# Phew! / Crap!



## BossRoss (Jun 17, 2010)

So i was getting ready to setup a 2nd tank, and had gotten a ~35gal (31.5x18x14") off craigslist with lid, light, fluval in-tank filter, heaters & a bunch of misc. stuff for like $30 about a month ago. 

I filled the tank with water today to make sure there were no leaks, and after several hours it was all good, so i began to drain the tank so that I could set it up inside and start cycling it. Well, wouldn't you know it... i scooped out some of the water with a bucket, and i guess the force from that caused the glass on the base of the tank to crack causing a huge leak!  I guess the good thing is that it happened outside and not inside  

Now i have no new tank to setup, and wondering if i should just throw this one out, or if it is worth repairing, and if so how one would do so....?


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## TCR (Jul 13, 2010)

you could try to repair it with silicone, I have seen it done or u can try to replace the glass

i wouldn't throw it away tho..


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

That sucks big time. Atleast it didn't happen inside 

When you buy a 2nd hand tank, make sure to look for good silicone. Go through the edges and look for air bubbles inside the silicone. If there are no bubbles, then its good. If you see bubbles, you can expect a leak sooner or later.

Learned this trick from my good friend Bill (Aquaman) 

As for your current tank, you should be able to re-silicone it.


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## AvianAquatics (Apr 29, 2010)

Repair it and then sell it. If a tank leaks then I think it's never the same again. You'd never know if it will leak or not and it'd be a pain if you have to stripe everything down if it starts to leak after 1 or 2 years of running. Just keep the important stuff and get another tank.


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## BossRoss (Jun 17, 2010)

hmm it's not the silicone seal that failed, it was the glass... there is a crack that goes through the whole base panel, and then another crack developed as well. Not sure i could just smear this with silicone, probably need to replace the whole piece and then resilicone the whole tank... a bit more than i'd like to do


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## TCR (Jul 13, 2010)

Well if you have silicone kicking around you could try to seal the cracks


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## Smiladon (Apr 23, 2010)

wow..that looks bad...did you put the tank on top of some rocks or something?

It looks like damage from pressure because the tank wasn't placed in a proper base...


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## BossRoss (Jun 17, 2010)

nah... level concrete. it was fine until the first bucket of water i scooped out. I think it must have been weekened, and the pressure from the scoop was enough to 'twist' it and cause the crack. If i just pasted silicone over it, i'm thinking it would likely leak again, since there's like 350+ lbs of water when the tank is filled...


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## TCR (Jul 13, 2010)

I'll take it if your gonna throw it out... i need glass


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## BossRoss (Jun 17, 2010)

ur probably welcome to it


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## TCR (Jul 13, 2010)

gonna need glass for my DIY sump... 

one persons trash is anothers treasure

sucks buying something and it breaks.. it is a common occurance on used items tho


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## donjuan_corn (May 6, 2010)

Sell it as a lizard tank, but it's not worth the hassle of repairing it.


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## keitarosan (Apr 21, 2010)

i was never a fan or repairing leaky fish tanks. it's not worth it. i say buy a new tank, sell/donate your leaky for reptile use. if it's a 100+ g tank that cost a lot of money. then i'd think of having it repaired professionally.


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