Brand new tank is leaking from the bottom....

[Ciwyn]

I have a major issue here....again!

I just bought a new 90 gallon standard tank to replace a 75 gallon used tank that also developed a leak at the bottom of it. I spent all last weekend getting this new tank set up and thought everything was great. Now I see water slowly seeping up the back frame and drips all over my stand. I really don't feel like going through another emergency tear down set up process again.... I'm about to call the LFS store I bought the tank from to see what they can do, the problem is I've drilled the back glass (has nothing to do with the leak).

Any suggestions would definitely be helpful

[BossHoggin]

I would imagine given the fact a standard dimensioned 75 and 90 have the same foot print you are using the old stand. If it is not level with the tanks weight ditstributed evenly there could be a lot of starin on the silicone.

[Rumjahn]

If it's a slow leak, it's not really an emergency, but you will have to reseal the tank, especially since you can't return it. Hopefully you still have the 75 gallon you can transfer everything into for the repair job.

[Ciwyn]

The stand is level. I checked it both ways with a level (bubble is between the two lines). Don't have the 75. Fish are in the sump, corals and rock are in 20gal brute tubs (glad I ordered 5 of them now).

I'm wondering if its a bad coincidence or what?

[pmcarbrey]

Just a note: drilling tanks voids all warranties in every case i've seen, I'd try resealing it yourself

[Ciwyn]

That's what I was worried about. I don't know how much I trust myself resealing the thing after I'm pretty sure it was my resealing job that caused the first tank to leak....

Btw the 75 gallon tank was up for about 3 months before it started leaking

[dowtish]

Did you do a leak test before setting it all up? If so, how long did it sit with water in it?

[Ciwyn]

Unfortunately I didn't have time to leak test it because I was replacing an already leaking tank. I kind of figured a new tank shouldn't leak in the first place....

[Rumjahn]

How did you reseal the first tank? Did you remove ALL the silicone, using a razor blade and acetone (not alcohol), all the way up the side seams as well? You have to remove everything except the stuff between the glass, because new silicone doesn't adhere well to old silicone. By removing and replacing everything, which is the entire bottom seal all the way around, as well as all 4 corners, you ensure the new silicone is one continuous gasket.

My feeling is, you've got nothing to lose by attempting to reseal the tank, since you can't return it anyway.

[infamous_6969]

I had the same problem on a tank i had previously where the water appeared to be rising from the lower lip and dripping off the back bottom... However i had also drilled my tank and it ended up being that water was coming through the threads of the bulkhead and slowly dripping down the glass...

Unless you are certain, i would recommend taping a piece of paper towel around where you drilled it to see if it gets wet..

[Ciwyn]

Yes I removed all the silicon on the previous tank when I resealed it.

It is not a leaking bulkhead my back glass is painted blue and you can see if there are drips trickling down from that. There's too much water for me to not see that.

The first tank I resealed with GE I clear silicon. Resealing is starting to sound like the best and quickest option. Since after I let it dry a day I can put my tank back together. No more drilling or putting in overflow boxes. So lets make sure I'm tackling this correctly. Can I just reseal the bottom of the tank? or do I need to go all the way up the sides as well?

[screamingibis]

How long did you let your silicone dry before adding water?

[Ciwyn]

On the first tank it dried for months before I added water.

[Rumjahn]

Definitely go all the way up the sides. Make sure ALL the silicone is removed, because you want the new silicone to adhere to the glass as well as possible. Be very liberal with the silicone, especially on the bottom where nobody is going to see it anyway. Do it all at once, sides and bottom, so it all cures together.

[Ciwyn]

That's what I thought. Which is going to be a huge pain in the *** up by the overflow box.

How do I have such bad luck that I get a brand new tank that is leaking to replace a leaking tank?

[Ciwyn]

Of course the leaking stops when I have 80% of the water out of the tank. I'm assuming the pressure from all the water is what's forcing the water out of the leak?

[Rumjahn]

That's probably it. When my tank had a leak (luckily I detected on a leak test, before anything was in it), it was fine at about 30% full, then it leaked at about 60% full.

The good news is, you'll probably be okay with just redoing the inner seal, not the structural seal. You won't have to take the panes apart.

[Ciwyn]

Yeah I do a patch although I found out it wasn't necessary. The leak was actually a leaky bulkhead due to a chip from drilling the glass. I thought the drips were intermittent and couldn't possibly be leaking enough to be the problem. I was incorrect. It was a steady small stream running right into the frame. Time to fix the chip. Now I'm frustrated at myself for taking the whole tank apart for no reason! lol

[mm949]

never under estimate the the simple things

[GroktheCube]

I chipped glass a bit the first time I drilled a tank. I used silicone sealant spread evenly under the gasket to ensure. a tight seal, and that worked fine.