Dang it! 110G Leaking

[cobraden]

Looks like my 110 Discus tank sprung a leak after 17 years. Appears to be somewhere along the top 3 inches of the tank cause it lost water to that point and as since stopped. Been holding steady for the last week. My options, 1) just drop the water a couple more inches cut out the old silicone and add new, 2) Break down the tank and either attempt a total reseal myself or find someone who will do it, 3) Bite the bullet and try to find a new replacement tank. (timing for that is good right after Christmas spending...not).

This tank is a built in. It can be removed if necessary. If I replace it, it will have to be with the same sized tank or I would have to re-do the upper doors on the cabinet.

What would you do?

[prostreet69camaro]

You cant do option 1. Silicone will not seal over old silicone. Depending on what condition the tank glass is, I would reseal the tank.

[black_knight]

Resealing is a pain in the butt. You have to remove all the old silicone, and clean the surface. Unless you've tried it on a smaller scale, you'll need help with this. If it's a built in you may need to get one of the professional guys to do it for you. I'm batting 50/50. The first large one I did was a 250, no problems. The second one was an 80, water every where. I've built several small 30 and 40 gallon tanks prior to this. Get professional help.
It also might be cheaper to replace the tank.
Dropping the level may get you through for a while, but one leak is just a warning.
That's a well built tank if it took 17 years to leak.

[cobraden]

Thanks guys. I've resealed a few tanks and yes it is a royal pain. I did my 150 reef when I bought the tank used and didn't like the way the silicone looked. Getting it out of the wall won't be a problem. When we built it we designed the built in so that the tank could be removed. The professional help that I may need is probably mental for having so much water in my house. :-) Thanks for the input!

[Timber317]

I feel your pain. I had a 125 starting to leak and was frantically looking for a replacement. I looked for both new and used. After doing all the research I bought a new Marineland 125 from Andy over at Fishland. If you need a tank that size he's killing the competition by a long shot and even better he keeps quite a few large tanks on hand.

[troy tucker]

Even though resealing is a pain. It's the only way to save the tank.

[blaciarmd]

Fishland is where I get my tanks. Ocean Aqutics tanks are made here too