# Repairing tank



## traumatic

I've begun repairing my 190 gal tank. This is the tank for notoriously leaking and inevitably the death of my 13" Rhom. First off, the leak began in an area along the bottom-long side in between the middle supports. By removing the caulk seal w/ a razor-blade, from corner inward, I found the leak. It was probably 2" long and was caked w/ dirt. Not noticable by looking, but after pulling the plastic seal back it was obviously a bad leak. So It's been 4 days after resealing the leak side, now i'm hoping my first attempt at fixing a large tank is sucessful. I wont be filling it up till friday, and will post progressive pics... Wish me luck


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## roller03hockey10

good luck, would be an expensive tank to lose.


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## jovons

good luck....


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## Black-Phoenix

peap work and dry time is key...keep us posted....If id dosn't work the first time i'll write up a FAQ for out to use when resealing a tank.


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## baz

if you clean it good ,before you put the cauking down it sould be ok. it is herd to get a good seal to old cauking ,if it lecks just do all of the front good luck


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## traumatic

took a few pics ...

to start..

My friend Justin starts to scrape away old seal...








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This is a better picture of the mess we made...








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This pic shows what needs to be cleaned out of the space between the glass...








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This is the corner where we kept the other seals intact...







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Now the area is cleaned and ready to spread the caulk seal...


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## traumatic

So far it's been 6 days since I did this work. I will fill it up, possibly tomorrow.
All in all it took about an hour, I used Aquarium sealant and 2 razor blades.
I'll keep in touch on this topic in the next few days.


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## evermore

just curious what grade silicone did you use? have aquarium silicone but its only for up to 30g tank or certain height. thank you


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## traumatic

evermore said:


> just curious what grade silicone did you use? have aquarium silicone but its only for up to 30g tank or certain height. thank you


 good question, I dont' really know.


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## Skeelo

Crap dude...I've fixed a 20gal with successful results...But never anything THAT huge! Good luck!


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## vlahos

hopefully it works...good luck


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## str8up

Ok buddy...hopefully your not to far along...
I was gone for a week to Houston as my Father had a Heart Attack...But I'm back now!!!
You are definetly on the right track...
I'm probably too late with this....
But here goes...
First thing to do is pull "all" of the inside seals out completely..
This does NOT mean the seal that holds the corners or bottom together. 
you are better off leaving those seals in place.
After you have used "sharp" blades to remove the seals and there is No seal at all accept some possible residual crumbs... Use white vinager and a couple of rags.
dampen one rag and the other one dry... 
Start at the top and work down as the stuff falls due to "gravity".
It is important to get all risidual sealent off the glass as Aqaurium caulk will not
stick to itself after it is dried. 
Use the dampened rag to rub spots down to the glass and the dry one to make sure it all falls down.
You shouldn't just do a partial reseal....I have seen it break too many times.
use a vacuum to clean the risiduals at the bottom...clean the tank again with the white vinager. (Vinager will do a couple of things for your tank..it is a cleaner and should remove hard water spots as well as the sealant that you're rubbing offand in these small doses is not harmful to your fish.)
After the glass on the tank where you are replacing the seal is completely clean like it was new....and the entire tank is clean like new..... 
Begin in a lower corner and caulk two sides of the bottom seal...
Make sure that you use plenty of sealant...but not too much to cause it to look unprofessional.
after the two lower seals are complete....run a bead of caulk up the corners starting where you did the lower seals. 
This is important becuase you don't want to let the sealant skin dry over before you attatch the upward seams.
then go back to the bottom seal and do the other half of it and complete your final corner to the top.
The last part is critical as you seal under the lip of the top of tank.
Be sure to get enough under the bugger...too many times...people miss this and end up not being able to fill there tank "all the way up".
Finally....let it dry for 48 hours.... This is a must.
Some general tips while caulking.
1) keep plenty of rags available that you can throw away when your done.
2) If you have looked over tank seams before...you will notice that pros do use there index finger to evenly spread the seam. Don't push too hard on the seams while doing this...cleaning up a recaulk is messy.
3) be sure that all corners have a bit extra caulk...it would be a shame to get it done only to find out that there was a question wether or not it might hold water.
4 lastly) Make sure you use ONLY aquarium glue. You can purchase this from any glass dealer or window shop. DON"T let them talk you into anything else as they don't understand toxics in the caulking and it comes in a large tube of which I dont think you will need more than one...but you might get two jsut in case.
and be sure to let it dry for the recommended time...usually...48 hours..
Hope this helps.....Later...Str8up


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## boxer

i still wonder why str8up hasn't written a DYI on everything!!!
this thread should be pinned or str8up should write a couple revised/edited DIY with spelling corrections















str8up


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## SERRAPYGO

How was it the demise of your 13" rhom?


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## evermore

so traumaic how did it work out?


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## traumatic

I'll be filling it up tonight, keep in mind this is my first time!! Thanks Str8up, I printed that out in case I have to start over. Sorry to hear about your father







. I made sure I did a good job getting the residual caulk left over, didn't use vinegar though. I did my best to keep it clean and dry. The caulk was called aquarium sealant 100% silicone, I bought it at meijers. It had no parameters on tank depth. Thanks all....

-traumatic


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## Black-Phoenix

aquairum sealent and 100% syillicone are the same thing just about 5-%10 differnt in price.......just read the labe and if it says any thing other than 100% don't use it......espesially mildew resistant as it consains a chemical that kill bacterial growths....


