testing seal on a tank

[Jennywrenn]

K, today is the day to test the new seal on that 20 gal of mine....
either it'll hold, or I'll have abt 20 gal of water all over my house!
cross fingers for me!

[Mettle]

:shock:

Try it in a basement, garage or even out back despite the cold weather? I don't know. I wouldn't want to be testing that inside!  :lol:

But good luck! My fingers are crossed for ya!

[aidensmomma2000]

A 20g would fit in your bathub, and its easy to fill and empty!

[darkdep]

I second the vote for the bathtub.  Only thing is to make sure it's sitting flat on the bottom (which shouldn't be too much of a prob for a 20)

[Jennywrenn]

was bold enough, and lazy enough to test on kitchen counter, right beside sink....
I had thought of the tub, but then splashes would have gotten on the outside, possibly giving me a heart attack when I found wet spots.
Anyways, thanks for the fingers crossed, and advice....thinking summer is a better time to do this, outside, on the picnic table or something.....
better the impromtu lake be outside, than inside!

And the good news is, the tank is secure, no drips, no oozing.
I left it for awhile, and it was good. So re-drained it, to move it.
Then gonna refill, and put some water in from an established tank to get the cycle going.

[zippity]

oh yes be very very careful, i had a 28 gal that i got from a friend at work, seals looked in mint shape, tested it in bathtub for over 2 hours, no leakage so i put it in my room and put water in and for a good 2-3 hours no problems, then i am almost asleep around 1130pm and then whammo!!! Glug, glug, glug, i have about 100lbs of a 325 lb tank spilling onto my floor, good thing i still have buckets close by and a steam cleaner but all in all i spent the next 3 hours cleaning my room, so my suggestion is the bathtub but leave for as long as you can just in case.

[Jennywrenn]

hmmm...now you got me nervous.....

[BigDaddy]

...Then gonna refill, and put some water in from an established tank to get the cycle going.

Used tank water is not really any good for starting a cycle.  Use some media from one of your other filters instead.

The beneficial bacteria we need in our tank is primarily on surfaces (i.e. filter sponges, gravel, plants, etc...), not in the water itself.

[Jennywrenn]

Aaahhh...ok...good to know.
would putting a few of the ornament in there from the other tanks be a good idea, til the bacteria start to multiply?
I could take a few things out temporarily to help get the new tank started?

[darkdep]

Technically, any physical object from an established tank will have the bacteria on it, and will help.  NOTHING beats media tho, as it's designed to hold as much bacteria as possible.

[sarahbella]

a good place to test is on the laundry room floor right beside the floor drain.  Easy access to water from the laundry room sink too.