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Today has been a bad day

2K views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  cbeard 
#1 ·
I am setting up a canister filter for my planted 46 gallon tank. I've run into my share of problems lol.

1.) DIY spraybar leak. It works PERFECTLY except for the stupid leak from one of the connections. Are there any available commercial sealants safe for fish tanks that are cheaper than the lps brands? What do you use, estimated price, etc... Any help with that would be great. I took everything apart, and Im waiting for a good sealant to put it all back together.

2.) I keep noticing cracks straight through the black plastic trimming. some I havent noticed. The one I found today was straight through underneath the HOB filter. How the heck does this happen and how serious is it? I've got so much put into this tank the thought of having to rebuild it terrifies me. If I need another tank, just tell me and I will get one if there are ANY doubts as to saftey. I would rather buy the tank now than buy a tank later and need to suck 46 gallons of water and dead plants off of my floors.

To fix the crack problem for the time being, I super glued the small cracks and on the bigger one I super glued a coin to it as a brace (last minute DIY lol).

There is a small crack on the bottom trim as well, but the rest (4) are on the top brace. This tank is less than 10 years old- is this typical of bowfronts or something? Did I get a faulty tank? Anyone know if I should call this in? I believe its an all-glass aquarium.


Thanks! :cry:
 
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#2 ·
hmm well for the cracks i dont know, but i would probably get a new one to be safe. the spraybar can be sealed with any silicon that is aquarium safe or is safe for kids to eat (at home depot it wont say aquarium safe)
 
#3 ·
Are the cracks in the plastic or in the glass? If its in the glass Id get a new tank. If its the plastic trim, I honestly wouldnt really worry about it since its well just trim. The glass should be glued together seperately so there shouldnt be a problem. As for the sealant, use the silicon like teddyzapper suggested. I actually found a tub at Lowes that said aquarium safe. Anything that says aquarium or kid safe should work fine.
 
#4 ·
#1. Depending on where the leak is in the spray bar, you can use plumber's tape as a pressure wrap with a dap of aquarium silicon (Care-a-lot small tube 1.99), you could just use the aquarium silicon, or you could get plumber's epoxy (lowe's 4.99 for small clump)...

#2. I know plenty of people that take those trim pieces off with no issue. Just pay attention to the seal on the silicon and glass. If you would like a more aesthetic fix... you could try doing an acetone weld on it (as long as it it out side the tank). Basically, use a syringe with a needle (go to pharmacy and ask for insulin needles) to put tiny amounts of acetone (walmart cosmetics section 1.49) in the crack and hold the pieces together. It takes about a minute for it to bong and depending on the plastic another 10 to set. If you get discoloration you can use black nail polish to touch up the color. (warning: a lot of nail polishes have Formaldehyde which can and will kill your fish if they come in contact with it. OPI brand nail polish and other high end ones do not have this in it. (Just find a girl and have her direct you)
 
#6 ·
You guys are awesome. After reading this I am much less stressed. Thanks a ton for the info, I figured I wasn't the only person in the world with the cracked trim but was very worried lol.

Thanks!
 
#8 ·
I definitely do lol. The only problem that scared me is that the tank is already very much up and running, so I was disaster thinking, and figured I would be swimming around my bedroom any day now. lol :-D
 
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