Reef nutrition

Emergency - tank leaking from seam

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ReefSparky

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I’m in Europe and my roommate called me with some bad news. I have a leak in a corner seam of my display. It’s in the upper right front/side panel. Could it be drained slightly and siliconed as a temporary fix?
Or a clamp?
Does any one have a clamp I could borrow?
Otherwise all livestock will need to go asap.

Thanks

Jeremy
 
I doubt silicone will cure wet. I would drain and move all livestock to other containers. When I had to drain my tank, I moved all livestock over to a stock tank. I have a 100Gal one you could borrow but I am in San Jose. Would your roommate know how to move livestock by any chance?
 
Did he send any pics on how bad it is? Does it just look like a leak or is the seam splitting? If there’s bubbles in the silicone, with the pressure it could potentially split which would be a concern. What size tank is it?
 
It’s a 70g, it looks like a hole in the seam, I turned off the wave box to lessen the pressure. The hole is up high above the livestock so if nothing else the display can be isolated and heater put in the display. I won’t be back for two and a half weeks..
MarcosDelgado0 said:
Did he send any pics on how bad it is? Does it just look like a leak or is the seam splitting? If there’s bubbles in the silicone, with the pressure it could potentially split which would be
Click to expand...
 
Does it look like this? This is what happened to my Red Sea. It started off small and then kept growing in the matter of days so I drained it and moved everything over into a stock tank. Depending how the hole looks like, a clamp is a very temporary fix and might not hold 2 1/2 weeks. Do you have anyone in the hobby you can have move livestock? I’d hate for your seam to split and you lose your live stock, not to mention the water damage.
 

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I don’t have anyone that can help.
I can be reached at
760-905-4034 or 510-909-8075 if someone has clamps that would be my first option.
 
If you’re comfortable with it and there’s anything you need help with that requires someone to go out there, let me know. I could probably make time after work. There might also be people in the club more local willing to help.
 
Ohhh man what bad timing. I would have your roommate move the corals that’s high up to the bottom of the tank. Then drain the tank half way so there is less water pressure pushing against the seams. If you have ratchet straps use them to hold the tank together up towards the hole in the seam. Put cardboard at the corners to protect the glass. Move your Vortechs lower and keep them running for water movement. Move the heater from the sump up into the tank so it maintains the temperature. Temporary fix but that should hold your tank together til the next day. There are a few BAR members that live in Castro Valley that might be able to help you @Arvin R @RandyC
 
That's terrible luck. I'm a beginner and don't know much about bigger tanks like yours, but I can maybe offer another set of hands after work if needed. I don't have clamps. I'm in Oakland.
 
SupraSaltyReefer said:
Ohhh man what bad timing. I would have your roommate move the corals that’s high up to the bottom of the tank. Then drain the tank half way so there is less water pressure pushing against the seams. If you have ratchet straps use them to hold the tank together up towards the hole in the seam. Put cardboard at the corners to protect the glass. Move your Vortechs lower and keep them running for water movement. Move the heater from the sump up into the tank so it maintains the temperature. Temporary fix but that should hold your tank together til the next day. There are a few BAR members that live in Castro Valley that might be able to help you @Arvin R @RandyC
Click to expand...

To expand on this solid advice, make sure he turns off the auto-top off ASAP.

He will also need to add some top off FW, you're tank salinity will creep up faster and faster.
 
If you need to temporarily home things some where else I have a 110 gallon that is completely empty. It's been cycled for about 5 months, but I haven't had the time to add livestock yet. Of course you would get everything back once you're able to get things situated. I am free all day today so I could drive from Novato to Castro Valley to pick things up.
 
Thanks guys, much appreciated. At this point I’ve come to terms with the reality of the situation and am left only with the concern of the survival of the livestock. My roommate is going to attempt to seal the leak by draining past the leak and siliconing with clamps. Even then my salinity has dropped and he’s not familiar enough to remedy the parameters. A bar member has offered to take on the livestock, again I appreciate the prompt offers for guidance and helping hands.
 
Or. Do what you said then use peal and seal with the hopes of stopping the leak. Probably hire coral reefer for help. He’s a professional. You need a veteran.
 
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