Leaky 37 Gallon

[srusso]

LSF is "selling" a leaky 37 gallon tank, when I saw it sitting on the floor I asked him about it. He said it leaks from the bottom and rather then throw it away he was selling it for $25... Do you think its wroth trying to fix? I wanted to say did you come up with the price off the top of your head just now... people at these places can be such F@&% sales men! I just said oh ok and moved on. I want to go back to him and ask if you would just give it to me... buy some stuff to repair it and give it a shot...

[DiscusChris]

Ive patched many aquariums, and if you do it right it works just as good as a new one does.

You need to ask if it is cracked, or is it just a sealant problem. If its cracked, I personally would stay away from it. 37 gallons of water weighs over 250 lbs, and thats not including what you put in it.

On the other hand, if it is just a problem with the seal, you can easily fix it. Aquarium sealant costs about $8 per tube, and its really easy to use. It comes in a tube like toothpaste. You literally just find your leaky seal, clean the area, and go to town with the silicone. I use a razor to remove any old silicone, a cottonball dipped in rubbing alcohol to remove anything else, and then I apply the silicone. I use a playing card to smear it around and make it look nice, but you may not be interested in making it look nice, since you probably wont be able to see it anyways.

Let your finished product sit for 48 hours before leak testing it. After that, its simple. Its either going to be fixed, or you need to apply more silicone!

Hope this helps, good luck.

[Chad Hughes]

Unless the tank is a fancy bow front or something I'd just buy it new. You can probably find a 37 gallon tank for about $1 per gallon at any good aquarium wholesaler. The only reason that I say this is by the time you buy the tank and the silicone, you're already at $37 (roughly). Now, you have to take the time to take out all of the old silicone, prep the glass, tape off the seams and apply all new silicone. This will take you the better part of a day.

Best wishes!

[srusso]

Yeah it just a normal tank, if the guy will give it to me for free, I will take it. I think its the seal that is making the leak. I didnt see any cracking. Next time I stop into his store I will push him to give it to me... I will even buy the silicone to fix it from him...

Should I remove old the silicone?

[Chad Hughes]

Yeah, if he'll give it to you, by all means take it!

I wouldn't buy the silicone from him. It's likely very expensive. Go to a hardware store and buy it there. It's cheaper and you can get more in a tube (caulking gun style) than the aquarium store sells. When you go to the hardware store make sure you buy 100% silicone without antifungal. All of the tubes will say that they are not aquarium safe, but I use it all the time. Just make sure it's 100% silicone with ZERO additives.

You'll have to remove all of the old silicone from the tank. Silicone does a poor job of sticking to itself. You'll have to reseal the whole tank. It's not hard, just time consuming. Get plenty of razor blades and rubbing alcohol to take the old stuff off.

Best wishes!

[DiscusChris]

Well, if the guy gives you the tank for free, you may want to buy the silicone from him. Give him some business in exchange for his kindness!

[srusso]

Good info guys thanks!!