Got a deal on an aquarium that now leaks. Advice?

Got it for $15 at the ReStore. I decided to fill it for the first time in something to catch any leaks. I guess that was smart. You can see in the picture what it holds. I filled it almost to the top. I was going to pour in two more liters, when I heard splashing. I don't know if there was already a leak there, or if it was so near failure that it started leaking after I went three or four inches above.

Bargain aquarium. Bet you can't guess where the leak is...

So now I need to decide: do I want to scrape away some of the silicone and try to reseal? Do I fill to just below the leak and find a way to use the top for plants and/ or filtration? Do I get something that lives in and out of the water and build a climbing/ basking area above just a little water? Other ideas?

For what it's worth, I've never siliconed a tank, nor have I done much else with silicone. I'm willing to try if folks say it's easy, but if all of the old silicone has to come off and I have to build it like I'm building a new tank, I'm out. I'd sooner do one of the other ideas.

I don't see why you couldn't patch just where the leak is. Just scrape an inch or two above and below the leak and re-silicone it.

My concern though, is if there is a failure... are there other places that are getting close?

I think you might be better off redoing all the silicone so its all the same age... but I understand not wanting to do that much work on a cheap tank.

That is a cute aquarium and a great price.

As Matt suggests silicon the seams.

I am not sure I would trust it not to start leaking again or maybe you will be lucky and the repair works.

My suggestion would be to set in on a flower pot and plant something pretty like ivy or aloe vera.  That way if it does leak you just water houseplants.

Or maybe turn it into a herb garden.

They're often repairable, but if you go that route and want to use it for fish I advise using it as a temporary tank for things like quarantine or hatching. Repaired tanks are just iffy for holding water over long periods.

But there are lots of smaller lizards, amphibians, and arthropods that would be just fine in a leaky tank. Pets, or raising bird snacks or bone-cleaning beetles maybe?

You could also disassemble it and use the glass plates.

Matt McSpadden wrote:

My concern though, is if there is a failure... are there other places that are getting close?

I think you might be better off redoing all the silicone so its all the same age...

This.  I've resealed many an aquarium, and it's exceedingly simple.  Scrape all the old silicone off, clean the glass sparkling clean (salt mixed with a very little water works great and you don't have to worry about leaving any chemicals in the aquarium that can hurt your fish), put a nice even stripe of silicone on, and use your damp finger to smooth it and press it tightly into the corner.  You can easily redo that aquarium in about 30 minutes I'm guessing, and even if you didn't need to silicone it it would need a good cleaning anyway, both for appearance and for fish safety.  Be sure to use aquarium safe silicone.

Terrarium is the easiest solution.

Once it leaks, it is a problem area.  Water puts tons of pressure on a tank, making it likely to break again.  Risking losing your entire tank is not really worth the time and money investment in an aquarium, but that's just my opinion

Reading the other replies, a small leak can be sealed.  My mind was going towards a big Crack or break

I'm with the "if it leaked, it's an indication that seam and, maybe, others might be near giving out too" crowd.

As such, I'd start with cleaning the entire joint and re-adhering with something that likes to grab glass and doesn't care about water.  Then, because paranoia is, often, my friend, I'd band it at the top and bottom.

I would second the suggestions to clean and re-silicone all interior seams.  Some silicone caulks may cause allergic conditions.  I suggest using a caulking tool.  They are really cheap and the one I purchased has an angle that looks very close to these panels.  Nice addition, the tool can double as a cleaning tool for the seams, place a small cloth over the angled head and use it to ensure the glass is as clean as possible.  The water pressure will be pushing the caulk into the seam if installed on the inside, so it helps to keep the aquarium from leaking.