Here fishy fishy fishy

In my effort to finally finish moving in and getting everything set up, I decided to take advantage of the motivation and set up one of my fish tanks that have been lying dormant for years.

So I am pretty excited to do this and probably a bit over confident (but that’s normal for me) and made it one of my goals for the day (the other goals were to finish setting up the home theater and finish the rest of the living room.)

After tip-toeing around all the junk in the garage to grab one of the two 29 Gallon tanks(which were of course all the way in the back) I finally made it back into the house with all the necessary equipment to begin the setup. I am examining the tank for any new cracks, it had cracked a few years ago but was sealed and working when I last put it away. I saw nothing new and all the silicone sealant was still good. so I set it op on my desk and began the arduous task of filling one pot of water an pouring it in. After about 10 of these I noticed some water on the floor. SHIT! Ok, drain the tank, go buy some more sealant and look a little more closely. I managed to find a place in the old sealant that looked like it had worn through and was likely the culprit. I sealed it up and began filling again (a 45 Min process of running back and fourth from the sink with a full pot of water.) I was fully examining for leaks after almost every lap. Everything was looking good.

With the tank finally full, I started all the pumps and filters to make sure everything was still running. Excellent, it works! So I headed off to the fish store to get some decorations and some fish to add. An hour and $150 worth of fish and supplies later I came home only to find water soaking though my old wooden desk. Crap! Drain the tank again and look for more leaks (keep in mind that draining this thing with no hose is a pain in the ass.) I took it outside and re-sealed every crack I could see, every corner, everything. Let it dry and begin the process again.

This time I let it sit for quite some time after each fill to check for leaks. Not a drop, OK now it is completely full, still not a drop. I let it sit as long as I feel comfortable leaving all those fish in their little travel bags. Everything is looking good. So I finish it all up, release the fish, plant the plants and sit back to admire... Drip... Drip... Drip...

Now I’m getting pissed. It is now 4 PM and I have been working on it since 10. Catch the fish, put them back in the bags, drain the tank, take it outside, and seal it up. This time I used the entire tube of silicone, on everything that could possibly leak. I put it up on some milk crates and filled it up outside, I was not taking any chances this time. The tank is full, and it has been sitting outside on the crates for an hour, the only water on the deck are from the previous draining sessions. So I let is sit for another half an hour.

Finally, its done, I see no leaks. Water is extremely heavy so I can't lift it with any more that a little bit of water in the bottom. So I drain it, again. Put it inside, Fill it back up, release the fish... ahh done, it looks great. I keep a close eye on it for the next few hours.

At around 9:45... Drip... Drip... Drip… OK I am done screwing with this. I head out to the garage and get the other tank. I didn’t want to use that tank because it is specifically designed for a saltwater setup and I really wanted a saltwater tank at some point, oh well, there goes that idea. An hour and a half of transfer later it is done. Clean tank, no leaks, happy fish. What a pain in the ass. So of my goals for the day, I completed one, at 11:50 PM 13 hours of messing with the damn fish tank.



As I am relaxing afterward I am examining the broken tank I notice a tag on the side. Guess what is says...

"Assembled by LEE K"