Argh, take note, why water features suck

[jarteta97]

Dang, that really blows . I hope you get it fixed without too much effort

[LilyPad]

Well, I'm going to have to scrape out all the silicone because unfortunately, you can't just patch it. Just unsure of how this happened, I used LOADS of silicone and made sure it was thick on both sides to prevent this from happening. Months without an issue. Just irritated right now! I drained the drainage layer last night and it is about half full again.

Edit - on second thought, I'm just going to keep draining the drainage layer as it leaks into it until it stops so I can guesstimate at least what level the leak is, then I can rip apart a little less. If it's at the bottom though, I'm out of luck.

[LilyPad]

My nat geo digital hygro/thermometer also stopped working yesterday. I took it apart and it was all rusted inside and the battery was corroded. Apparently, despite saying it measures humidity up to 90%, it's not made to stay in humid environments. I will buy another one, but will put it in to check things and then pull it back out, I left mine in 24/7. I guess I shouldn't have spent so much money yesterday setting up a betta!

[Lija]

Yeah..... I can write a book on why water features suck lol

Amy..... Mmmmm.... I tried to fix mine..... Like really tried..... Like scraping, glue, etc, shall I say it again.... I really tried....Ended up completely redoing my tank telling myself why on earth I was trying to fix and wasted so much time lol


just saying

oh and digital with probes are better,

[LilyPad]

Ugh Lija, it really stinks! I love the water area and can't understand why it started leaking suddenly after months. The amount of silicone I used...it should not be possible! Making me rethink the other tank I have planned out and do something simple instead, even if it means daily water bowl changes.

I have a digital with probes, the humidity measurement is never accurate. I take it out of the tank between uses, but as soon as I drop it in the tank, it shoots up to 99%. I don't really need to measure the humidity, I usually have a good idea of where it is at without measuring, I just like having it as a backup. So maybe I'll just stick with what I have. So long as I know where the temps are at, which the probe reads accurately and I can move it around the tank, I'm good.

[jarteta97]

Yeah, I worry more about temps than humidity. With humidity, if plants thrive, the frog usually thrives. With temp, though, you could have a 10 degree drop or raising, and the plants wouldn't show it at all. You might just find it easier to do a leca layer style tank, and still have the water feature, I don't know.

[Lija]

just get infrared gun and use it for all your tanks for humidity, with experience you just know if it s good or not.
honestly I have thermometers/ hydrometers only in tanks that are plugged into hydrotherms and only because these things read that I do check tanks close to daily with temp gun.

[jarteta97]

Yeah, my nat geo still "works", but I've noticed that it doesn't read quite correctly. Right after misting, it says 99%, but the screen top is only half covered. Also, I've aired out the tank, and it hasn't dropped below 80%, which is pretty unbelievable. I just used it when I was first misting the tank, and now just in case there's a huge swing. The coloring of my frog (lol) and the condition of my plants really helps me, particularly my tilly and broms. If I ever do a glass or acrylic divider, I think I'll just have an aquarium shop do it. I don't trust my skills enough. Hopefully the leak is up high