How do I fix a small hole in my Fish Tank?

Question

Earlier in the week a few of my friends were playing with BB guns, and accidentally shot my fish tank... no fish were injured (thank GOD!) , but now my tank has a small hole, and is only half way full (or half empty to some of you guys). Any ideas how to fix this? I already tried a piece of gum and that just didn't work!!
Also.. my filter is not working, but that's just because the water isn't full enough to get up to the filter, so any ideas would be great appreciated... THANKS!

Answer 1

oh damn. gum was my first guess..but since you tried that...Duct tape would work perfectly... i had three holes in my fish tank (don't ask why) and i still have it!!! and no leaks what-so-ever!

Answer 2

As previously mentioned, patching it with another piece of glass is the best thing to do if buying a new tank is out of the question. Plexyglass and silicon don't bond well so I would certainly go with glass, even better if you use two squares of glass and silicon them on either side of the hole. This will not only contain the water but will also help avoid cracks forming due to the slight bowing of the tank when full. Clean all surfaces very well with alcohol before using pure 100% rubber silicon. Make sure you don't use regular kitchen/bathroom silicon which contains mildew inhibitants. If you have a magnet cleaner, you can place the magnets on either side of the glass patches to hold in place until the silicon is cured.

Unless you can lengthen the intake tube of your filter in order to reach the water (I use hose to do so), remove the media from your filter and float it in the tank. If you let it dry out it will loose it's cycle. Monitor ammonia and nitrite levels until the tank is back up and running. Perhaps use an air stone or pump to create some water circulation while the main filter is off...

When you're all done, empty the tank and rotate it so that the hole is in the back... Hopefully it's a rectangular tank so this will be easy to do. And no more BB guns around the tank! :-)

It may make everything easier if the tank is empty... You can use rubbermaid tubs to hold the fish and you can hang your power filter on the side of the tub just like you do over the tank. The more I think about the filtration issue, having to clean the glass surface with alcohol and having to rotate the tank the more I feel this is your best solution.

Hope that helps

Answer 3

Is it me or do alot of people break or crack their fish tanks?? the rubber caulk is a good idea(of course making sure it's aquarium safe above all) the gum i don't think would be a good idea even if it did stick from the inside, problem is the fish would probably pick at it and then your leak starts all over again... I would just recommend buying a new fish tank, depending on how big it is. If you're low on cash it's kind of hard to just go out and buy a new 50 gal tank, they can get expensive even without the stands, that's where your friends come in, i agree that they should have to chip in for your new tank, accident or not... but i would much rather be at ease knowing that my new tank will not have any problems, as opposed to having a dinner party one night and all of a sudden the crack in the tank splits and there's fish and water all over the place.

Answer 4

It depends. If you want to turn it around so the hole is at the back, you can go to your local hardware store and get some Aquarium sealant(very important to make sure it's safe for aquariums) and a small piece of glass or plexiglass. They'll probably even give you a scrap piece. All you have to do then is drain the water down a bit more to give yourself a bit of room, spread a bit of the sealant over one side of the piece of glass you got, and press it over the hole on the inside. You'll have to hold it till it sets, and you probably want to put some of the sealant around the edges of the patch just in case a fish decides to rub against it.

Ideally you want to buy a new tank, but this has worked for me on cracks (Kids will be kids). And it's still holding.

Answer 5

Gum will not work. Water is really heavy (10 lbs per gallon) and it's wet... so it'll just push the gum out. Same goes for ducttape which will also poison your fish. You can try using 100% rubber silicone, but that is most effective when joining two pieces together, not patching a hole.

Frankly, I think it's time for a new fishtank.

Answer 6

if you use very clean gum-not really artificial kinds, and pack a lot into a ball, you can smoosh this against the INSIDE of the tank where the hole is, and the water will push it further into the hole, and will therefore plug it.

This is only if you really cannot afford a new tank. That would definitely be the best thing to do if it is at all possible.

Answer 7

Ack! Gum? Oh dear.

Best to get a new fish tank. Maybe ask your friends to pitch in for the cost since they helped break it.

Don't try to fix it with gum or adhesives, it will leak chemicals into the water which will harm your fish.

Answer 8

lower the water below the hole and caulk it from the inside leave the water low for 2 days to let your patch cure and then fill it back up and check if it is fixed and then don't play with BB guns around your tank

Answer 9

Save yourself some agony and buy a new filter and fish tank. Filters only last about a year anyway.

Answer 10

Put in a cork for now but go buy yourself a new tank this happened to me before

Answer 11

before everything, the place is the crack? If its on any of the tank partitions, this is not a stable theory to objective to restoration a crack like that. If its a seal that sprung a leak then you definately would desire to apply aquarium risk-free silicone, no glues, to re-seal it.