Leaking seal at sump bulkhead

[fungascide]

Hey folks,

 

I recently purchased a lightly used 14G BioCube, which after testing its ability to hold water, discovered that the seal along the glass and bulkhead at the 3rd sump chamber has a slight leak. Given that this chamber is the return of "clean" water, should this be of concern?

 

If YES --> should I remove all silicone sealant from the sump bulkhead and re-seal? OR Just remove the leaking sealant, and re-seal just that section?

 

If NO --> does that mean I shouldn't worry about such a small leak? What about the added pressure along the seam from the display area of the tank -- larger volume, more pressure....

 

Any input is greatly appreciated.

 

Any suggestions for a good silicone sealant for the job? Thanks!

[lukejustice]

do you mean the return is leaking, or the wall is leaking where it meets the glass? i would probably just seal up the part thats leaking... i would just run a bead along the inside of the sump.. it cant be that bad of a leak right? just use 100% silicone.. dont get the kitchen or bathroom kind... most people use the GE brand

[Silo]

I had a similar slow leak between chamber 3 and the tank, I just resealed it as suggested.

No need to pull the old silicone and redo it.

[fungascide]

Thanks lukejustice.

 

I had a similar slow leak between chamber 3 and the tank, I just resealed it as suggested.

No need to pull the old silicone and redo it.

 

Silo - when you resealed the leak from the compartment, did you seal along the back edge of the false wall, at the far back of the compartment? The only way to access that leaking seam, is from the display tank, and not the sump compartment b/c of that extension of the compartment wall.

 

At the far edge of this wall extension, there is a 1/8 - 1/4" gap between the extension and the actual back wall of the tank... it's just a little tight, but I think that's where I would apply the new sealant, as well as along the bottom edge, to fully seal that off.

 

Any tricks other than using a hair dryer to dry out the sump area in a relatively quick way?