# Our worst nightmares - LEAKS!



## kuopan (Sep 6, 2010)

Ok.. so I just realized that title is a bit misleading so I want to clarify that I've *never *experienced this. I was actually just youtubing and somehow stumbled on a video which was recorded of this guy's aquarium leaking profusley at the seams of the glass.

I've been in the hobby for about 5 years now and luckily have never experienced this. I have two larger aquariums (125gallon and 90gallons). If either of them leaked, I'd be terrified! That's over 1000pounds of water! On top of that, I don't live at home anymore so the tanks are actually at my parent's house. I go back every weekend to perform my weekly maintenance and of course to enjoy them...

So couple of questions here (especially to the ones with lots of experience).

1) have you ever had any aquarium leaks and how difficult was it to identify and fix/stop the leak?

2) what are the top aquarium manufacturers? when i started off, I didn't know any better and just bought my tanks from big als (all marineland perfecto tanks). My friend bought the same 125gallon two years before me when they carried the miracle all glass tanks (which has a much better build). Did Big Als cheap out with a inferior manufacturer?

So far, the marineland perfecto tanks have been treating me fairly well but I do realize that the silicon is starting to deterioate which makes me a bit nervous (should I be? they have a lifetime warranty after all so they shouldn't leak right? haha). In contrast, my friend's 125gallon by all glass miracle is still in superb condition even though he bought it two years before me! The silicon is still intact and looks brand new and he's keeping much larger predatory fish than me.

3) How long is an aquarium supposed to last before you shut it down and consider re-siliconing it? 5 years? 10 years? (I know it depends on the make but let's consider if it was a marineland perfecto tank)

All I can say now is... I wish I just invested more in a better tank make (like miracle or hagen - which I consider one of the top makes - even though I don't own either). I think it would have given me a better piece of mind.


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Well, I have experienced a few leaks in my life time.

First was a 15gallon that flooded a dry sink in my basement when I was 14.
A protein skimmer leaked at my Dad's office, almost causing an electrical fire and killing a SW reef that cost about $5000. (no more SW after this event :[)
And most recently the Rena XP4 that was helping to filter my dad's 220gallon sprung a surprise leak from the cord of all things, the slow leak spread probably 12 gallons of water over there (as of a year ago) finished basement. Took us 2 days to figure out the problem and another $1000 for repairs to the basement.

As far as the best tank goes. I don't really find a difference in brands (other than design.) Although I do have a special place for seamless glass aquariums. I've had 2 Topfin aquariums (1 55 and 1 75) for about 10 years now. Neither of them shows much wear in regards to the seals. I've never resealed them and hopfully won't have to. If you take proper care of an aquarium, chances are it should last a good long time. For example, my uncle had a 90 gallon reef setup as a room divider for 25years before he shut it down due to lack of time. 

I believe he still has the aquarium in storage and I bet it'd still be fine to hold water.


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

kuopan said:


> 1) have you ever had any aquarium leaks and how difficult was it to identify and fix/stop the leak?


In my years of keeping fish myself (12+ years) as well as when I was younger and my dad was taking care of fish (another 10+ or so years?), I've only seen a leaking aquarium twice...

If you treat them nicely, they will generally be OK.

The leaks are not hard to identify; you come back 30 minutes later, and the water level is significantly lower, and you'll have a puddle of water somewhere 

Fixing the leak was another story. I ended up tearing down the aquarium (and buying a new one ), and then resealing the entire thing. Works like a charm now though.



kuopan said:


> 2) what are the top aquarium manufacturers? when i started off, I didn't know any better and just bought my tanks from big als (all marineland perfecto tanks). My friend bought the same 125gallon two years before me when they carried the miracle all glass tanks (which has a much better build). Did Big Als cheap out with a inferior manufacturer?


My leaking aquariums were some no name brands that were from many, many years ago (one of them still has steel trim on it). I've gotten aquariums from Big Al's before, and they haven't leaked on me yet (10+ years).



kuopan said:


> 3) How long is an aquarium supposed to last before you shut it down and consider re-siliconing it? 5 years? 10 years? (I know it depends on the make but let's consider if it was a marineland perfecto tank)


See above 

I've had an ADA Mini-S for 4 years now, and it's still in excellent condition; almost brand new. Then again, I treat it very, *very*, carefully.


