Leaking Tanks

[Tangster]

so over the past month or so i have been looking to upgrade my 55g to a 90g. i finally found one that was in good condition on craigslist. when i bought it i began to test it. i filled it up with water and it immediately began to leak. the previous owner only used it for reptile, but would not guarantee it to hold water. i took a chance, and had obviously took a loss. then i decided to reseal the tank. i cut away all old silicone, cleaned with rubbing alcohol and resealed it very generously with some large beads of silicone. the tank turned out great, and held water when i tested it. i painted it, and then finally made the big move up. it was only 2 days when i came home to a basement filled with water and half the tank empty. i quickly moved back to the 55 and saved everything.
i then decided to look for another tank, and eventually sell the 90. i found a nice 110 gallon a few days later. and got for 100 bucks! it was in good condition and was just resealed. i set it up in the garage filled it with water, and it held water for 5 days before i opened the garage to find it empty. luckily the water left the garage, and the guy i bought it from guaranteed it to hold water for a week. i just brought it back to him, and now i have come hear to ask how the heck could this have happened! i realized that the 90g was unlevel and the 110g was a tiny tiny bit unlevel. i also realized that both tanks had cracked plastic rims. the 110g was cracked on the bottom, and 90g on both top and bottom. both leaks were on the bottom seal.
i realize this might be the problem, but i just want to confirm and see what you guys think happened. if this is the case i will just reseal the 90g and buy new rims to put on it.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Buy a new tank save yourself time, stress, livestock, headaches and your home...

The problem might be in an unlevel stand or not completely flat top of the stand...

 

[Tangster]

i had the 90g in a wall space that was custom built for a 4ft tank. there is a cabinet underneath with two 2 by 4's running length wise along the front and back. the center area of the top part began to sink or swoop down. so there is only support on the two sides, not the middle. could this be the reason, or is it this combined with the rim cracks.

i still don't see how these factors could have caused the 110g to leak.
thanks for the input.

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Reptile specific tanks usually have thinner glass so the silicone bonds aren't going to be as strong. They aren't meant to hold the pressure of water.

 

[lnevo]

i had the 90g in a wall space that was custom built for a 4ft tank. there is a cabinet underneath with two 2 by 4's running length wise along the front and back. the center area of the top part began to sink or swoop down. so there is only support on the two sides, not the middle. could this be the reason, or is it this combined with the rim cracks.

i still don't see how these factors could have caused the 110g to leak.
thanks for the input.

The entire tank needs to be supported. You can't have a gap in the middle the glass will flex and stress your bottom seals. Fix your stand before you proceed.

 

[Tangster]

thanks for the replies.

the tank was made to hold water for a aquarium, it was just turned into a terrarium. i know i need to fix the stand area, but even though the stand for the 110g was level and was supporting all areas, it still leaked. i just want to know why this tank still leaked. is it because of the cracked plastic rims.

 

[Imbarrie]

NEVER BUY USED TANKS.
This is a huge mistake.

Tanks are large and dimensionally heavy items. When they settle in a position for many years and are then moved they can weaken in any of 3 dimensions that can create weak points that hundreds of pounds of water will find.

The most important thing to consider is the amount you are saving buying used. We can all agree the tank is not the biggest cost in a system, my skimmer cost more than my tank, my lighting cost more, the saltwater and topoff water I put in my tank cost more at this point, the live rock and dont even get started with the coral and fish.

Dig a little deeper and buy new, you will sleep better at night not having to worry about failure rates of random used tanks.

 

[dadat1968]

You should buy from MR instead. i beleive a lot of people here are selling great stuff and can guarantee the tanks are in best condition. Besides members protect their ratings here and would never sell something that is broken unless its stated on the ad.

 

[Tangster]

the thing with buying new is the shipping for large tanks can be expensive, and it is hard to find a lfs with the right sized tank that is not overpriced.

i thought buying used was goo because i could save close to 300 or 400 bucks. i might consider buying new now because i am just tired of leaky tanks. i really want to know how the 110 leaked. the guy only used it for i think like 1 month. he said it took up too much space, so he sold it. when i had it in the garage it was level and on a good metal stand that came with it. the only thing i saw on both these tanks was the broken rim. i never thought anything of this, but is this the reason why it leaked? the 110 was just resealed, so i don't see how it could have any problems.

