I think its a leak

[Grim Reaper]

I think my aquarium is leaking water but I am not sure there is water at the bottom of the tank and it’s around the whole tank but it’s not a lot just a bit of water around…
If there is a leak how do I fix it??? And can I keep my fish in a bucket with heater, filter and air until I fix it???

 

[wrs]

what kind of tank is it? and what size?
i dont think that you can fix acrylic ones, not sure though, and for glass you shouldnt fix anything bigger then a 10 gallons. Dont know why but I read it hear a while ago. So you can keep them in a bucket if it has all the stuff they need to live, but that should only be for a short while. You should go get a tank ASAP.

 

[Grim Reaper]

what kind of tank is it? and what size?
i dont think that you can fix acrylic ones, not sure though, and for glass you shouldnt fix anything bigger then a 10 gallons. Dont know why but I read it hear a while ago. So you can keep them in a bucket if it has all the stuff they need to live, but that should only be for a short while. You should go get a tank ASAP.

its a glass tank and its a 2 feet tank

 

[wrs]

then its probly 15 gallons. I dont think that size can be repaird. I read on this forum some one fixed theirs and it exploded or something like that. Maybe you should just get a new one and use that for hermit crabs or something like that.

 

[semper fi]

you can repair tanks successfully. i have done it previously with much success. just need to be patient and do it right.

you will need:
aquarium sealer or (i reccommend) 100% silicone caulk. this can be found at any hardware store
a caulk gun
razor scraper
knife
white vinegar
round peice of plastic (margarine tub lids work best)
scissors
small round object (penny works best)
pencil
sponge
paper towels
bucket of water

empty and clean the tank thoroughly. if the tank was in use, place the gravel with tank water covering it in a bucket. do not clean the gravel, you will remove the beneficial bacteria that is living in the gravel. you can use this to restart the tank. make sure that the tank water covers the gravel by about an inch. also if you can reserve as much of the water as possible.

determine at what joint your leak is at and with the razor scraper and knife remove as much of the silicone as you can. try not to get too deep between the two panes of glass. you will need to have ventilation at this point of the repair. with the white vinegar and a sponge, clean the area trying not to get the vinegar on the silicone on the other joints. the vinegar is an acid and will remove the residue left by the old sealer. wipe up any extra vinegar and again rinse the tank in hot water several times to ensure that the vinegar is thoroughly removed. let the tank completely dry for about 1-2 hours.

you will need to make a spreader with the margarine tub lid. clean the lid in hot water to remove any food particles. let dry. with your scissors cut the edge of the lid off. cut the lid in half and in half again. at the pointy end, place the penny to give a curve about a 1/3" from the end. mark the curve and cut.

if you are using silicone make sure that it is 100% silicone and clear. additives can leach harmful elements into your tank causing fish loss. with either the aquarium sealer or the silicone in a caulk gun, run a bead of silicone from one end of the repair to the other. take the spreader that you made and with the sides against the glass of the tank, run this along the bead of caulk. you will want to press the spreader into the silicone to remove any air bubbles and get a good seal. the spreader will also remove the excess caulk. you can also use your finger, but this is messier. wet your finger and pressing firmly run along the bead of caulk. wipe away any excess caulk with the paper towels.

you will need to let the caulk or sealer cure for 72 hours. after this time, rinse the tank thoroughly and check for leaks. if there are no leaks you can refill the tank with the reserved water and gravel. if you do detect leaks you might have an air bubble which has left a hole in the repair. if so, you will need to repeat the process again.

jas i said i have used this method to repair many tanks, including replacing a broken peice of glass in two of them.

hth

 

[Grim Reaper]

you can repair tanks successfully. i have done it previously with much success. just need to be patient and do it right.

