Came in from cutting the grass and my 1.5 year old tank is is leaking from under the tank. I can not see any cracks or anything. I doubled check all around the tank looking for a leak that is just running to the front but no luck. It must be leaking from a seam on the bottom. It is a 55g tall mixed reef tank. So it looks like I need a new tank, I am looking for guidance in removing all the inhabitants and rock and sand with as little stress as possible. Right now I am directing the major leak into the sump with foil. All help suggestions and guidance from above will be GREATLY appreciated.
Help with tank disaster
- Thread starter Holygral
- Start date
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moortim
Mountain Goat
That really bites! Sorry about your leak, I had a 75 gallon spring a leak once. I had to move everything to a second tank and drain the first. Sorry to say this but you are in for a lot of work. How big is the leak? 1gal/hour? 10gal/hour?
Tim
Tim
mmkeeper
Well-known member
Get your self some icechests and start moving stuff with water powerheads and heat. That should give you a little time figure out what to do.
plack
Sea Otter
I once swore a tank was leaking. When I turned all the water pumps off I found it was only leaking around the overflow. If not then...
Big Plastic laundry tubs are an option in a pinch.
Big Plastic laundry tubs are an option in a pinch.
Everything is off but it is still leaking. Most of the leak is going into the fuge. Don't know if I should wait till morning to start moving or do it now. If I wait untill I pick up another tank tomorrow and do everything all at once, maybe it would be less stress on all of the critters or would it be best to start tonight? Also could I just use the fuge for some of the critter?
Thanks
Thanks
Reefergeorge
Well-known member
Sorry to hear that.This is what scares me about glass tanks. My next one I think is going to be acrylic, because someone told me that all glass tanks will eventually leak. If ther is any truth to this I don't know, but look at this as a good time to upgrade. Good luck and I hope everything pulls through
Reefergeorge
Well-known member
How fast is your leak gph?
Reefergeorge
Well-known member
As long as its not spilling on the floor I would let it stand till I went to the lfs first thing in the morning. JMO
Well the water was running along the frame of the stand, my carpet will never be dry again. So everything is in tubs with PH's I put the fish in the fuge where I could shut the door and try and keep the stress down. Off to get a new tank in the am, and then I will have it out with the manufacture, it is only 1.5 years into a 5 year warrenty :-(, just when everything on the tank was running smoothly.
burning2nd
Well-known member
if you moveing all of your stuff over to a new tank... dont worry about the sand storm it will settle.. just make sure the stuff stays close to temp and water movement when switching...... try to stress them little
DonW
R.I.P.
Dont move the sand, just use new. You want to avoid a cycle as much as possible.
Don
Don
auqua man
Well-known member
Yes a great opportunity to remove detris keep 2 cups of the old and start with new sand I think some cycle at this point is inevitable.
I used garbage cans " new " when I moved my tank it worked like a charm.
sorry to hear of your bad luck with your tank.
I completely dissagree with this statement. A cycle is caused from die off. If you dont leave the LR exposed to the air for a long time (hours) and recycle the water you are basicly moving an established tank to a new one. It could be looked at as reaquascaping.
For example. When I moved from Cali to Seatlle I went from a 30 to the 120. I used a power inverter in the truck and set up several rubbermaids for the LR corals and fish. I used all of the old water that I cured my 100lbs of LR with and all of the old tank water from the 30. I had zero measureable cycle in the 120 and three days later my reef was set up. I have had similar experiences whith my 30 softy and now my 40 breeder. I have had three reefs with no cycle. EVER.
Well, back from the LFS, they gave me no hassel about replacing the tank, but while I was there I decided to upgrade from the leaking 56 tall to a 70 long. I will have to use most of the old sand with 1 bag of new as I am a hour away from the nearest place to by any. I have to get this back up and running. So far evrything seems to be hanging in there, will keep you posted.
Thanks for all the input, after all who else is going to listen to your troubles at 2 in the morning when you are covered with salty water
Thanks for all the input, after all who else is going to listen to your troubles at 2 in the morning when you are covered with salty water
It was an event like this ( a golf club actually)that caused me to move from a 70 to 90 years ago.
I wondered if you would. Good luck on the transfer. I really wouldnt use much of the old sand if you can help it. You can always add a little more new stuff later rather than risking the chance of a huge ammonia spike from using the old stuff. The old stuff may have sulpher pockets etc. which can be quite an issue for you critters.
