# How you know if tank leaking?



## Halley (1 May 2016)

I know it sounds like a silly question but how do you know if your tank is leaking.  I cannot see any leaks but the top of the cabinet directly under the tank is starting to get continually wet. The chipboard is peeling apart.  It is a juwel 60 aquarium but I cant see a leak as there is pastic at the bottom of the tank. The water level dropped by about a cm last night and this is the first time Ive seen it drop.  Is it a leak and what should i do?


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## Darwin88 (1 May 2016)

Do you have an external filter? If so I'd check the pipes for leaks to see if that's causing it.

Unless the tank is visibly cracked, the only way it could be leaking is silicone deterioration at the joined of each glass panel. 

How old is the tank? 


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## Halley (1 May 2016)

No - its a juwel internal.  The tank is about 8 years old.  I can't find where the leak is if there is one. 


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## Darwin88 (1 May 2016)

Halley said:


> No - its a juwel internal.  The tank is about 8 years old.  I can't find where the leak is if there is one.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



http://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/help-problem-with-water-leak-on-juwel-aquarium.29184/

This post mentions something about capillary action, I know it's related to external filters but it's the same tank as yours so it's a good reference point.

The only advice I can give is to watch the water level for another 24 hours and see how fast it drops. Perhaps you could stick some paper towels around the base of the tank and even around every silicone join. Keep an eye on them and see if any become damp. 

If it was me and I was worried there was a leak, I'd strip the tank and check all the glass for cracks. If there aren't any, I'd resilicone the joins and water test the tank to see if that corrects the problem. 

The thing is though, adding some more silicone to the joins might not last all that long unless you completely scraped away all the existing silicone which then puts you at risk of weakening the original hold causing a potential tank collapse when it's full of water...Google the procedure and see what comes up. It may be time to think about replacing the tank though?


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## Halley (1 May 2016)

Yeah i think i might have to replace - i put alot of moss on the internal filter cover and it came up lovely so i am pretty upset  its still getting damp around the base  oh they joys of keeping fish in a misunderstanding world  


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## Halley (1 May 2016)

Ps - thanks for your help!


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## Aqua360 (2 May 2016)

Good luck, if you wanted to save costs; you could strip down, cut down old silicone and re-seal. I haven't had to do this, but if you're confident in that sort of thing, you're basically renewing the aquarium for the cost of a small bottle of silicone


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## Halley (2 May 2016)

I think it could be an issue with the filter putting water towards the lid which has somehow soaked the bottom of the tank.  I am away for 2 day and when I get back Im sure I'll find out! Thanks for your help


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## zozo (2 May 2016)

Darwin88 said:


> This post mentions something about capillary action


Yes this can occur.. With anything hanging on the glass edge.. Like Hangon thermometer, hangon dropchecker or a cable from the internal electrical devices. This happens when you fill the tank a bit to close to the edge, then the tiny, narrow gap between glass pannel and object where the water creeps upwards, till it runs over the edge. The capillary suction does the rest and it keeps running over the edge till water level is low enough for gravity to make it stop.

It happend to me one time with a hangon thermometer..


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## rebel (3 May 2016)

zozo said:


> Yes this can occur.. With anything hanging on the glass edge.. Like Hangon thermometer, hangon dropchecker or a cable from the internal electrical devices. This happens when you fill the tank a bit to close to the edge, then the tiny, narrow gap between glass pannel and object where the water creeps upwards, till it runs over the edge. The capillary suction does the rest and it keeps running over the edge till water level is low enough for gravity to make it stop.
> 
> It happend to me one time with a hangon thermometer..


I threw away my hang-on ebay thermometer because of this.


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## ian_m (3 May 2016)

Is you tank on a proper Juwel stand ?

Is the stand on a level floor ?

The reason I ask, is my mate had a leaking tank, years ago, that took ages to locate. The reason for his leak was the sideboard his tank was on was not on a level floor and the top of the sideboard was very slightly bowed. This cause the base of the tank to twist/bow and cause tearing of tank silicone on front right and back left. The water mostly leaked out very slightly from the rear, causing obvious water stains/damage with only slight signs of dried up scale on the front. Once the cause was found, a proper tank stand was made, the silicone removed and replaced and that was 20 odd years ago and tank is still fine.


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## Halley (5 May 2016)

Its on a stand made for aquariums but its not a juwel stand.  If fits perfect but the original juwel stand was damaged.  Im not sure if it the floor is 100% level but it looks ok.  I have heard of this happening on uneven floors.


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## Halley (5 May 2016)

Its great to have a forum with people offering such insightful advice 


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## ian_m (5 May 2016)

Halley said:


> Im not sure if it the floor is 100% level but it looks ok. I have heard of this happening on uneven floors


You need to check the flatness and level of the stand then using a straight edge/spirit level. Only can be done with tank removed unfortunately.


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## PARAGUAY (5 May 2016)

Sealers what can be used in wet and underwater conditions while problem is solved  www.huttonaquaticproducts.co.uk


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