# 30 Gallon leaker



## GNOME (Nov 16, 2006)

I just aquired a 30 gallon tank from a friend in Virginia. I put the tank in my garage and filled it. There is a leak on the bottom about 6 inches long at the joint. Should I remove all the silicone from the bottom of the tank and re-seal the whole thing or just do where the leak (seeping) is.


----------



## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

Well you need to find out exactly where the leak is coming from if you can. If the leak is a seap from a single spot and it is not more than 1/2 inch long I would reseal where the hole is. If there is truely a seam split occuring then I hate to say it but I would reseal the entire pain from top to bottom which means removing the pane of glass itself to do it. 

The best way I know to check exactly where it is coming from is to take a piece of construction paper, dry the seam completely dry and place the construction paper over the seam, waht closely to see if the leak starts in a single spot or if it appears at the same time along the seam. 

Make sure to remove as much silicone as possible with a razor blade and wash the glass with alcohol to make sure the new silicone will get a solid hold on it and form a tight seal. Make sure to press hard enough that the silocone squeezes into the seam if you accidentally remove any from between the panes of glass.


----------



## Zapher (Jul 30, 2007)

The thing with silicone is that it doesnt cure to itself. So regardless of how big the hole is i would remove all the silicone from the bottom and the sides. Do not remove the glass from the frame.


----------



## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

True and not, but better safe than sorry. New silicone will not adhere to old silicone if it has any kind of film on it. The tanks I have resealed the new silicone would adhere to the silicne between the glass but not the top of any of the old silcone but only to the section I cut into and were completely clean and new looking. 

I do know I didn't even bother trying to find the leak in the 26 bowfront tall tank, I did exactly what you said, removed all the old silicone except for the stuff between the panes and made it all new. Has never leaked since so maybe it is best to start over, at least with the inside silicone.


----------



## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

They are cheap enough to replace, carpet is not. It is true that the best seal is made by removing the panes altogether and placing silicone along every edge. The seal is made BETEEN the edges of the glass, not were the silicone bead is. I've seen many a tank without any silicone at all in the corners, only a thin black stripe between the panes themselves. Check out tanks like AGE for examples.


----------



## Zapher (Jul 30, 2007)

Link removed according to fishforum.com policy. You have been pmed regarding this. Please do not link to another fish keeping forum. 
(fish_4_all)

Thats a perfect way of resealing a tank. I posted the link earlier but i guess it didnt work because i tried to insert the link. You'll just have to copy and paste i guess. As far as keeping a tank with only silicone in between the glass or by only patching the section that is leaking, it may work but personally i wouldnt risk it. It is really up to you though. I can testify that it is a pain in the butt to reseal an entire tank.


----------

