How common is it for a tank to start leaking , if its been up for 3 years

marinerules · 04/29/2007, 02:38 PM

as ive stated before < i had to tear down my 240 tank , I saved all my life, in another tnak I have in my bedroom ,

after cleaning out the sand ect in the 240 , there are no cracks on the bottoms or anywhere in the tank , so it must be leaking at a seam somewhere

how do i begin to find where its leaking

I dont understna dhow its been up all this time and then boom , one morning its leaking water pretty much everywhere at the underneath top side of my stand

maybe one of my sea urchins , ate the silicone somewhere, i have it cleaned up , but will have to wait till net weekend to examine it more

Gluestick · 04/29/2007, 03:10 PM

urchins can eat silicon?!?!?!?!

marinerules · 04/29/2007, 03:13 PM

not eat it , but im sure they could scrape it off if they wanted, i mean they scrape stuff off of glass and rocks, maybe one was eating algae on the silicone or something

i just would like to get the t ank fixed and get some freshwatr fish or something ,caues right now its just seetting there empty

conorwynne · 04/29/2007, 04:05 PM

Why noy simply re-silicone it?
Do all along the seams and do a freshwater test.

Sk8r · 04/29/2007, 04:12 PM

Could you be having a little tilt, which can splash water onto the rim and let it run down?

reefshadow · 04/29/2007, 04:21 PM

Sorry to hear that, it's my worst fear!

I would level it in the garage or yard or somewhere and fill it with the garden hose to see where it's leaking. If you get a rough idea you could squirt some food colouring in with a syringe and see where it goes, though you will have to redo the whole thing anyway if it is leaking.

Is there any possible way it was leaking from external plumbing or equipment? This would be nice, better than the tank itself leaking.

To resilicone you will have to cut out all the old on every seam and redo it. You don't have to take the panes apart but do have to cut and clean along the whole inside to get a reliable seal.

If the tank was at all unlevel where it was set up this could be a cause. It can take years and then suddenly seperate in a small area.

If you ever had puffers or triggers they are known to take bites out of silicon but you would see the gouges.

Sorry about your tank

kathainbowen · 04/29/2007, 04:51 PM

Leaking at a seam after 3 years is a rare event, truly, unless the tank was left dry or had puffers/triggers in it as someone previously stated (although, I would be able to believe a chiton did it. =/ )

Can we get more details of your system, stocking, and the tank specifically?

marinerules · 04/29/2007, 06:51 PM

whatsw a chiton

ok ,

tank is perfectly level ,

EVERYONE stressed to me how important wiht that large of a tank that the stand is sturdy strong and level ,

My dad is a carpenter and a good one , and we made sure that the stand was up to par.

I have a niger trigger

, I ithought that it would be a crack or soemthing , but as far as I could see today , there were no cracks in it

and all of the silicone seemed fine , but like I said , I wasnt home for just a few hours, I keep the tank at my parents house, I have an apartment with some frieneds now in town.

No way I will be able to set it up anytime again soon ,

but I would like to repair it if its just a seal problem for future use one day when I decide to set it up again

When I came home , under the stand , in the front water was pouring at a steady eight of an inch drip

in several spots to , two in the back , two on the otehr side in the back and one in the front

when we siphoned the water half down , it stopped

msman825 · 04/29/2007, 08:45 PM

a good glass place will fix it right up

reefshadow · 04/29/2007, 10:00 PM

Shoot, does sound like it's the tank itself. As the water level drops, pressure on the seams lessens and the seams tighten up.

Quote:

EVERYONE stressed to me how important wiht that large of a tank that the stand is sturdy strong and level

Yes, but is the floor level? Even if it was after the initial fill, settling can cause slopes. A 240 filled is like parking a car in a 8x2x2 footprint, and things can easily shift and settle. Sometimes a small particle of something between the tank and stand can cause a stress point that can take some time to manifest itself via the tank cracking or the seam pulling apart.

Or it could just be a random occurance from a small manufacturing flaw or for no particular reason at all.

Again, sorry that happened, that sucks hard.

marinerules · 04/30/2007, 03:20 PM

yaeh it sucks, I was glad though that I could see no visible crack , which means , the tank isnt a waste.

Mr31415 · 05/01/2007, 12:36 AM

My newly setup 480g tank burst underneath along the length of the whole 2.7m tank and spilled 1800l of saltwater in my living room - while I was 2000km away on holiday.

I guess it happens

marinerules · 05/31/2007, 03:39 PM

omg gosh, so you had major house damage?

sorry im getting to this so late, im so busy now.

If nothing at all , I would like to fix it up and just have 10 silver dollar fish in it and a few 10 or so tiger barbs.

its just its at my parents house and I dont feel comfortable setting it back up again since its already leaked once, Dad would kill me if it burst and water went everywhere

Mr31415 · 05/31/2007, 03:45 PM

Fortunately my house is laid out in such a way that all the water flowed in to my living room and only flooded my furniture and speakers. I had a friend that helped drain all that water so I was lucky - no damage apart from the broken tank.

Good luck with your tank!

