🐡Aquarium repairs!

March 29th

I have had a disaster with my fish tank. It is leaking in the one side's corner. The light stopped working in February: Percy's new aquarium light! It was a floor model and on sale, and it has served me well. All the lovely green I had (fake plants) have had the biscuit. Just fell apart. I've gone through 3 tank pumps.

My poor Percy. The aquarium began leaking. I put on Gorilla Tape, I thought it was Flex Tape, but I was wrong. It kept leaking. We bought this one since it fit so nicely into the corner!

Percy and his pals have been popped into the goldfish pond outside. The aquarium was drained, with JB's help. Poor Percy died in the cold water. In hindsight, I should have put him in the bathtub until things warmed up. We had a warm spell, followed by a cold one. It did not go well. I feel so sad.

I had work to do. Scrape away the old caulk, get rid of the algae, and wipe off the corners with rubbing alcohol. I tried the step ladder, but it was too short. This one worked up to a point. A point about 15 cm short of the floor of the aquarium.

I had purposely bought this container. They have them at these nail salon for nail polish remover. It makes much sense for ease of handling.

The smell was bad. In that closed container?! 

Even with the ladder, I couldn't bend over to reach the lower parts.

 Besides, I told myself, how would I test it?!

The gravel sits in a bucket. 

I needed lots of tools.

 

Note to self: leaving metal tools in the sun warms them up. A lot!

June 26

Our local HVAC servicewoman and I carried the tank out to the back deck.

I had to scrape it with a blade, and scrape, and scrape. A little while at a time, with my bum sticking out, and my back breaking. Glad we don't have neighbours!

Taping up beside where the caulk was to go, as the directions said to do, I wasn't convinced. 

 

Removing most of the gravel, I realized that I should remove it all!  As I rotated the tank, counter clockwise, it stuck in the caulk. I yelled for help from JB. He held the caulking gun each time I'd rotate. It really helped. 

Wed., July 3rd

I pulled the hose up from the middle deck, and a gray tree frog popped out of the middle. 

  

I left it for an undetermined amount of time, and there was a slow drip out the side that had the original leak. What's with this?!

July 7

I caulked over it, the bad corner. It sure smelled bad!

July 8

I bit the bullet and went for it. 

I checked it all day. 

July 13th

The kids were over, and Jo and Aster helped me bring it back into the house.

It took me a couple of months to repair the tank. I am pretty confident it isn't leaking anymore.

First, I partly filled the tank. It is cold well water, and takes time to warm up to room temperature. Over the next couple of days, the water has to balance itself out and the cloudiness disappears. Next, the goldfish pond needs to be drained, and the three (I hope) goldfish have to be netted and brought in. Finally, I hope for a rain to refill the pond from the water barrel and the eaves.