Tank leaking...

Will that weaken the tank if I rip out the seal while there is still water in it? Although it wouldn't look pretty, would it be better/safer/easier to just lower the water level, let it dry, and seal the outside? Honestly I don't care what it looks like, as long as it holds up until I get my 90 gal going.



Wow my tank looks bad there. Maybe I should include a better pic at the end to make myself feel better.

There is silicone there because probably a little over a year ago, I used epoxy on the inside and a little bit of silicone on the outside. It held up for a little while.. but I don't think I let it dry out enough before applying the silicone.

And just to be clear, that whole section isn't leaking, its going along the side and then dripping down. Always creates a different pattern lol. It is probably leaking about an inch on each side of the corner. Maybe a little bit more.

 

Lower the water level. slap some duct tape if you want to. Clean all the crud off, reseal, wait, refill. No worries! It'll be fine.

Sealing it on the outside will simply forestall the inevitable. I tried doing that with a FW tank, and it lasted about 2 months before the water found its way through.

 

As long as you are not going to take the top frame off, you should be ok. Most of what is holding the tank together is where the two pieces of glass butt up together and the top and bottom frames. The seal inside the tank is to protect the seal between the glass. If it were me, I would clean off the old silicon and then run a bead around the entire frame inside the tank. I know it sounds like overkill, but I think that would give you the best shot of getting a decent seal over the old silicon. You might even consider running a 2nd bead around the outside as well.

 

On a 37T, I don't think the frames are doing much. they're usually just used for quick assembly at the factories. you can pull it off no problem, especially with the water level lowered. Now, if it was a 55G with no actual bracing, yeah, then I'd be worried.