Leak test question?

[sweetcoralina]

Hi. I am receiving my waterbox AIO 65.4 tomorrow. I am thinking to fill the tank with store bought saltwater to test. Should I buy 65 gallon to fill it all the way and wait for a day to see is there any leak? Reason I am using saltwater instead of tap is because I think brand new tank especially AIO are less likely to leak?
I plan to add wet sand and wet rock after making sure it's fine, but do I don't find much info on adding sand when the tank is filled. Do I just pour the sand in like when there's no water in it or some other method? Also I know there're people doing either sand first/rock first, but my concern is won't there be a chance damaging the tank if doing rock first? Thanks in advance!

 

[Jekyl]

Hi. I am receiving my waterbox AIO 65.4 tomorrow. I am thinking to fill the tank with store bought saltwater to test. Should I buy 65 gallon to fill it all the way and wait for a day to see is there any leak? Reason I am using saltwater instead of tap is because I think brand new tank especially AIO are less likely to leak?
I plan to add wet sand and wet rock after making sure it's fine, but do I don't find much info on adding sand when the tank is filled. Do I just pour the sand in like when there's no water in it or some other method? Also I know there're people doing either sand first/rock first, but my concern is won't there be a chance damaging the tank if doing rock first? Thanks in advance!

Doing sand first runs the risk of it eroding over time and your rocks toppling over.
Rocks first ensures stabiity.

 

[sweetcoralina]

Doing sand first runs the risk of it eroding over time and your rocks toppling over.
Rocks first ensures stabiity.

Do I need to choose a flat bottom piece to prevent scratching or it doesn't really matter?

 

[Jekyl]

Do I need to choose a flat bottom piece to prevent scratching or it doesn't really matter?

If concerned you can always put egg crate under.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Hi. I am receiving my waterbox AIO 65.4 tomorrow. I am thinking to fill the tank with store bought saltwater to test. Should I buy 65 gallon to fill it all the way and wait for a day to see is there any leak? Reason I am using saltwater instead of tap is because I think brand new tank especially AIO are less likely to leak?
I plan to add wet sand and wet rock after making sure it's fine, but do I don't find much info on adding sand when the tank is filled. Do I just pour the sand in like when there's no water in it or some other method? Also I know there're people doing either sand first/rock first, but my concern is won't there be a chance damaging the tank if doing rock first? Thanks in advance!

I'm not sure what the point of a leak test is if you're going to use saltwater

If it leaks you're going to have an awful mess to cleanup.

I've never had a new tank leak to be honest - I'd only test a 2nd hand tank.

 

[Fish Fan]

I'm not sure what the point of a leak test is if you're going to use saltwater

If it leaks you're going to have an awful mess to cleanup.

I've never had a new tank leak to be honest - I'd only test a 2nd hand tank.

I agree 100%, I've never had a brand new tank leak, and I only test used tanks myself. But your milage may vary, so do what makes you comfortable ;-)

When I do leak test a tank, I use tap water, and I don't just fill it all the way up immediately. If I was really concerned about leaks, I would add like 2-3 inches of water and wait, then if there's no leaks I'd add a little more and see what happens. This way, if you do have a leak there will be a lot less of a mess to deal with, and it makes it easier to figure out where your leak is coming from, which may be important if you had a second hand tank that you need to reseal.

I'd also suggest temporarily placing the tank somewhere like a basement or warm garage where there will be less damage to your home if there's a leak, and it makes it a little easier to see a leak if there is one. Don't do this outside if it's freezing cold, I've seen tanks crack in cold weather! I would leak test the tank with tap water, then drain it and fill with it with saltwater once no leaks are confirmed. At 65 gallons you're only throwing away a bath tub's worth of water, and you could reuse this water to water your garden or wash your car, if you're concerned with wasting the water.

Personally, I probably wouldn't bother leak testing your brand new Waterbox tank, I would use saltwater and just fill it slowly in case of the rare chance there was a leak. But my assumption is that you'll be perfectly fine.

Good luck with your new Waterbox tank!

 

[The_Paradox]

You’re going to need a salinity tester anyways so I would fill it with RODI/filtered for leak test. Then if all is good mix the salt in tank. That way if it leaks you saved cleaning up sticky water. If it doesn’t, you saved 65g water.

 

[Asm481]

It's gotta be a pain in the **** hauling 65 gallons of someone else's water mix. If you don't have your own rodi system get it NOW. It is priceless. As far as filling and testing, fill it with rodi water, I try to fill my empty tanks directly from the rodi system. Takes a while but awesome for watching for and knowing exactly where a leak in tank or plumbing might be. Once filled run pumps watch it under full load add salt mix to YOUR preferred salinity. Rock in first is best way to get it stable. Take your time and be happy with it. Add sand. If using live sand you dump it in and put up with a cloudy mess for a few days. You can cut it down on a bit using a piece of tube like 2 inch pvc and pouring the sand through to the bottom. Dead dry sand needs to be rinsed in small batches til it is clear. You can rinse in tap straight of the faucet but final rinse should be rodi water. This can be poured in through a tube or cup at a time lowered into the tank.
Exciting time setting up a new tank, go slow and enjoy.

 

[Cell]

The idea with using tap for a leak test is its much less damaging and much cheaper than saltwater if the tank is indeed leaking. If you are filling your tank with saltwater that you plan on using, you are just setting up your tank.
Rocks ideally go before sand to mitigate any potential instability or collapsing of aquascape.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Hi. I am receiving my waterbox AIO 65.4 tomorrow. I am thinking to fill the tank with store bought saltwater to test. Should I buy 65 gallon to fill it all the way and wait for a day to see is there any leak? Reason I am using saltwater instead of tap is because I think brand new tank especially AIO are less likely to leak?
I plan to add wet sand and wet rock after making sure it's fine, but do I don't find much info on adding sand when the tank is filled. Do I just pour the sand in like when there's no water in it or some other method? Also I know there're people doing either sand first/rock first, but my concern is won't there be a chance damaging the tank if doing rock first? Thanks in advance!

You definitely want to do rock first! The reason is, it is much more stable that way. You will most likely have tank inhabitants that can shift things around a bit, and rock being on solid ground is just a safer bet.

 

[KandAReefs]

Just putting the option out there you don't need to do sand at all. I do like the look of it but depending on what your flow will be and what corals you are planning sand can turn into a real mess.

 

[NancyFish]

Bump

 

[Crazymex408]

If concerned you can always put egg crate under.

I contemplated doing this but I got negative feedback about it and not being able to clean it as the main concern. Im going to cycle with crushed coral. Then add sand after. Im making/mixing water as we speak. I haven't decided yet.