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## kuopan (Sep 6, 2010)

Ryan.Wilton said:


> First was a 15gallon that flooded a dry sink in my basement when I was 14.
> A protein skimmer leaked at my Dad's office, almost causing an electrical fire and killing a SW reef that cost about $5000. (no more SW after this event :[)
> And most recently the Rena XP4 that was helping to filter my dad's 220gallon sprung a surprise leak from the cord of all things, the slow leak spread probably 12 gallons of water over there (as of a year ago) finished basement. Took us 2 days to figure out the problem and another $1000 for repairs to the basement.
> 
> ...


oh man, if I suffered that many leaks, i'd probably quit the hobby ! so far soo good, will have to continue to take lots of care of my aquariums. In the beginning, I used a magnet cleaner to clean the glass. I realized that they don't do too well against the silicon = / hopefully my silicon doesn't deterioate any more..


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## Ryan.Wilton (Dec 12, 2012)

Yeah Magnetics seem to tear small chunks away, as well as scratching your glass if sand or gravel gets caught in them.

And I'll never quit. A few leaks is no big problem. The tank that leaked was my fault, I had sealed it over the existing seal. Skimmer my fault too I never read the instructions and if I did I'd have realized it said to loosen, not tighten the air intake. The filter was the only thing that made me think twice. Now I always look at the filter cord connection right at the head of the filter, haven't seen a leak so far but I tossed the other head in the trash just to be safe. After I cannibalized it for parts of course


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I had a 90 gallon leak about 1/3 of the water before I noticed it, it was in an unfinished basement so not too bad. I just rebuilt this tank totally because it leaked again, I had just resealed it before.

The other night I had a bucket that had about half a gallon of water in it that somehow got tipped over, not sure if a cat or kid and my wife freaked on me because of all the water on the floor. So imagine the mess from 20 gallons or more on the floor.

I had a used 10 gallon that seeped on the side slightly that I resealed, it didnt actually leak, but water stains were always on one corner. I won't reseal another standard 10 gallon tank, not worth the work, cheaper to buy a new one.

All my other tanks have not been a problem, bought a used 75, resealed it right away and all good.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I still have the first tank I ever built, about 45 years ago. I resealed it about 20 years ago, because i had a bunch of silicone I wanted to use up. I just emptied it to reseal because most of the inner seal is coming off. It has never leaked. It is actually a wonder it hasn't leaked as the silicone is full of air bubbles in the butt joints. Most of the tanks I own were bought as leakers and resealed by me. One leaked and I had to remove the bottom and refit after it leaked 3 months after a reseal. That was about 3 or 4 years ago and it is still fine.


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

Fwiw, I have purchased tanks that were more than 20 years old, had been in constant service and still did not leak. Largest one was a 29 or 30G, the next the same length and width but a few inches shorter.. guess it's about 26 G.
I resealed that second one, because the silicone was badly stained from meth blue or maybe malachite green, or both, and though it still held water after a 48 hour test fill, I did not care for the discolouration. The reseal is holding up well after several months of use.

That first used tank I got, which had a minor repair at one top corner, was certainly at least 15 or more years old, had been purchased used by the person I got it from, and he was the one who patched it. It was otherwise in good shape, though not perfect. The repair was just a patch of dark rubber like material that's barely visible even if the tank is empty. They had to point it out to me. For the price, I was not about to complain.

Someday it would be nice to have a brand new, or nearly brand new, tank, just so the glass would be crystal clear, but even though mine have some minor scratching and etching, they serve me well and don't look too bad.

I think most tanks, if well made to start with, should last almost indefinitely in an original installation, provided they've never been subjected to a shock or impact. They are glass after all. Once they've been taken down and moved, I think the risk of a leak probably increases a bit, but if you are careful, they should still be fine. Best to do a test fill in a safe place if all possible, just to be sure.

I always inspect the silicone carefully to ensure no chunks are torn or cut from it and that it isn't lifting off, and test fill for at least a couple of days, right to the very top. Even if I would never run it that full, I want to know if there is any defect at the top corners that might move downward.

So far the only leak I've had was a five G, that was very kindly given to me when I needed one fast. It leaked from the very top corner, so it only showed when it was brim full, during the test fill. I resealed that one, my first attempt at doing so. So far so good, I can fill it to the brim now without problems and it's been in use for nearly 8 months.


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