So many things can go wrong with an aquarium tank, which is why it’s so nice to have your aquarium maintained and repaired by a professional. If you attempt to repair an aquarium tank on your own, use all necessary safety precautions in order to protect yourself, the animals, and the integrity of the tank itself. A small mistake could endanger one or more of your animals, damage the filtration system, or leave you with a mess to clean up afterward.
Nevertheless, we want you and your animals to be well cared for, so here are a few troubleshooting tips you can use to repair your fish tank.
Troubleshooting Guide: How to Repair an Aquarium Tank
Tips on How to Repair an Aquarium Tank
- If the tank is leaking …
Visually locate the area of the leak.
If the leak is coming from the top half of the tank, remove some of the water so that you can access it from the inside of the tank. If the source is closer to the bottom, you may have to move all of the water and wildlife into a temporary fish tank for about a day.
Remove the sealant from the affected area, dry the area, and then reapply caulking. Allow it to dry before returning the fish to their home and refilling the tank with filtered water.
- If the tank is cracked …
Move all of the animals, plants, gravel, and decorations to an adequately sized temporary fish bowl. Dry the tank, paying special attention to the crack to make sure it’s clean enough for the sealant to stick. Use a caulking gun to apply aquarium-safe silicone gel to seal the crack on the inside and outside of the tank. Wait a couple of days before refilling the tank with water and returning the animals to their home.
- If the filtration system stops working …
The motor could be clogged. Safely take it out, dry it, open it up, remove the clog, and replace it.
Another possibility is that there was a power outage in the area. Call your energy company to see when they expect the power to return. If the power is expected to be out for days, make sure you manually clean the water regularly over those few days, and keep your eyes on your animals to make sure they are safe and healthy. You may also want to replace the water more often due to the fact that it is not being filtered or circulated. Remember to only replace a portion of the water because keeping some of the water they’ve already used in the fish tank is important to maintain a natural environment.
- If the lighting or aquarium heater goes out …
These issues are probably the easiest to address – but the most dangerous.
Simply unplug the source, wait until it’s cool to the touch, remove it, and replace it.
But remember the sayings we learned in kindergarten: “Water and electricity don’t mix,” and “You’re better safe than sorry.”
Combine both of these ideas together and it’s clear to see that you’re better off contacting an electrician and an aquarium technician to do the work for you.
Have a Professional Help You
These are only a few of the many things that can go wrong with an aquarium tank. It’s so much easier, safer, and more efficientto have a professional repair an aquarium tank for you than trying to do it yourself.
Some matters may be urgent as well, so an aquarium technician would have the necessary equipment readily available to repair the tank as quickly as possible while keeping the fish safe.
