Bowfront leaking!

[AquaEquestrian]

Hi everyone. I was wondering if anyone has had a similar problem before or if they have any tips. I have a 72 gal bowfront which I plan to make into a beautiful mini reef. It has been used/filled with freshwater for a month or so, then it sat for a while (a few more months). It then had 2 weeks of just saltwater in it (no leaks) but once the live sand and live rock were added it started dripping from the bottom.

It leaked from the very bottom, around the black trim. I don't know where the leak is exactly since I can only see drips forming on the stand and it is not wet anywhere but the very bottom.

So, we cleaned the tank out and resealed the whole bottom and sides with aquarium sealant. We stripped out the old and added new, waited a few days (the amount of time needed to be cured), then filled it with water. Waited another day -- filled it with sand and LR. After adding ALL the LR it sprang a leak again!

So, it's cleaned out again (man, I'm getting really exasperated with it :mad2: -- it's a ton of work moving 80# of LR and the same in LS ... ) and our plan is to reseal it but add A LOT more. We have resealed tanks before and have never had them leak again. However, this one is a different story.

Any ideas? I can't think of any. It really baffles me how the pressure from the LS and LR make it leak, even after we resealed it. It's a really beautiful tank and I have some fish and coral waiting for their new home!

 

[roader247]

I guess it's not a new tank. Not to scare you or anything but I had a 55 years ago that I had moved from TX to GA and it was out in the heat for about 6 mounts. Set it up fresh water and every thing was good for about 9 months and then the bottom front seem broke, water hit the ceiling and it drained in less than 5 minutes. Make sure the stand is level and there aren't any low or high spots in the stand, Maybe causing it to bow or something like that. Good Luck

 

[smtarr]

maybe what you have isn't a leak but salt creep. I don't know why some tanks seem to form more creep than others but my brand new 10g that I use for a QT forms salt creep like crazy and my 46g bowfront forms NONE. Salt creep attracts moisture from the air I think. Does the water level go down? Just a thought. Sue

 

[AquaEquestrian]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7070149#post7070149 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by smtarr
maybe what you have isn't a leak but salt creep. I don't know why some tanks seem to form more creep than others but my brand new 10g that I use for a QT forms salt creep like crazy and my 46g bowfront forms NONE. Salt creep attracts moisture from the air I think. Does the water level go down? Just a thought. Sue

What's salt creep? I don't visibly see the water level go down but it's a pretty significant drip. I'll go look it up on the internet -- thanks for the insight!

 

[Hedonist]

It sounds like it sat for a few months with no water? It it possible that when the tank was moved around the seal got stressed in that area? Or possilby went bad in that area.. Is it leaking in the same spot, if so it may be a flaw in the glass edge? I would venture to guess that adding the LR etc did not affect the integretiy of the tank, my guess is taht if you had let if sit with just water a while linger, it would have leaked anyway...

Verdie had a large tank that was up for quite a while then decided to leak one night... sometime is it faulty craftsmanship and may just take a while for it to make itself known... FWIW, what is the mfgr

Just some thoughts... good luck
Denise

 

[AquaEquestrian]

I don't know what happened. It is an Oceanic. It was only moved upstairs after having been emptied of the freshwater and didn't get moved again until it was put on the new stand and filled with SW.

Do any of you guys think it will just keep leaking if I add more sealant? I have this really bad picture in my mind of resealing it and resealing it and never having any luck ...

Rob has been searching online for a 175 gal Oceanic bowfront but geez -- talk about expensive! I keep being optimistic and say we can fix the one we have.

 

[smtarr]

If it really is a leak and not salt creep I don't envision that it'll get better without repair. May be bad edge on glass like Denise said. There IS more stress on the bowed side of a bowfront than a regular rectangular tank. Oceanic is supposed to be the BEST manufacturer. btw, there should be a lifetime warranty on it if I remember correctly. Call the manufacturer they may make good on it for you. Just a thought. Sue