Tropical Fish Forums

dale · Advisors Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Location: Abbotsford Canada

Hi Moni,
Yes, cut the silicone out instead of pulling. If you use a new razor blade or sharp chisel it should be a straight forward job. I think 6oz. should be enough but ??? I use the tubes that fit in a caulking gun (300mL) which works out to 10 oz. and I always have leftovers.
Good luck.
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Moni · Regulars Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Location: Michigan USA

The only silicone for aquariums I could find were these tubes. A friend of mine says she has an extra unopened one I can have, so I'll wait till tomorrow so I can get that one. Then I'll have 9 oz total. I plan to post a couple pics of my work. thanks for all the help.
Moni
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Moni · Regulars Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Location: Michigan USA

I carefully scraped all the old silicone out of the 40 gallon tank (took a couple of hours) and cleaned it real good. I let it dry over 24 hours. I applied the tape and made sure it was all perfect. I even cut my semi-long nails so they wouldn't get in the way when I used my fingers to smooth the sealant. I sat down and reread the article again to make sure everything was in place. Then I felt pretty good about what I was doing and I set out to start applying the silicone. This is where things started going wrong. The tube was hard to squeeze and I wasn't getting a consistant bead. In some places it was thick and other places thinner. So I called my husband to help (quick!!). He couldn't get much more out of the first tube so I got the second tube ready and handed it too him. Then he said it was really hard to squeeze out. Gosh, in my hurry a forgot to puncture the opening. So I quickly remedy that. Then he squeezes it and the silicone comes out the back end. arrghh! Then I grab the next tube. So finally we get it all sealed and the tape removed. It doesn't look that great and honestly the sealant doesn't look as thick as what's on my other tanks. Maybe someone can learn from my mistakes. If I had used a caulking gun like Dale did in his illustration it probably would have gone smoothly. These little tubes are awful! I just didn't know where to buy the big tube and gun without having to order it. Anyway, now I'm wondering if I can trust this resealing job I did, even if the tank does not leak when I test it. Crying or Very sad

The tank was not leaking to begin with but I know it was a gamble since it was 10 years old. Sorry, I'm just kind of bummed out over this. I'll take another look at it tomorow when my head isn't spinning from the fumes I breathed.
Moni

edit- update 1
I was able to find a tube of all-glass aquarium sealant that fits a caulking gun at petsupplies plus. I found that the silicone was harder to remove this time, probably because it's so fresh. I redid everything and the caulking gun made a big difference=. So much easier! It looks much better this time and no air bubbles. Now all I have to do is wait and see if it worked.

edit- update 2. Very Happy

Yeah it worked! I let it cure for 5 days and then tested it outside for over an hour. All the seals look great. It's set up in my basement with the origianl gravel and filer I "kept alive" Will post pics soon. Now I feel more confident about resealing tanks in the futre.
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Moni · Regulars Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Location: Michigan USA

Thanks for the help. Here's my 45 gallon tank I resealed using Dale's instructions. Smile

I think I could do this again now that I have it figured out.

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CAllain · Regulars Joined: 05 Jun 2007 Location: Berkshire, England

Good job

And nice pleco!

dale · Advisors Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Location: Abbotsford Canada

Good for you Moni Very Happy

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Intelligence is not having all the answers; it's knowing how to think!

Moni · Regulars Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Location: Michigan USA

Thanks CAllain and dale, Here's a close-up of the pleco and loach before I changed the background. The lady who gave me this tank had glofish zebra danios in with these big guys for over a year and they don't seem to bother them. It strange to see such big and little fish together. I was looking for a new home for the pleco but I think he's okay in this 45 gal for now. He's so cool! I just removed all the decor from the bottom of the tank and added some floating plants and java moss.

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Mug · Members Joined: 11 Mar 2007 Location: Michigan, U.S.A.

OK, so I have this 90 gallon tank that has been tormenting me in my living room for 5 months now. its sitting there. empty. with bad seals. waiting...

So I am going to reseal it and get it going. I am just trying to double check before I start moving it around.

the strength comes from the sealant between the glass and this tank is perfectly safe to move around when I take the old stuff off provided I don't pull out that little layer, correct? this is something I've been wondering about for a few months now.

-Mug

dale · Advisors Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Location: Abbotsford Canada

Safe (within reason).
Yes, the strength comes from the small film sandwiched between the panes of glass; the goop you can touch forms the waterproof "gasket". I would move it to the garage/workshop/whatever first and then remove the old silicone. The tank is OK to flip around as long as your not crazy about it.
Good luck.
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Intelligence is not having all the answers; it's knowing how to think!

krt · Regulars Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Location: bedford, virginia

Oops- I looked at the pictures and didn't realize I didn't have to remove the plastic trim from around the aquarium. I got the lid halfway off and CRACK. Oh well, the tank was a freebie (15gal) and I didn't want to buy a new light fixture or heater anyways Rolling Eyes

Does anyone know a good way to remove the trim? I was using a putty knife with some success until I put too much pressure on it pulling it off.

-K