re-silicone help!!!!

caughtaniner · 12-05-2007, 12:20 AM

just bought a "new" 90g tank, and the previous owner did a number on the silicone while cleaning the glass. im thinking ill just scrape the corners and re-do it. is there a special type of silicone to use or is any type safe? any other tips on how to do this?
thanks

Fly Guy · 12-05-2007, 12:29 AM

dont even think about it. If he just messed the silicone up cosmetically...ignore it and go with it. If he compromised it or you compromised it by scraping it out you will need to disassemble the entire tank and rebuild it. that is if you want to sleep well at night anyway........

caughtaniner · 12-05-2007, 12:44 AM

id say 2 corners cosmetically 2 corners are scraped clean on the inside. there is still silicone in between the glass. i was going to scrape off some more on the inside and add a new layer over it just to be sure. or am i screwed?

Loverotties · 12-05-2007, 05:58 AM

I'd take it all apart!

Sndwave80 · 12-05-2007, 06:31 AM

Id just clean the glass up really well and use rubbing alcohol to finish it. Heat the glass for a good bond and lay a new layer silicone on the old one. I have done this in the past and it worked well.

Elegance Coral · 12-05-2007, 06:49 AM

Be very careful about what type of silicone you use. All the silicone I have found at Lowes and HD has mold inhibitor in it and can not be used in aquariums.

caughtaniner · 12-05-2007, 10:09 AM

i think id be more nervous about re-doing the whole tank myself.

caughtaniner · 12-05-2007, 01:29 PM

bump for more help? how would you go about heating the silicone....like with a hair dryer?
and still wondering what brand/type of silicone to use!

Geoff · 12-05-2007, 03:49 PM

if it was the summer i would say fill the sucker up on your deck as is and see if it leaks. if not than do not worry about it. if it leaks time to redue the leaky pane.

you really can not just reseal a tank. the pressure on the glass will pull the panes apart. it could lead to a sudden rupture of the seam.

G~

caughtaniner · 12-05-2007, 08:13 PM

chow hound has 10oz silicone safe for aquariums for 9.99
some one there was telling me to just scrape off all the silicone from the inside of the tank then apply this to make a new seal. but i wouldn't have to take the glass panes apart......

hng · 12-05-2007, 10:18 PM

First, what you are proposing to do is probably a really bad idea. Re-siliconing the inside seams on the tank will likely not do very much to help strengthen the joints. You would have to disassemble the glass panes and redo the whole thing for it to work. You should return the tank if you can. Personally, I wouldn't feel safe about having that thing full of salt water in my living room.

Second, the reef safe silicone is GE silicone I for doors and windows, it does not contain any anti-mildew chemicals. Do NOT use the silicone for bath and kitchen as it DOES contain anti-mildew chemicals. GE silicone is readily found in Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.

caughtaniner · 12-06-2007, 04:31 AM

does anyone have any links to diy sites on how to disassemble or more importantly re-assemble a tank?

Leonardo's Reef · 12-06-2007, 06:27 AM

I would not rebuild the tank. Here in Europe all our tanks are glass so we have a bit more experience with them maybe.
You will never be able to scrape off the old silicone entirely, and new silicone won't attach (well) to old silicone. So leave it this way or return the tank, I'm afraid that are the only two options IMO

Leonardo

LiquidLunch · 12-06-2007, 08:53 AM

This has nightmare or ulcer written all over it. If the tank is non RR, it's $100 or so for a new one, $200 for RR. If you were to disassemble it, you would spend hours of your time and $30+ on the correct silicone. THEN, you add $1000+ in animals and LR and hope it looks ok and is structurally sound. I'm a big DIY'r but I would cut your losses and sell it as-is or keep it for a possible sump some day when you get that 500 gal tank!

Hardhead Cat · 12-06-2007, 08:56 AM

A while back I tried redoing the silicon seals on a 55-gallon Oceanic tank because they had become stained green with some type of dye/medication. It was a nightmare! I even called Oceanic and they told me the glass panes are set precisely before they are glued, and really aren't meant to be re-glued, ever. I would've been MUCH better off leaving them green! I would say "don't do it" -

HHC