A Leak?

[Maxta]

Oh dear.

Somehow, my tank has sprung a leak. Its not too bad, not alot coming out, a slow leak i guess (takes over a day for a little bit to appear).

Every now and then id wake upto water around the edge of the bottom of the tank. Those occasions i put down to my fault, maybe i splashed or spilt some water.

This time, no, iv done nothing, hasnt been cleaned since last week and unless my water is evaporating (at 28oC) my water levels have gone down a few mm (noticeable).

I have to assume its at the front left corner of my tank.

But im not sure how this could have been caused, i have gravel - small bits not big. Maybe its when i pushed my cave in last time i cleaned, instead of clearing some gravel i just pushed it in. But iv always did this.

With it being at the bottom, what do i do? Do i seal the inside, or outside? My tank is on my desk so if i do anything it has to be emptied and carried out my room. Can i use normal sealant, like whats used in bathrooms?

Currently have 2 bristlenoses plec, 1 clown plec, 2 peppered corys, 1 otto, 1 ram and 2 tetras residing in at the moment - could put these in my dads tank?


Any advice at all would be great.

 

[Gremily]

Why do you think the water hasn't evaporated?

 

[Maxta]

Because i have water on my desk lol?

For all i know it could be excess water off previous times thats built up under the tank and only showing now.

But il never really be able to tell.


I think its a leak this time.

 

[Maxta]

Im going to be monitoring this very closely. Iv set a bit of paper up with the water level on.

Will a place like Pets at Home sell sealant?

I now know its more sensible to do the inside of the tank as the pressure will force the sealant into the gap, whereas doing this on the outside will push it away from the glass.

This will be a pain though.

 

[Luketendo]

Pets at home probably sell sealant.

 

[Maxta]

Good. I really hope this isnt a leak, or all these fish will have to be put in my dads, and thats not good as im still treating for whitespot, although iv got rid of it now (i believe), just treating to make sure.

Im just wondering if it is water thats built up over the times iv changed my tank, because sometimes i splash a bit and it runs down the sides, i do clean most of it up after iv finished, but obviously some sneaks down the black plastic edge and therefore under the tank where i cant get it. So im wondering if its a build up of water.

And maybe the reason for the water level going down is actually because it is evaporating, my tank temp is usually 22/24oC, but because iv been treating for whitespot iv turned the temperature upto 28/30oC, and iv been leaving the lids open - plus with my bubble curtain little splashes have been coming out the tank, just little bits. This coupled with the fact that my room has also been warmer as iv just had my radiator turned on recently. Plus my tank lights been on more too which produces heat obviously.

Maybe this is possible and just a coincidence with the water being there.

Another thing is that i had a fast food the other night, with 2 large cokes (lol) and obviously with it being cold the water has ran off the cups, i had them both placed at the corner overnight where i found the water today both at the corner where i found the water today.

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Are you sure that water isn't running down the back of the tank from condensation? I've had tanks in the past where water which has condensed under the tanks lid has run down the back of the tank, making it appear like the tank is leaking.

 

[Maxta]

Not that im aware of. The water is at the front, not the back, i always check and the back is dry.

Plus my background is kind of sticking out, so if any did leak out that way, id be able to see it.

 

[Maxta]

Right bare with me.

Basically im 90% certain my tank has a slow leak. Water keeps appearing from underneath, so its not just spillage.

I have just lost alot of fish to whitespot, which i now have under control, although i am still treating (3rd dose tomorow, only 1 left after that).

I am going to need to sort this leak out pretty quickly due to christmas coming up.

1) I dont have an extra tank just to put my fish in, will i be able to add them all to my dads 190L aquarium temporarily, and treat that with whitespot meds?

2) On a website i looked at, it says to leave the tank for a minimum of 12 hours after sealing, preferably 24 hours. Will my external canister filter be okay? - in reference to the bacteria dieing, i dont want to have to cycle again or experience a mini cycle.

3) When sealing, if its just one small hole in a certain area, do i have to strip the sealant off the whole side that its on, or just 2/3 inches either side of the hole?

4) How does sealant from Pet stores come, as in how do you apply it? Do you just do it like normal sealant, and then use my fingers to press it deeper down and merging it into the present sealant already there?

