my aquarium is leaking :( help

[kendogg]

I have a 40 gallon .. and its seeping water .. sigh..


Umm.. i just called petco and they carry a repair kit called all glass aquarium silicone.. he says that I would have to empty out the tank and the fishes.. I have emptied out my tank once and I thought I was gonna to die.. IS THERE any way I can seal this without emptying the tank out?? please help

 

[Ameesh]

i asked macguyver and he said use duct tape.

 

[zmatrix]

dude, that happened to me too. Unfortunately, I had to buy another tank to replace it. Other than that, I think you still have to empty the tank if you want to fix it.

 

[Beau]

Not on glass tanks.... Sorry man, gonna have to empty your tank, at least down to where it is leaking!

 

[kendogg]

duct tape???? will that work even though the glass is seeping out water at a very slow rate.. ?

sigh.. if duct tape dont work i guess i have no other choice..........OMG imma kill myself doing this..

well as some people know.. I have piranahs.. I dont want to hurt em while trying to catch em in the net... AHHHH

 

[Static911]

i don't think it is possible to fix a leak without first emptying the aquarium

any possble water-proof epoxy?

static911

 

[MichaelD]

LOL@AMEESH. Hilarious! Duct tape; it holds the universe together!

Seriously, there is no way to fix it correctly without emptying the tank. Most probably, the leak is nice and low in the tank so you have to empty the whole GD thing, right? Of course. My suggestion is to do it and do it right. Get a big old bucket and fill it w/water from the tank. Put an air pump in the bucket to give them oxygen. They'll be fine for 24 hours or so.

Empty the tank clean it up. Dry it off. Silicone it good. Might as well do ALL the seams! No better time than now. Make sure you let it dry according to the manufacturer's directons. Your fishies will thank U.

 

[Jzero]

What caused the leak and where is it? On the corner joint? How old is the tank?

I know that doesn't help you, but I have a 30-gal that I got maybe 3 months ago, and I'd be interested in knowing how the leaks occur (and thus how to prevent them).

 

[bleeb]

<< ...I have emptied out my tank once and I thought I was gonna to die... >>



Dude you will be killed if the tank breaks and the water EXPLODES onto your floor. Ruining your carpet or floors. Its much easier to empty the tank and get it professionally repaired or to do the repair work yourself. Make sure you test it first before you use it, (i.e. Fill the tank half way and test for a couple of days). Good Luck!

 

[GodBlessTheUSA]

Best way to create leaks is to move the tank while filled.

Best way to repair leaks is just replace the tank, I'm afraid.

 

[mithrandir2001]

Frankly, I would probably buy another tank, so the transfer time for the fishes would be quite short. 30 gallon tanks aren't too expensive, not like a 100+ ones.

EDIT: Oops, it's a 40...that kind of sucks.

 

[hungrypete]

Your tank will never be the same. You are probably going to have to drain it ALL THE WAY, reseal the entire tank, and let it set. You might go buy a 10 gall and a small pump so your fish can get by in there for a day or two. Good luck man, 40 gallons is ALOT of water to have leaking.

There was this one day, I had just gotten home from work. My girlfriend has two cats which I don't like. So one of the cats is hissing at the other. Being the genius that I am, I'm taking off my boots and decide to chuck one at a cat. Unfortunately, my throw was pathetic, and BOOOM! I smacked a 10 gallon tank with some tropicals in it. 10 gallons of water instantaneously on the floor. That SUCKED.

 

[Scuttle]

<< LOL@AMEESH. Hilarious! Duct tape; it holds the universe together! >>



It has a light side an a dark side as well! :Q

It IS the universe.

 

[QueenShanequa]

you can get aquarium repair silicone at ace or any other hardware store. alot of them dont require draining the tank. my girlfriend bought an aquarium with a big crack in it at a garage sale and fixed it up fine. Q

 

[bozo1]

I'd call a local fish store - NOT Petsmart, Petco, WalMart, etc., and ask them what they recommend.

You could probably buy one out of the newspaper classifieds quite easily - people are always moving or killed their fish or whatever and are selling their stuff.

 

[LordEdmond]

freash water or marine if the latter buy a new tank the chemicals in uncured silicone will kill the fish

 

[amnesiac]

Man, I have a new 60-gallon reef tank. If it started leaking I would be in deep sh!t, mainly b/c my rental agreement specifically says I can't have a fishtank >10 gallons

 

[LordEdmond]

yea me too my reef is getting on for 150 galls and 50 gall sump.

have to be carefull at the moment the tomato clones have egg's as usual ever three week's or so , she is the most kranky fish known to man . she is a full on attack fish

 

[xyyz]

<< I have a 40 gallon .. and its seeping water .. sigh..


Umm.. i just called petco and they carry a repair kit called all glass aquarium silicone.. he says that I would have to empty out the tank and the fishes.. I have emptied out my tank once and I thought I was gonna to die.. IS THERE any way I can seal this without emptying the tank out?? please help >>



ouch... you know what... these pet stores don't have the right stuff to repair this kinda problem... they'll tr y to sell you some super-expensive crappy product and tell you to drain the water.

I suggest you go to your local Home Depot.. tell them you need non-toxic silicone that will work in wet conditions... they'll sell you some good and inexpensive stuff...

try to dry the leaking part as much as possible and apply the seal... it should work.

 

[wnied]

$1.29 tube of clear bath tub silicone sealant will fix that problem. Get out the buckets to place in the fish, and drain the tank.

Or you could pay close to 100. bucks for a new tank...your choice.

~wnied~

 

[Miramonti]

How about pooring in some radiator sealant, that's pretty good at sealing holes sometimes.