing it is cheap. This can literally save you hundreds of dollars for just a few bucks in supplies. GE Silicone I is aquarium safe, and cheaper than buying aquarium silicone at the LFS. One tube should do fine, but grab 2 just in case. I've resealed leaky tanks several times and IME you do not have to separate the panes of glass. You just have to remove all the old silicone you can get from the inside of the tank. Strip all the seals, up to the top frame, as much as you can get. It's extremely important to get it super clean- this is the part that will take you the longest and frustrate you the most, lol. You'll probably need several passes with the razor blade to remove all the silicone. Then clean the glass up with acetone, as mentioned, or rubbing alcohol. I used a shop vac to vacuum out all the little bits of silicone from the inside of the tank. Now it's time to apply new silicone. You can tape off the edges if you want straight lines, or not. The important thing is to get plenty of silicone on there, and you'll need to do it all at once. Use a rubber glove to smooth out the silicone with your fingers. Let it cure for at least 24 hours (48 hrs would be better IMO) before leak testing.

 

also if you use your finger wet your finger first as the silicone won't stick to it, I kinda licked my finger and did it, just make sure ya dot forget to wipe excess silicone off your finger in between licks lol or ya end up with it in your mustash and it doesn't taste very good either lol( learn from my misfortune lol)

 

I would keep looking on craigslist until you find something that does not leak. 80 gallons is a lot of water to risk leaking. You might find something really cheap without the risk.

Good Luck

 

IME fixing, repairing and building tanks, this easily done but you must remove the front panel. There's a lot of pressure on the bottom seam in a bow front tank and especially if it is deeper than 18". This is probably not a good tank for the first time fix but if the price is right, I'd give it a shot.

 

I would keep looking on craigslist until you find something that does not leak. 80 gallons is a lot of water to risk leaking. You might find something really cheap without the risk.

Good Luck

75 gallons is a lot of water to risk leaking as well, but mine is holding strong after a reseal and a good leak test. Not a difficult project at all IME.

 

Thanks, all.

I've found some info on this board, and much more via google.

Sounds like the tank is probably acrylic, in which case silicon is not the best way to go.

I'm waiting to hear back from the guy on when I can go pick it up.

If I get it, and successfully repair it, I'll do a separate thread.

 

best of luck!

 

The front is acrylic, but the bottom and sides are glass, so I think I'm back to using silicon, even though it doesn't adhere well to acrylic.

Again, I'll try to take pix along the way, and do a thread if it is successful.

Thanks, all.

 

I've never heard of a combination of glass and acrylic; that sounds odd to me. ???

 

I've never heard of a combination of glass and acrylic; that sounds odd to me. ???

As it should...

I had assumed that all curved aquariums were acrylic, then when I picked this one up I saw a sticker on the bottom stating that the bottom is tempered glass. So, my natural assumption was that it is a mix.

You know what happens when you assume...

I just noticed that there is a badge in the corner that states "all glass aquarium."

Open mouth, insert foot. That's the story of my life. im

 

I stripped my 100 of all the silicone and re-sealed again when I bought it. no problems yet.

 

As it should...

I had assumed that all curved aquariums were acrylic, then when I picked this one up I saw a sticker on the bottom stating that the bottom is tempered glass. So, my natural assumption was that it is a mix.

You know what happens when you assume...

I just noticed that there is a badge in the corner that states "all glass aquarium."

Open mouth, insert foot. That's the story of my life. im

In that case, I believe that's a 72 gallon bowfront. Perfecto and Oceanic made the 80 gallon bowfront ("80 Euro") tank. Not that it matters, I'd be all over it either way.

 

all glass then you got a nice project and probably save a good bit of cash, not to get in your business but how is the guy wanting for it?

 

if you get the tank....
learn how to do it, be patient, be careful, do it right and do it right the first time.

You shouldn't have problems. Obviously 80 gallons is a lot of water to flood your house, but your not going to reseal a tank and then 'test it out' in your living room, I hope. Most people fill a tank to test the seems outside before they bring it in. Just don't be stupid about it. And be sure to let it cure for long enough, I would wait at least 2 days before test filling it, and at least a week before bringing it in....all that said, given the opportunity, I would take it =D

I wish you the best of luck

 

In that case, I believe that's a 72 gallon bowfront. Perfecto and Oceanic made the 80 gallon bowfront ("80 Euro") tank. Not that it matters, I'd be all over it either way.

72, 80, what are a few gallons among friends?