5) When removing the water from the tank, will it be okay to store a container full of tank water for the period that the tanks out of action, and then add it back to the tank when ready? This will be about 1/4 of my tanks water.

I think iv covered all areas.

Any additional advice would be most useful and greatful.

Thanks

 

[Tolak]

It could be condensing somewhere on the hood, then trickling or dripping down, or it could be capillary action pulling the water up a little bit of overlooked grunge under the top rim. Before you go tearing down a tank & looking for a leak, remove the top, and about an inch of water. If you are worried about jumpers put a towel over the top, run it like this for a day or two. If it is still wet around the bottom you do have a leak, if not you need a hood adjustment or a good clean with a paper towel under the rim. A few mm is normal evaporation, especially with the lower relative humidity common indoors during the winter.

For a temp home for your fish you can use a rubbermaid bin, they only cost a few dollars, and work great for situations such as this. I would not put sick fish in with well fish, nor medicate well fish. This will also take care of your water storage problem.

You will need to take the silicone back to where it is solid after finding the leak, whether it is an inch, or the whole tank. Once you have the old silicone removed, wipe the area you plan on attaching the new sealant with 90% isopropal alcohol, this will help any remaining water to evaporate, insuring a good seal.

Silicone sealant comes either in the little squeeze tubes, or cartridges for a caulk gun. Either way you apply the same as any other caulk, because it is pretty much the same as far as working with it goes. I recall reading somewhere that you should let it dry for one day per every mm of glass thickness.

 

[Maxta]

Right thank you.

I dont think its trickling/dripping down as there is no water on any side of my tank. The tank is in my bedroom, and iv been in my room the majority of the day so if it did id be able to see it (apart from round the back), but thats dry too, and so is behind the background.

I saw a little bit building up an hour or so ago on the whole front side of my tank and i havent dried it up, now my lights off so i cant see how its developing. If there is a greater build up then normal then this surely will confirm it is a leak.

The front and two sides of my aquarium are bone dry as im looking, as is the rim of my hood. The back of it i cant really see as its against a wall, but iv just checked with my hand and thats bone dry too.

Time will tell. Il find out in the morning and keep this thread updated.

 

[Bristlenose]

Hi, firstly Pets at home do lots of fish safe sealants.
Have you considered puting bits of paper around the tank to highlight where the leak is? or something similar!

If you are only losing a very small amount chances are the leak will seal itself from what i have read, Various elements in the water can build up eventually sealing the hole. (although i have never had a leak thank god).
My girlfriend split her grandads tank when installing an under gravel filter when pushing it down, she used sealant from pets at home and fixed it, locating where the hole is will be the hard part, good luck with it hope it goes well.

 

[Maxta]

My water level has gone down approximately 1mm or 2mm overnight.

But i dont see any water around the bottom of my tank, unless its underneath where obviously i cant see. I had my lids closed, well one is slightly open as it has the fish net sticking out. I also had my air pump turned off overnight.

Just checked the back of my tank, and in between the glass and the background paper, there was a few drops of water...not much though. Just ripped my background off and it was wet. Since adding my new filter, the whole lid has been slightly raised at the back due to the Juwel heater and clip. Its been like this for about 4 weeks now.

My last water change was 1 week and 2/3 days. And when i do a water change i fill it to the line:

As you can see the water level has dropped a cm or two from that line since the water change. AND when iv been treating with whitespot, iv been adding with warm water, half a litre at a time (1 Litre in total), therefore shouldnt the levels have gone up.

Surely if id lost that much water to a leak itd be very noticeable, itd be running off my desk and id have a wet carpet

Im no expert, but do you think this is just evaporation?

 

[Gremily]

Maxta, I definitely wouldn't rule out condensation, I have a tank without a cover and the evaporation is very noticable after 5 days(at 25C), I'd say it's nearly 2cm.
I have a Juwel tank like you as well and the drop in water level is much less noticeable because of the hood, loads of water stays stuck to the inside of the hood, if I ever take it off I end up dripping quite a bit on the carpet. So I think maybe the fact that the lid doesn't fit too tight any more means that the water that got stuck on the hood and dripped back down before is now just evaporating.
Hope this helps!

 

[Maxta]

Yeah i noticed that i get alot on my hood too and it drips everywhere when i clean it.

Either way im emptying it and inspecting just to make sure, got a temporary tub for my fish, plus im putting some Juwel background on.