Sealing a leaking tank

Ranchhand02 · 06/13/2017, 06:16 PM

I was killing time looking in Craigslist today and I came across two tanks for sale cheap. One was 180 gallons and the other was 220 gallons. Both were reef ready drilled tanks, but they both had a small leak according to the owner. I am not really ready to buy a tank that size at the moment, but it got me to thinking of how hard it would be to seal a leaking tank. Have you had any luck sealing a leaking tank? I have not tried, but I was just curious how hard it was to seal a leaking tank.

der_wille_zur_macht · 06/13/2017, 06:34 PM

It depends on the type and extent of the damage. And your tolerance for risk. It's really easy to slap a thick fillet of new silicone in a corner, but if the seam is no longer structurally sound, you basically need to completely disassemble the tank and start over. Tanks that large are very hard to assemble without experience and tools (the glass panels are very heavy).

Personally, if a large tank is losing water, I would consider it a total loss and plan on rebuilding from scratch. You'd be out maybe 6 or 8 hours on prep work and 3 or 4 hours on assembly, plus maybe $50 in silicone. Not horrible, but again that assumes you have the experience and the means to do the work, which if you're asking the question you probably don't. And then you have to ask yourself the real question - do you trust your work enough to keep a few hundred gallons of saltwater off your floors?

daninflipflops · 06/13/2017, 06:55 PM

If it's leaking, the structural silicone that's holding the tank together has failed. You would have to completely dissemble and put back together. Not impossible, but not a good first time to try with a tank that size

Lsufan · 06/13/2017, 07:33 PM

There are some ways to save money in this hobby but buying a tank that leaks is not one of them. Like they already mentioned, if it leaks then it has to be completely rebuilt. Building a tank that size really isn't for people that doesn't have experience. It is harder to do then it seams & the larger the tank the harder it is.

U also have to think of safety. It's not only 180 gallons of water on the floor. Just one pane of glass on a tank that large is extremely heavy & if a seam lets go while someone is in front of it they can get injured & maybe even worse

boxfishpooalot · 06/17/2017, 05:54 AM

Ive resiliconed my current tank. It was a royal pain trust me. Would i do it again? Yes because its very satisfying. It was a 240 gallon.

ca1ore · 06/17/2017, 09:01 AM

Replacing the inner seal makes no difference to the integrity of a tank. If it makes you feel better, fine, but don't extend the delusion to thinking your tank is now somehow more structurally sound - it's not

I will say, however, that the majority of tanks I have looked at that ostensibly 'had a leak' actually did not. Usually it was either a drippy bulkhead or salt creep out of the bottom trim due to,water spilled over the top rim. Not saying a tank cannot leak, but it's actually not very easy to accomplish. Usually tank just fail and dump the entire volume - that's pretty easy to diagnose

06/13/2017, 06:16 PM	#1
Ranchhand02 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 532	Sealing a leaking tank I was killing time looking in Craigslist today and I came across two tanks for sale cheap. One was 180 gallons and the other was 220 gallons. Both were reef ready drilled tanks, but they both had a small leak according to the owner. I am not really ready to buy a tank that size at the moment, but it got me to thinking of how hard it would be to seal a leaking tank. Have you had any luck sealing a leaking tank? I have not tried, but I was just curious how hard it was to seal a leaking tank.

06/13/2017, 06:34 PM	#2
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	It depends on the type and extent of the damage. And your tolerance for risk. It's really easy to slap a thick fillet of new silicone in a corner, but if the seam is no longer structurally sound, you basically need to completely disassemble the tank and start over. Tanks that large are very hard to assemble without experience and tools (the glass panels are very heavy). Personally, if a large tank is losing water, I would consider it a total loss and plan on rebuilding from scratch. You'd be out maybe 6 or 8 hours on prep work and 3 or 4 hours on assembly, plus maybe $50 in silicone. Not horrible, but again that assumes you have the experience and the means to do the work, which if you're asking the question you probably don't. And then you have to ask yourself the real question - do you trust your work enough to keep a few hundred gallons of saltwater off your floors? __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

06/13/2017, 07:33 PM	#4
Lsufan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 1,410	There are some ways to save money in this hobby but buying a tank that leaks is not one of them. Like they already mentioned, if it leaks then it has to be completely rebuilt. Building a tank that size really isn't for people that doesn't have experience. It is harder to do then it seams & the larger the tank the harder it is. U also have to think of safety. It's not only 180 gallons of water on the floor. Just one pane of glass on a tank that large is extremely heavy & if a seam lets go while someone is in front of it they can get injured & maybe even worse Last edited by Lsufan; 06/13/2017 at 08:18 PM.

06/17/2017, 05:54 AM	#5
boxfishpooalot Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: canada, Grande Praire, Ab Posts: 5,824	Ive resiliconed my current tank. It was a royal pain trust me. Would i do it again? Yes because its very satisfying. It was a 240 gallon. __________________ Its a good idea to have a refrence sample for alk test kits. 1.1350 grams of baking soda in 1gallon of distilled water=10dkh. Check your alkalinity test kit! Algae is Mother Natures phosphate remover Current Tank Info: 220 galon mixed reef.

06/17/2017, 09:01 AM	#6
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	Replacing the inner seal makes no difference to the integrity of a tank. If it makes you feel better, fine, but don't extend the delusion to thinking your tank is now somehow more structurally sound - it's not I will say, however, that the majority of tanks I have looked at that ostensibly 'had a leak' actually did not. Usually it was either a drippy bulkhead or salt creep out of the bottom trim due to,water spilled over the top rim. Not saying a tank cannot leak, but it's actually not very easy to accomplish. Usually tank just fail and dump the entire volume - that's pretty easy to diagnose __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

06/13/2017, 06:55 PM	#3
daninflipflops In Memoriam Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Sarasota, FL Posts: 208	If it's leaking, the structural silicone that's holding the tank together has failed. You would have to completely dissemble and put back together. Not impossible, but not a good first time to try with a tank that size