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## FuZZy

Good luck on filling that bad boy up, hope everything goes ok with no leaks.


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## str8up

hey Traum!!!
Whats the deal with the tank...i keep checking back...no new post and no new pics......Lets have it bud...liven this thing up a bit eh??


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## traumatic

Sorry guys, I dont' get on line on the weekends. Ok here goes, Sunday I put like 4 inches of water in the tank, no leaks yet. I had a problem w/ the structural integrity of the tank stand, so I didn't fill it up all the way. I strengthened the stand w/ some support braces, I still have to shim up the stand. The tank is off level by like a 1/4-1/2 inch. I'm gonna try and fill it up ASAP, but must cover all variables first.


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## str8up

Good Idea


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## traumatic

Update: 
Last night, around 9 pm, I filled the tank to the brim. As of 7:30 this morning, it was still full. Checked for leaks, all good. I'm gonna leave it filled up for a couple days. Then empty half the water, fill it back up to see if it holds again. I'm still weary of the job we did, but confident that if it does leak I'll do a better job. The tank is on a concrete floor in the basement, so its not a catastrophe if it does leak.
pics coming soon.


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## str8up

Kewl......Later....Str8


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## traumatic

Update: 
It's been a week since I filled the tank. I've emptied it, filled it back up. NO problems/leaks whatsoever. I'll begin cycling and setup this week. I'm very confident in this tank holding the repair for as long as I have it. I brainstormed on what may have caused the leak. The ledge along the back side had a gap between the top surface of the stand and the back of the tank, caused by warping. Easy fix, I added 3 vertical supports along the back under the back ledge, shimmed it up. pics still coming.

-traumatic


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## traumatic

UPDATE:
Last night, I put in 150 lbs of playsand, added 10 goldfish. It's super cloudy, and 0 goldfish casualties. I have a penguin 170 on it for now, cus I have no other filters. I Took pics, and I'll post them tomorrow.


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## traumatic

I just ordered 2x 300w titanium heaters and 2 fluval 4 internal filters for this tank. I'm looking to build a wet/dry for this setup also.


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## str8up

KEWLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL








I love the pics man...they are great...he he....
kiddn....whenever you get the chance man.....
Here's my wet/dry....
Later bud...Str8


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## traumatic

pics.................................

str8, just for you bud









a little sandy but,


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## traumatic

Complete w/ goldfish:


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## str8up

Absolutely Awsome....!!!
Nothing better than that...(cept one thing).
Yeh Baby!!! Go Truam!!!

Im changing my web site... Can I use some of your pics in my DYS section?
I was an idiot and did'nt take any pics when I re did mine this last time... hehe
Anyhow... I'm also going to let anyone who wants...a page as well...For there pics of P's and there tanks.
Later bud....Keep up the great work....
AND LET"S SEE SOME PICS!!!!!! 
Str8...hehe


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## traumatic

> Absolutely Awsome....!!!
> Nothing better than that...(cept one thing).
> Yeh Baby!!! Go Truam!!!
> 
> Im changing my web site... Can I use some of your pics in my DYS section?
> I was an idiot and did'nt take any pics when I re did mine this last time... hehe
> Anyhow... I'm also going to let anyone who wants...a page as well...For there pics of P's and there tanks.
> Later bud....Keep up the great work....
> AND LET"S SEE SOME PICS!!!!!!
> Str8...hehe


G Thanks str8,

you are more than welcome to put this thread and/or pics on your website. I'll be taking/posting more pics as things are changing. I'll post up again next week when I get my equiptment, and then when I get the water cleared up and some decos arranged.

p.s. Post a link here to your website.









and what do you mean "cept one thing"?


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## str8up

Url should work in my sig now.....
And as for whats the only thing better....uhmmmmm...well...





















Can't say that here...I dont think....hehe


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## traumatic

This christmas weekend, I will be transferring my Pygos to this tank.







I've added cycled water, 2 300 w titanium heaters, 2 fluval 4 internal filter/powerhead, some bamboo fancy plants and some other stones from the 125 they were previously in. Can't forget the sticsk and driftwood. The sand has cleared up and the goldfish are thriving. I'm awaiting a 20 gal wetdry filter being made by Nate. I'll post up pics after the holidays.


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## thorsky

Awesome!









Quite a nice Christmas present for yourself! Good luck with the transfer!
Quick ?, did you use Southdown PlaySand or another variety? I plan to stick with aragonite based sand, but am not sure it's totally necessary.


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## traumatic

I used playsand, from home depot. I dont' know what brand, It's in the garden dept. It cost 1.97/ 50lb bag


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## traumatic

As of Dec 28, I've added my 14 pygos and everything went without problems.

here's some pics of before the pygos:


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## traumatic

another.....


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## traumatic

pygos, w/ flash....


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## traumatic

another.....

sorry bout the dirty glass


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## Genin

damn good job. that looks great, and the pygos seem to like it. awesome









Joe


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## Xenon

traumatic, wanna write an article on this. This is fantastic?


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## str8up

Copy that.....Nice bud......Mo Pics!!!!!! hehe


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## BanditBrother

V nice m8! Congrats!!


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## traumatic

I figure I should update this

I'ts been over six months now and the tank is still running great w/ no problems whatsoever.


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