The guy told me it was 80, but there may have been a rounding error.

Is there a way I can ID it? Not that I really care, but it would be nice to know who made it.

The only markings I've found are a sticker on the bottom glass that reads something like "Bottom is Tempered Glass for strength and reliability. Do not drill.' and an oval badge on the front lower left corner that reads "All Glass Aquarium,' with a wavy line underneath.

I'll try to post up some pix later.

 

all glass then you got a nice project and probably save a good bit of cash, not to get in your business but how is the guy wanting for it?

So far it has cost me 2.5 hours of my time and 100 miles worth of gas (round trip) to pick it up in the minivan (at about 22.4 mpg). I'll call it 'free.'

TMI?

 

if you get the tank....
learn how to do it, be patient, be careful, do it right and do it right the first time./snip/

Oh, I plan to.

The tank is now sitting in my garage. It has been the victI'm of a couple poorly-executed re-seals already. It doesn't need another shoddy job.

And, yes, having that much water on the floor would be tragic. Our living room, where my little 10 gal. sits right now, has engineered hadwood flooring. I think that contributes to my restless nights...

At a minimum I will thoroughly test this 'new' tank in the garage, where a flood will just wash the concrete floor. And, since we are wanting to finish out the garage for extra living space, the tank may find a permanent place there.

 

Congrats on the pickup.

"All Glass Aquarium" shown on the sticker is the brand name. Should be a 72 bowfront, very nice tank.

 

OK, so here are the best articles I’ve found so far:



https://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/nov07/build-aquarium-part2.htm

Thanks Aquarist48 for the link, and all for the advice.

In addition, I ran across an article that mentioned using epoxy to adhere the glass. Anybody know anything about that?

I would really like to rebuild this right the first time, so as to never have to worry about it. I know silicon is the traditional way, but epoxy sure sounds good to me...

 

I have not heard of using epoxy for glass tanks. I only have experience with replacing silicone on glass.

 

Yep, it's a project, all right.

I pretty well have the old silicon scraped out now. Not just the old silicon, but the old old silicon as well... Wonder how many times this tank was 'patched?'

One thing that I've found is that the bottom plate actually flexes. If I push down on the rear-center I can see it move in relation to the back glass. It doesn't move much, but there is a little bit of water left in the joint, and when I lightly push on the bottom of the tank I can see that little bit of water move.

Also, I can see that the black silicon that AGA used to construct the tank has turned loose in that area. So Jaysee's and ldbrown3138's advice about disassembling the tank is warranted. That worries me, because I'm afraid I won't be able to get all the pieces lined up again.

I plan to water test the repaired tank in the garage, and then move it into the house. However, I'm afraid that if there is any flex the seals could give way when (or some time after) the tank is moved. So I'm trying to decide on the best way to make it truly rigid. I would really like to have complete faith in this tank when completed.

In the mean time I have also been reading up on sumps and things, and now I'm considering drilling holes and installing thru-hull fittings now (capped), so that when I decide to add on, the fittings will be there and ready.

What do you think? 1/2" in each corner? Would that provide for all imaginable reconfigurations and upgrades?

Also, I'm debating about fixing/sealing the tank first, testing, then drilling, or going ahead and drilling it now. If I drill it now, and something goes wrong, I won't have wasted time sealing it.

Oh, and did I mention that I want to redo the stand that came with it? Reinforcement, darker stain, better hinges on the doors...

Where does it all end?

 

If the bottom is flexing that may be the root of the problem, maybe you could use a full sheet plywood bottom so its not resting on the outer edges of the glass, I don't know what your stand looks like, just an idea

 

If the bottom is flexing that may be the root of the problem, maybe you could use a full sheet plywood bottom so its not resting on the outer edges of the glass, I don't know what your stand looks like, just an idea

Actually, I think you are describing one of the options I'm considering. Cutting a thick piece of plywood that would fit on the bottom, and epoxy-ing it to the glass. Yes, it would mean some modification to the stand.

 

Just in case any readers are interested, I tried putting a fillet of marine epoxy on all joints. After the epoxy cured I got the tank half filled before it failed in a grand manner.

Guess there's a reason no one uses epoxy.

 

Just in case any readers are interested, I tried putting a fillet of marine epoxy on all joints. After the epoxy cured I got the tank half filled before it failed in a grand manner.

Guess there's a reason no one uses epoxy.

I'm so sorry I know that had to be heartbreaking after you put all that hard work into it.