Waterbox Reef Leaking

[benwilsonx]

Hi all, I'm hoping for some tips on repairing a leak. I have a Waterbox 130.4 that's been running for a little over 2 years. Two nights ago my water sensor went off, and I found a small but steady leak coming from the bottom back-right corner.

I was able to remove a small corner of the thin cushion between the tank and stand, and luckily could see the leak - it's in the seal between the back wall and bottom. I was able to stop the leak (for now) with some flex-seal tape.

I've resigned myself to emptying the tank to reseal inside corners (this was Waterbox's recommendation when I contacted them), but I'm nervous. Should resealing the interior be enough to prevent a future leak or worse, catastrophic failure?

I have a couple of Rubbermaid-type storage bins to house the rock/corals/fish, and I'll put a heater and powerhead in each one. Any tips on this? Should I bother moving my LEDs lights over the bins, or will the corals (mix of LPS/SPS) be OK for a few days without light?

Is it OK to just replace all of the live sand when I put the rock back in the tank (rather than trying to save my current 2-3" sand bed that's a bit mucky)?

Any tips on resealing? Since this is a rimless tank, it almost looks like there's silicone only at the back/bottom seam, and along the overflow? Should I just reseal these areas, or do I silicone every junction/seam?

I have a tube of Aqueon Sealant after seeing recommendations from @vetteguy53081 . Any particular width of bead I should aim for? Is it OK to use one of these profiling tools vs. a finger?

Thanks so much for any help/tips!

 

[blaxsun]

Yes, you can replace the sand (no worries). Most of your bio filter is in the rock anyway. You'll probably find it easier to work on the tank without the LEDs (unless you've hung them), so if it's going to be more than a few days I'd move the lights (if it's not a huge undertaking).

 

[exnisstech]

Oh man. I'm sorry to hear that but now at least redsea may get some relief
To my knowledge the only way to reliably repair a leaking silicone seam is disassembling the tank, cleaning and reassembling. Maybe someone else has a better suggestion?

 

[Troylee]

Oh man. I'm sorry to hear that but now at least redsea may get some relief
To my knowledge the only way to reliably repair a leaking silicone seam is disassembling the tank, cleaning and reassembling. Maybe someone else has a better suggestion?

1vs 2,456,589 tanks doesnt compare.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hi all, I'm hoping for some tips on repairing a leak. I have a Waterbox 130.4 that's been running for a little over 2 years. Two nights ago my water sensor went off, and I found a small but steady leak coming from the bottom back-right corner.

I was able to remove a small corner of the thin cushion between the tank and stand, and luckily could see the leak - it's in the seal between the back wall and bottom. I was able to stop the leak (for now) with some flex-seal tape.

I've resigned myself to emptying the tank to reseal inside corners (this was Waterbox's recommendation when I contacted them), but I'm nervous. Should resealing the interior be enough to prevent a future leak or worse, catastrophic failure?

I have a couple of Rubbermaid-type storage bins to house the rock/corals/fish, and I'll put a heater and powerhead in each one. Any tips on this? Should I bother moving my LEDs lights over the bins, or will the corals (mix of LPS/SPS) be OK for a few days without light?

Is it OK to just replace all of the live sand when I put the rock back in the tank (rather than trying to save my current 2-3" sand bed that's a bit mucky)?

Any tips on resealing? Since this is a rimless tank, it almost looks like there's silicone only at the back/bottom seam, and along the overflow? Should I just reseal these areas, or do I silicone every junction/seam?

I have a tube of Aqueon Sealant after seeing recommendations from @vetteguy53081 . Any particular width of bead I should aim for? Is it OK to use one of these profiling tools vs. a finger?

Thanks so much for any help/tips!

Start by applying tape to the outside with painters tape or frog tape.
Take a sharp razor and cut way the silicone on both sides of glass. Then take the razor and scrape away the remaining silicone and using a wet cloth remove all the pieces of silicone, even using a shop vac. The with a different clean cloth, clean area well with rubbing alohol.
Using AQUARIUM SEALANT (either aqueon or Marineland brand)- apply a generous bead into corner. Wet your finger and smooth it out uniformly starting from bottom and run wet finger to the top. A popsicle stick will also work well.
Once done, allow to dry for at least 24 (i like 36 hours) hours then cool water test for a full 24 hours. If no leak- get ready to restart tank.

 

[exnisstech]

1vs 2,456,589 tanks doesnt compare.

Ya gotta start somewhere right?

 

[Troylee]

Ya gotta start somewhere right?

I think it was a silicone eating worm myself! #sabatoge haha! To the op can you post a picture of where the leak is? The correct way is to take the entire tank apart and reseal the entire thing.. depending where it’s at you might get away with a patch.

