have you ever had a tank just drip slowly??? er maybe condensation???

[GaryE]

To follow up on my version of this story, I have decided that the damp under the tank in question (like @Magnum Man, never a puddle) has to be a leak. I've ruled out wicking, plants and airlines. As with magnum's tank, it is going to be unpleasant to move that one, as I placed the aquarium badly and it's pretty well built into a rack of four large, fish filled tanks.

In my entire set up, there are 2 tanks that would had be hard to move. So which one leaks....

I have two choices once I get it out. I can replace it (it was built in 2007) or I can strip it out, remove all the silicone and reseal it. The glass is good, so I'll probably take the latter course. I figure issues like this are going to become more common here, as I bought a lot of my equipment at around the same time, and I've entered the failure zone for it. My 20 year old filters have been falling apart - just yesterday an impeller post went went on an antique aquaclear, and brittle plastic parts are becoming an issue with cleanings.

Equipment gets old, and replacing it is expensive - with current inflation, a more expensive luxury than it needs to be. All of a sudden, I'm developing my do it yourself skills, and wishing I didn't have to.

Tracking leaks is next to impossible.

 

[Magnum Man]

I do notice the pothos vines behind my tanks do drip, though not enough to wet the floor, but I get several drops on me, as I push my way through them, to work on tanks… I still have that stain on the floor, under that same tank… I do have a rapidly flowing bubble water fall in the top tank, above that area, so that is the most likely source of air born water, it’s just unusual that I can’t see moisture on or around the tank under it, or on any of the structure… maybe heavily water laden air, condenses on the cooler concrete floor under the tank??? however neither of these 2 tanks, over the spot, loses water faster than any of the others, and I do have a matching pair of tanks on the opposite side, with an equally rapid air flow, and no wet stain on the floor on that side… as for the water coming from the ground??? I have a lower section ( several steps down ) from the main basement floor , that I opened up for another purpose, just a few feet away from the tanks, and there is sugar sand under the house in this section, and that is quite dry, so this staining is unlikely caused by ground water

 

[GaryE]

A trick I've used to be sure is to get the fish and decor out, and then dose the tank with methelyne blue. Put white paper toweling over the damp patch, raised above it and see. I've actually located water exit points with the same trick, by emptying a tank, sitting it on paper towel and partially filling with dyed water. The staining keeps you from being fooled by water you spilled and didn't see.