you will need:
aquarium sealer or (i reccommend) 100% silicone caulk. this can be found at any hardware store
a caulk gun
razor scraper
knife
white vinegar
round peice of plastic (margarine tub lids work best)
scissors
small round object (penny works best)
pencil
sponge
paper towels
bucket of water

empty and clean the tank thoroughly. if the tank was in use, place the gravel with tank water covering it in a bucket. do not clean the gravel, you will remove the beneficial bacteria that is living in the gravel. you can use this to restart the tank. make sure that the tank water covers the gravel by about an inch. also if you can reserve as much of the water as possible.

determine at what joint your leak is at and with the razor scraper and knife remove as much of the silicone as you can. try not to get too deep between the two panes of glass. you will need to have ventilation at this point of the repair. with the white vinegar and a sponge, clean the area trying not to get the vinegar on the silicone on the other joints. the vinegar is an acid and will remove the residue left by the old sealer. wipe up any extra vinegar and again rinse the tank in hot water several times to ensure that the vinegar is thoroughly removed. let the tank completely dry for about 1-2 hours.

you will need to make a spreader with the margarine tub lid. clean the lid in hot water to remove any food particles. let dry. with your scissors cut the edge of the lid off. cut the lid in half and in half again. at the pointy end, place the penny to give a curve about a 1/3" from the end. mark the curve and cut.

if you are using silicone make sure that it is 100% silicone and clear. additives can leach harmful elements into your tank causing fish loss. with either the aquarium sealer or the silicone in a caulk gun, run a bead of silicone from one end of the repair to the other. take the spreader that you made and with the sides against the glass of the tank, run this along the bead of caulk. you will want to press the spreader into the silicone to remove any air bubbles and get a good seal. the spreader will also remove the excess caulk. you can also use your finger, but this is messier. wet your finger and pressing firmly run along the bead of caulk. wipe away any excess caulk with the paper towels.

you will need to let the caulk or sealer cure for 72 hours. after this time, rinse the tank thoroughly and check for leaks. if there are no leaks you can refill the tank with the reserved water and gravel. if you do detect leaks you might have an air bubble which has left a hole in the repair. if so, you will need to repeat the process again.

jas i said i have used this method to repair many tanks, including replacing a broken peice of glass in two of them.

hth

Thank you i really appreciate your help

 

[semper fi]

no problem. pretty easy to do just very time consuming.

 

[sushi]

HELLO. rEAD ME!!!!!!!!!!

I've got a 40 g which I thought was leaking about a month ago. I panicked. got heaps of info on how to fix it. bought a 100L tuppawear container to put my fish in, took everything out of tank blah blah blah. All to discover that my power filter had cyphoned all the water out onto the floor (about 20L of water).

DO YOU HAVE A POWER FILTER? my air hose thingy that is part of the filter (not the air pump) was loose, and so cyphoned out water.
Check that. It may be your tank is leaking. but save the trouble and check it. Mind you mine had stopped cyphoning by the time I'd found it all wet, so you may not think that's it.

Other wise, i've got info on how to fix a leak - lots of it - I saved it last time. You've probly got info already, but if you want, I can give you more.

I hope that helps, and I hope that it is just your filter, if you've got one of those.
Don't cry.

 

[Grim Reaper]

HELLO. rEAD ME!!!!!!!!!!

I've got a 40 g which I thought was leaking about a month ago. I panicked. got heaps of info on how to fix it. bought a 100L tuppawear container to put my fish in, took everything out of tank blah blah blah. All to discover that my power filter had cyphoned all the water out onto the floor (about 20L of water).

DO YOU HAVE A POWER FILTER? my air hose thingy that is part of the filter (not the air pump) was loose, and so cyphoned out water.
Check that. It may be your tank is leaking. but save the trouble and check it. Mind you mine had stopped cyphoning by the time I'd found it all wet, so you may not think that's it.

Other wise, i've got info on how to fix a leak - lots of it - I saved it last time. You've probly got info already, but if you want, I can give you more.

I hope that helps, and I hope that it is just your filter, if you've got one of those.
Don't cry.

nah there is a leak on my1 i can see i it at the bottom conner thank you

 

[Dane]

Any tank can be repaired.. all you need is the right tools and time, just like semper said.