 

[benwilsonx]

Yes, you can replace the sand (no worries). Most of your bio filter is in the rock anyway. You'll probably find it easier to work on the tank without the LEDs (unless you've hung them), so if it's going to be more than a few days I'd move the lights (if it's not a huge undertaking).

Ahh, good point on the lights getting in the way. It should be pretty easy to move their brackets. Thanks for the assurance re: sand!

 

[benwilsonx]

Oh man. I'm sorry to hear that but now at least redsea may get some relief
To my knowledge the only way to reliably repair a leaking silicone seam is disassembling the tank, cleaning and reassembling. Maybe someone else has a better suggestion?

That's my concern, I can reseal the interior but there's no way I'd feel competent to disassemble and reassemble a tank, especially a rimless.

 

[benwilsonx]

Start by applying tape to the outside with painters tape or frog tape.
Take a sharp razor and cut way the silicone on both sides of glass. Then take the razor and scrape away the remaining silicone and using a wet cloth remove all the pieces of silicone, even using a shop vac. The with a different clean cloth, clean area well with rubbing alohol.
Using AQUARIUM SEALANT (either aqueon or Marineland brand)- apply a generous bead into corner. Wet your finger and smooth it out uniformly starting from bottom and run wet finger to the top. A popsicle stick will also work well.
Once done, allow to dry for at least 24 (i like 36 hours) hours then cool water test for a full 24 hours. If no leak- get ready to restart tank.

Thanks! Should I scrape and re-seal every interior edge? Or can I get away with just the leaking area and anything else that looks sketchy? It's a little strange because the waterbox looks like there's a silicone "bead" only at the back and bottom corners, not the sides/front. Maybe I just can't see it from outside the tank?

 

[Troylee]

Thanks! Should I scrape and re-seal every interior edge? Or can I get away with just the leaking area and anything else that looks sketchy? It's a little strange because the waterbox looks like there's a silicone "bead" only at the back and bottom corners, not the sides/front. Maybe I just can't see it from outside the tank?

The most crucial part is the seal between the panes of glass! That’s what holds the tank together.. the bead inside helps very minimally it’s just for aesthetics honestly.

 

[benwilsonx]

I think it was a silicone eating worm myself! #sabatoge haha! To the op can you post a picture of where the leak is? The correct way is to take the entire tank apart and reseal the entire thing.. depending where it’s at you might get away with a patch.

 

[Troylee]

Ouch…. Is the tank still under warranty? A patch might work but who knows for how long.. if it was mine personally I’d take the entire thing apart and reseal it all.. that’s a lot of stuff to move and would really suck to do it twice.

 

[benwilsonx]

Ouch…. Is the tank still under warranty? A patch might work but who knows for how long.. if it was mine personally I’d take the entire thing apart and reseal it all.. that’s a lot of stuff to move and would really suck to do it twice.

I purchased it secondhand, not sure if waterbox warranties transfer. The first owner had it for a few months, I've had it for 3 years (2+ of those years running).

 

[vetteguy53081]

Thanks! Should I scrape and re-seal every interior edge? Or can I get away with just the leaking area and anything else that looks sketchy? It's a little strange because the waterbox looks like there's a silicone "bead" only at the back and bottom corners, not the sides/front. Maybe I just can't see it from outside the tank?

leaking area should be sufficient and assure all old silicone from top to bottom is removed for best seal.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I purchased it secondhand, not sure if waterbox warranties transfer. The first owner had it for a few months, I've had it for 3 years (2+ of those years running).

Likely not

 

[benwilsonx]

Update after draining the tank. I found the leak source in the black seam between the bottom and back of the right rear corner, a roughly 2 x 4 mm hole. Weirdly, I found a very similar SECOND hole (although not to the point of leaking yet) in almost the exact same position on the left-back corner of the tank! Pictures below. I don't have the faintest idea what would cause this type of hole - any ideas?

Right back corner leak:

Left-back corner very similar hole (not leaking yet):

So, after a cleaning and then final clean with rubbing alcohol, I applied Aqueon Sealant to all of the corners. I felt like I was taking too much silicone off when I used my finger, so I ended up using the 10mm edge of the profiling tool like this:

Hopefully, that's OK? Now I'm worrying myself that the tool wouldn't cram the silicone deep enough into the corners, because I see some bubbles like this in a few areas:

Are these bubbles less of a concern since they're not structural, but just for leak protection?

I'd love to hear some thoughts on what could have caused those holes, and if my sealing job is likely to be adequate.

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Troylee]

You’re fine! Looks good btw! That’s almost an art smearing it that clean haha! I’m not sure how you got them holes which is weird but I’d say you’re safe now.

 

[MyFirstCar]

Strange, almost looks like something burrowed that hole

 

[benwilsonx]

You’re fine! Looks good btw! That’s almost an art smearing it that clean haha! I’m not sure how you got them holes which is weird but I’d say you’re safe now.

Thanks, that makes me feel better! It's been a nerve-wracking week.