04/29/2007, 02:38 PM	#1
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	How common is it for a tank to start leaking , if its been up for 3 years as ive stated before < i had to tear down my 240 tank , I saved all my life, in another tnak I have in my bedroom , after cleaning out the sand ect in the 240 , there are no cracks on the bottoms or anywhere in the tank , so it must be leaking at a seam somewhere how do i begin to find where its leaking I dont understna dhow its been up all this time and then boom , one morning its leaking water pretty much everywhere at the underneath top side of my stand maybe one of my sea urchins , ate the silicone somewhere, i have it cleaned up , but will have to wait till net weekend to examine it more __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

04/29/2007, 03:10 PM	#2
Gluestick Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Joliet, IL Posts: 1,710	urchins can eat silicon?!?!?!?! __________________ Valerie R. Burns Founder/Vice President Joliet Area Reef Club Current Tank Info: 90 gal SPS dominated, ASM-G2 skimmer, 2x250w 20k SE Radium bulbs under Lumenarc Mini Reflectors

04/29/2007, 03:13 PM	#3
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	not eat it , but im sure they could scrape it off if they wanted, i mean they scrape stuff off of glass and rocks, maybe one was eating algae on the silicone or something i just would like to get the t ank fixed and get some freshwatr fish or something ,caues right now its just seetting there empty __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

04/29/2007, 04:05 PM	#4
conorwynne Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 433	Why noy simply re-silicone it? Do all along the seams and do a freshwater test. __________________ New tank (468L or 120G) has salt and rock, just add coral and fish! Current Tank Info: New tank in progress....

04/29/2007, 04:12 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Could you be having a little tilt, which can splash water onto the rim and let it run down? __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

04/29/2007, 04:21 PM	#6
reefshadow Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Central Washington Posts: 1,786	Sorry to hear that, it's my worst fear! I would level it in the garage or yard or somewhere and fill it with the garden hose to see where it's leaking. If you get a rough idea you could squirt some food colouring in with a syringe and see where it goes, though you will have to redo the whole thing anyway if it is leaking. Is there any possible way it was leaking from external plumbing or equipment? This would be nice, better than the tank itself leaking. To resilicone you will have to cut out all the old on every seam and redo it. You don't have to take the panes apart but do have to cut and clean along the whole inside to get a reliable seal. If the tank was at all unlevel where it was set up this could be a cause. It can take years and then suddenly seperate in a small area. If you ever had puffers or triggers they are known to take bites out of silicon but you would see the gouges. Sorry about your tank __________________ All Your Coral Are Belong To Us Current Tank Info: 30 Deep Blue shallow mixed rimless, MP10, Ecoxotic LED's, SCA 301 skimmer.

04/29/2007, 04:51 PM	#7
kathainbowen Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Central Jersey Posts: 667	Leaking at a seam after 3 years is a rare event, truly, unless the tank was left dry or had puffers/triggers in it as someone previously stated (although, I would be able to believe a chiton did it. =/ ) Can we get more details of your system, stocking, and the tank specifically? __________________ "So long and thanks for all the fish!" Current Tank Info: 3G picoreef, 18W 50/50 pc, AC20, stocked with assorted zoos, rics, xenia, and GSP

04/29/2007, 06:51 PM	#8
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	whatsw a chiton ok , tank is perfectly level , EVERYONE stressed to me how important wiht that large of a tank that the stand is sturdy strong and level , My dad is a carpenter and a good one , and we made sure that the stand was up to par. I have a niger trigger , I ithought that it would be a crack or soemthing , but as far as I could see today , there were no cracks in it and all of the silicone seemed fine , but like I said , I wasnt home for just a few hours, I keep the tank at my parents house, I have an apartment with some frieneds now in town. No way I will be able to set it up anytime again soon , but I would like to repair it if its just a seal problem for future use one day when I decide to set it up again When I came home , under the stand , in the front water was pouring at a steady eight of an inch drip in several spots to , two in the back , two on the otehr side in the back and one in the front when we siphoned the water half down , it stopped __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

04/29/2007, 08:45 PM	#9
msman825 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: maine Posts: 1,301	a good glass place will fix it right up __________________ MSMAN

04/30/2007, 03:20 PM	#11
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	yaeh it sucks, I was glad though that I could see no visible crack , which means , the tank isnt a waste. __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

05/01/2007, 12:36 AM	#12
Mr31415 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Surrey, Canada Posts: 1,926	My newly setup 480g tank burst underneath along the length of the whole 2.7m tank and spilled 1800l of saltwater in my living room - while I was 2000km away on holiday. I guess it happens

05/31/2007, 03:39 PM	#13
marinerules Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Paragould Arkansas Posts: 2,219	omg gosh, so you had major house damage? sorry im getting to this so late, im so busy now. If nothing at all , I would like to fix it up and just have 10 silver dollar fish in it and a few 10 or so tiger barbs. its just its at my parents house and I dont feel comfortable setting it back up again since its already leaked once, Dad would kill me if it burst and water went everywhere __________________ Looking at purchasing a good SLR camera within the next year, under $1000, any suggestions , email me Current Tank Info: 75 gallon damsels tank , 300 gallon predator fowlr tank

05/31/2007, 03:45 PM	#14
Mr31415 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Surrey, Canada Posts: 1,926	Fortunately my house is laid out in such a way that all the water flowed in to my living room and only flooded my furniture and speakers. I had a friend that helped drain all that water so I was lucky - no damage apart from the broken tank. Good luck with your tank!