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#1
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Came home today to find my tank leaking badly. Dumped 120 lts all over
the carpet, lovely ![]() My question is, the tank seems to be lealing from the bottom seam, dose anyone have any experience in repairing leaking tanks? What is the best (correct) procedure? TIA groper PS I saved the fish ![]() |
#2
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I've resealed a lot of tanks in the past few years, and this is what
I've learned. Well, first of all, take EVERYTHING out of the tank.... put the fish in buckets with some form of aeration. You'll want to completely empty the tank and strip out the old sealant with a sharp razor blade or utility knife.... scrape it right down to the bare glass. Then, clean ALL seams with a clean rag and generous amounts of rubbing alcohol..... rubbing alcohol is the best thing to use because it leaves no chemical residue that could come between the sealant and the glass. DO NOT touch the seam after cleaning it.... even the oils in human skin can ruin the bond of the glue. After the tank is completely dried out, don some PVC gloves (wash them off thoroughly with alcohol also). Use a caulking gun with a good, strong silicone to reseal it (read all caution statements on the silicone tube to be sure that it is appropriate for aquarium use). Smooth out the bead with a popsicle stick or something like that. May wanna have good ventilation in the room if you don't enjoy permanent nerve damage from the silicone's fumes. Whatever it says for drying time on the silicone's tube... you'll want to triple it before you consider putting anything back in the tank. Good luck getting your tank fixed. |
#3
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#4
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On 2005-01-10, Dances_With_Ferrets wrote:
(read all caution statements on the silicone tube to be sure that it is appropriate for aquarium use). This is harder to find than you might think. If you go to the hardware store, even the non-toxic, fungicide-free stuff tends to only have strengths rated up to about 15 gallons of water. I'm not sure how seriously to take that, but being a paranoid type, I found the All-Glass aquarium sealant to be a more sure option. It cost about the same and is the same sealant they use on all their tanks, so strength isn't an issue. -- Ross Vandegrift "The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of Hell." --St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37 |
#5
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In article .com,
Dances_With_Ferrets wrote: I've resealed a lot of tanks in the past few years, and this is what What he said. One caveat - if it's a glass hex tank, give up. For some reason everybody's I've talked to says they leak and can't be esealed. Knowing better I tried - twice. They're right dammit. I have no problem resealing rectangular tanks but glass hex tanks? I only buy acrylic hex tanks now. -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
#6
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"Ross Vandegrift" wrote in message
... On 2005-01-10, Dances_With_Ferrets wrote: (read all caution statements on the silicone tube to be sure that it is appropriate for aquarium use). This is harder to find than you might think. If you go to the hardware it is very easy to find. You can get aquarium sealant at home depot, lowes, sears, ace-hardware or just about any hardware store. Or you can go to your lfs and get it also ;op -- Margolis http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm http://www.unrealtower.org/faq |
#7
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![]() Richard wrote: In article .com, Dances_With_Ferrets wrote: I've resealed a lot of tanks in the past few years, and this is what What he said. One caveat - if it's a glass hex tank, give up. For some reason everybody's I've talked to says they leak and can't be esealed. Knowing better I tried - twice. They're right dammit. I have no problem resealing rectangular tanks but glass hex tanks? I only buy acrylic hex tanks now. I'd like to know the reason. Maybe hex tanks are more prone to flexing and seals breaking? And maybe it just takes more skill to build a leak proof one? |
#8
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On 2005-01-11, Margolis wrote:
"Ross Vandegrift" wrote in message ... This is harder to find than you might think. If you go to the hardware it is very easy to find. You can get aquarium sealant at home depot, lowes, sears, ace-hardware or just about any hardware store. Or you can go to your lfs and get it also ;op Depends on area maybe --- none of the hardware stores around me carried it. I checked out two Home Depots, a Lowe's, and three local places. I think my area might be cursed for finding lots of things though; one of my LFS owners still insists there's no such thing as an SAE and that I'm "really" thinking of a CAE ::-) But even my LFS carried the AGA sealant! -- Ross Vandegrift "The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of Hell." --St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37 |
#9
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In article ,
Nikki Casali wrote: Richard wrote: In article .com, Dances_With_Ferrets wrote: I've resealed a lot of tanks in the past few years, and this is what What he said. One caveat - if it's a glass hex tank, give up. For some reason everybody's I've talked to says they leak and can't be esealed. Knowing better I tried - twice. They're right dammit. I have no problem resealing rectangular tanks but glass hex tanks? I only buy acrylic hex tanks now. I'd like to know the reason. Maybe hex tanks are more prone to flexing and seals breaking? And maybe it just takes more skill to build a leak proof one? I truly don't know.This was 15 years ago and the first time I cleaned it well then sealed it - leaks. Then I cleaned it well, doused it with hydrochloric acid then rinsed with distilled water. The tank look new and I was very careful withthe silicone. Leaked. I got an acrylic tank and never looked back. I *guess* it's the angle of the glass, they're not cut on a bevel son they don't meet well. Anybody got any old glass hex tanks that don't leak? -- Need Mercedes parts ? - http://parts.mbz.org http://www.mbz.org | Mercedes Mailing lists: http://lists.mbz.org 633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | Killies, killi.net, Crypts, aquaria.net 1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Old wris****ches http://watches.list.mbz.org |
#10
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![]() Richard wrote: In article , Nikki Casali wrote: Richard wrote: In article .com, Dances_With_Ferrets wrote: I've resealed a lot of tanks in the past few years, and this is what What he said. One caveat - if it's a glass hex tank, give up. For some reason everybody's I've talked to says they leak and can't be esealed. Knowing better I tried - twice. They're right dammit. I have no problem resealing rectangular tanks but glass hex tanks? I only buy acrylic hex tanks now. I'd like to know the reason. Maybe hex tanks are more prone to flexing and seals breaking? And maybe it just takes more skill to build a leak proof one? I truly don't know.This was 15 years ago and the first time I cleaned it well then sealed it - leaks. Then I cleaned it well, doused it with hydrochloric acid then rinsed with distilled water. The tank look new and I was very careful withthe silicone. Leaked. I got an acrylic tank and never looked back. I *guess* it's the angle of the glass, they're not cut on a bevel son they don't meet well. Anybody got any old glass hex tanks that don't leak? Well, I do have a 75g tank that has "cut off" 45 degrees corners. Only a year old and no leaks yet - crossing my fingers and toes. But I'm thinking of buying a large corner hex tank. Nikki |
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