 

[lnevo]

i really want to know how the 110 leaked. the guy only used it for i think like 1 month. he said it took up too much space, so he sold it. when i had it in the garage it was level and on a good metal stand that came with it. the only thing i saw on both these tanks was the broken rim. i never thought anything of this, but is this the reason why it leaked? the 110 was just resealed, so i don't see how it could have any problems.

Honestly something fishy sounding here...if he only used it for a month why was the rim broken. If it was just resealed, why was it resealed? Him only using it a month and being a resealed tank means it was used much more than that.

If I were going to buy used it would be from an original owner and in running condition where I could see that it was not leaking and still probably not buy a used tank. This 3rd hand used tank seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

No offense here, but I think you may be a little blinded by what seemed a great deal and ended up not being one. Save yourself a headache, you've bought two used tanks already in order to save what at this point?

 

[Tangster]

ya sometimes i get to enveloped in the price and then never pay attention to any of the physical details.

Can someone just give me a strait answer- say the seal was perfect, was the cracked rim the reason why it failed.

 

[lnevo]

I don't think a cracked rim would cause the seal to fail.

I think someone who cracked the rim trying to repair a bad seal probably did a bad reseal job or there was something else wrong. I don't think you will find the answer for sure. Either way a tank with a cracked anything shouldn't be touching water.

 

[albano]

Can someone just give me a strait answer- say the seal was perfect, was the cracked rim the reason why it failed.

IMO ... No one can answer that question, without seeing the tank...

How do you know the seal was 'perfect'? If it wasn't re-sealed properly, that could be the problem

 

[Tangster]

thanks for the replies.

i really don't want to have to buy anymore tanks. do think it would be ok if i resealed the 90g myself, then bought new rims from glass cages, and fixed the wall space. would the tank be fixed if i were to do this all. do you think it might still leak.

 

[lnevo]

I think your going to do a lot of work and not know and no one can answer that question. Its up to you how much risk you are willing to take. You want opinions, but it seems you only want one answer. Personally I dont think its safe to reuse what essentially was a terrarium that someone said was an aquarium and put a lot of work into it and then trust it to hold ~100 gallons of water. Maybe out of all the people here someone will think its ok. Either way ita your floor and livestock.

Good Luck

 

[Tangster]

so should i just get a new tank. my only problem would be getting rid of the old 90g. i just thought it would be worth trying to fix.

should i also just get a new one or is it worth getting another used. i just found someone with a nice 90g rimless. i don't really want to get it though because he doesn't know if it holds water. anybody can take 5 minutes out of their day to fill a tank, so i think there is something fishy. the glass also looks rather thin for a 90g. IDK if its any good.

 

[lnevo]

Its a gorgeous piece if crap if you end up getting screwed...AGAIN

Have you ever heard the saying

Screw me once, shame on you...
Screw me twice...

I think you must be some kind of masochist or something.

I'm unsubscribing from this thread before i get emotionally scarred by your self destruction.

*bang head*

 

[Tonyscoots84]

I think your going to do a lot of work and not know and no one can answer that question. Its up to you how much risk you are willing to take. You want opinions, but it seems you only want one answer. Personally I dont think its safe to reuse what essentially was a terrarium that someone said was an aquarium and put a lot of work into it and then trust it to hold ~100 gallons of water. Maybe out of all the people here someone will think its ok. Either way ita your floor and livestock.

Good Luck

I agree, just do what your gonna do. You have enough advice to make your decision. As inevo said it seems you are looking for someone to justify you resealing an old tank and causing a big mess. As stated get a new tank and stop wasting your time n possibly a huge headache... (I already have a big headache :arg

 

[Tangster]

my only problem is getting rid of the 90g now. i don't want to screw anybody over. if i sell it as a reptile tank i will either lose money or just be selling it really overpriced.

i might just forget about the 90g and just set up an old 75g i have. the whole reasoning behind the 90g was to get some larger fish, like perhaps a tang. the 75g is still small for a tang, and the 90g is the largest thing i could find that would fit. when i found the 110g i was so happy, because it is the maximum size i could fit.i never thought that it would leak too. IDK i think i'll just go with a new one. i just thought getting used was skater, and i never thought i would get screwed twice.

 

[rookie07]

90 gl is still to small for tangs....75 and 90 are them same in terms of fish they can hold. Just go back to your old 75, or buy a brand new tank.