Tank leak help please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello folks

Came home from work tonight and found my 3ft tank with only half it's water and the rest on the floor. My first thought was that the base had cracked. After emptying the tank and inspecting the base, I found no cracks. So it has to be a leak from the joints.

This is where I need the help:

1. How do I find the leak? fill it up again outside?
2. How should I repair it when the leak is found? do I have to strip the silicone off the entire tank or could I just load the space where it is leaking?

Any help would be appreciated.

Kind Regards
Tiger Barb

 

Hi @Tiger barbYes fill the tank up and then check for the leak then just make markings with coki or makrker so that you know where leak is. Then you can strip the silicone where the leak is and like 4cm on each side. Then you can silicone it and let stand for day to day and half and then check if it sealed again by filling your tank. I've used this approuch on my 4ft tank that i bought 2nd hand and its running for months now with no leaks. Kind regardsReinhard

 

Have you checked your filters?
My cat knocked my canister over while I was at home once and I didn't notice till about a third of the tank water had escaped...

 

I also thought I had a leak, but it turned out that the spray bar on my filter was splashing water onto the canopy, and the water was dripping off the side onto the floor. Check all other possibilities before assuming there's a leak. It could be something as simple as an air pump bubbling too energetically and splashing water out the tank.

 

Checked everything, not the filters and not the base of the tank.

This happened to me on at least two occasions, but this time its not the problem.

Found the leak, the water was seeping through the silicone. Obviously the lps where I bought it did not do such a great job since it only lasted a year. Im not complaining since it was dirt cheap imo.

So I stripped the silicone about 30cm on each side of the leak and re-siliconed yesterday and did a water pressure test outside today. The tank has been standing with water in it since this morning and there is no signs of a leak.

Thanx for all the ideas and advice.

Kind Regards,
Tiger Barb