Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Tanks and Equipment => Topic started by: DutchyHolland on October 19, 2013, 07:01:08 PM
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Spotted some water outside the bottom of the tank today so wiped it away. It was between the glass and the plastic surround/base the tank sits on. A bit later on and it's back so I wiped it away again.
Now I've stuffed a cloth in the gap and it's beginning to soak quite a bit up but there seems to be no letup in the water collecting there away from the cloth. (See pic)
So I went out and bought an 80L storage container that I can hopefully set up as a temporary home while I empty the tank and apply some aquaruim sealant to the inside seams. I tested the container with 40L water (much to SWMBOs disgust) and it held well with no significant bulging. That's why I got a decent size one to hopefully avoid stressing the sides.
The water level hasn't dropped in 3 hours of measuring so it's not a major leak. I'm just worried what it might become if left unfixed.
Before I start, has anyone had this problem themselves and/or can advise please?
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The first thing to check is - could any condensation forming inside the lid be running down the outside of the tank (perhaps round the back where you can't see it)? That would collect in the trim and run all the way round the tank.
The way to test this would be to remove the lid completely, soak up as much water as possible from the trim and see if it comes back. If it does, then it can't be condensation with no lid there. If you can't remove the lid then open as many flaps as you can to let the water vapour out before it condenses.
If the water still builds up, then it's a leak.
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Thanks Sue, I'll try that.
I must admit, it does tend to dribble when I remove the hood for water changes etc, but I normally try to catch it as it runs down the glass - front and sides at least but I can't easily reach the back.
I've got a condensation tray I can fit to stop any potential jumpers and I'll lower the water level slightly too.
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It is definitely worth checking to see if it's condensation before emptying the tank :D I have had a couple of 25 litre tanks, basic ones with just a lid with rims that overlap the outside of the tanks. They were dreadful for condensation collecting on the underside of the lid and running down the sloping part to the edges then down the outside of the tank. I solved it by using condensation trays that have a raised rim which sits on top of the glass and the condensation forms on the lower centre of the tray - and the water then can't go upwards to run down the tank.
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Well I took your advice and fitted the condensation tray and opened the hatch overnight. So far no increase in water escape so it may well have been that.
I did have a couple of spacers to a) hold the condensation tray which is slightly undersize, and b) lift the lid a couple of mm off the sides. But as my lid has an internal lip to allow condensation to drip back inside that may have been a bad idea as water may have been collecting on them and diverting down the outside. They're now removed.
Many thanks Sue, panic over - but I'll keep an eye on things over time.