how should I do this?

[treesprite]

Upon draining, cleaning, and inspecting the 10yo office FW tank, I discovered that the silicone was worn to being almost gone. I removed what little was there and now have to go get some tubes and re-seal.

 

 

Does anyone have some tips to share on doing this, before I mess up the tank with wild silicone all over the glass?

 

This old tank will hopefully still be able to be my nano.

[YBeNormal]

Clean the old silicone off very well. It's best if you do all seams rather than just the one that is leaking. Use singled-edge razor blades--lots of brand new ones--then wipe away residue with a dry piece of terry cloth. Clean the glass using rubbing alchohol to remove any residual oils.

 

I use masking tape to frame the edges of each glass panel. Next make sure you have a large supply of paper towels handy. Apply a steady bead of silicone to the seams then use your finger to smooth it. The silicone edge should overlap the edge of the masking tape you used to frame the glass. Once all of the seams are sealed, carefully remove the masking tape. It is best to do this while the silicone is still fresh.

[jason the filter freak]

I wouldn't recommend resealing an old tank, why not just get a new one and save the head ache

[treesprite]

The tank does not leak at all. It's been running as a freshwater tank in my office and I took it down to convert it to salt. The silicone was just really worn down (gone now!).

 

There's no need to get a new tank. This is the 16g I want to use for the nano instead of the 10g so I can put in a DSB. If I have to, I can still use the 10 (only diff in dimensions is height).

Edited September 15, 2007 by treesprite

[YBeNormal]

I wouldn't recommend resealing an old tank, why not just get a new one and save the head ache

 

I can't agree with blanket recommendations to trash a tank rather than resealing it. For very small tanks and tanks that are in poor shape maybe, but not for all tanks and not in all cases. Some people are handy with their hands and have plenty of free time on their hands. If they have a leaker and it's a decent size tank, the cost of silicone and razor blades is a fraction of the cost of a new tank. For people on tight budgets, fixing an old tank saves enough money to take the family out to the movies. You really need to look at the whole picture before recommending against doing repairs.

 

P.S. I've replaced cracked glass panels and resealed at least 40 or 50 tanks over the years and none of them leaked afterwards.

[treesprite]

I can't agree with blanket recommendations to trash a tank rather than resealing it. For very small tanks and tanks that are in poor shape maybe, but not for all tanks and not in all cases. Some people are handy with their hands and have plenty of free time on their hands. If they have a leaker and it's a decent size tank, the cost of silicone and razor blades is a fraction of the cost of a new tank. For people on tight budgets, fixing an old tank saves enough money to take the family out to the movies. You really need to look at the whole picture before recommending against doing repairs.

 

P.S. I've replaced cracked glass panels and resealed at least 40 or 50 tanks over the years and none of them leaked afterwards.

 

 

Thank you Bob.

 

Nothing is ever trash until there's no way to fix it or to recycle it. Just like mine, the world's resources are not endless.

[dhogan]

Thank you Bob.

 

Nothing is ever trash until there's no way to fix it or to recycle it. Just like mine, the world's resources are not endless.

I recently built a tank to hold my kalkwasser in it, just sheets of glass that I cut myself (can be seen in my build thread). I did not bother to tape the corners because it wasn't a show tank, but the seams still look very good. It's not very hard to reseal a tank, I would just follow Bob's instructions as that is the best way to do it.

[Gman91]

just remember to seal the entire tank at one time, it creates a solid seam that is much less likely to leak. It worked great on my 155 bow!

[treesprite]

I seem to have figured out why the tape needs to come off BEFORE the silicone sets.... I ended up re-doing the job. It looks decent now. So, how long do I need to wait to test it out and use it?

 

It was not leaking before I stripped the old stuff off so I see no reason for it to leak now. There is also silicone on the outside of the tank over the glass seams - I didn't do anything with that since it was only the inside verticle seams that were worn (maybe too much scrubbing?).

 

I just want to hurry up and set the tank back up - my office plants are lonely for their watery friend.

[YBeNormal]

I seem to have figured out why the tape needs to come off BEFORE the silicone sets.... I ended up re-doing the job. It looks decent now. So, how long do I need to wait to test it out and use it?

 

When that happens, use a brand new razor blade and carefully cut the silicone at the edge of the tape.

 

I'd wait at least 24-48 hours but several days would be better.

[jnguyen4007]

And don't bother to try to imitate new tank seal by applying only a small amount of silicone. It won't work. All you end up doing is creating more of a leak later.

[treesprite]

I guess Wednesday night I'll test it out, leave it overnight, then if it's not leaking will take it back to work and set it up.

 

Thanks for the tips

[YBeNormal]

And don't bother to try to imitate new tank seal by applying only a small amount of silicone. It won't work. All you end up doing is creating more of a leak later.

 

Sounds like someone has experience in this area...

[treesprite]

how does one create more of a leak anyway? From stripping off the old stuff?

[jnguyen4007]

Sounds like someone has experience in this area...

 

I would like to deny it, but I can't. It was a hard lesson learned. We can make it neat and tidy, but that's about as far as it goes.

[treesprite]

I think it just takes making sure the silicone actually gets into the entire crevice, not just over top of it. I ran my finger through it down the seam several times with pressure to make sure. It would only take a little airhole or something to have a leak if the silicone isn't truly in the seam rather than just covering it.

[treesprite]

it passed the leak test, yay

 

so, how do I get off the silcone residue that I managed to get on various parts of the glass?

[YBeNormal]

Use a brand new razor blade. If the silicone is touching a seam, carefully cut a line between the seam and the excess silicone you are trying to remove. If you are removing lots of silicone or removing silicone over a large area, change out the razor blade often. They are cheap and dull very quickly when scraping glass.

[treesprite]

its more like "residue" - the rubbery traces are gone. This is like a kind of slippery residue. I wonder if rubbing salt on those areas would get rid of it (some spots are in the tank and some on the outside... I was a little too messy with silicone getting on my hands).

[reefmontalvo]

Is see you are resealing the old tank to make it last longer, all the advice is good, but I noticed one thing nobody has told what type of sealant to use. I recently resealed a tank that the person before me used household silicone sealant I had to scrape it all out and re do the job and crossed my fingers that the old anti fungal sealant would not disrupt the ecosystem of the tank. Well long story short, your LPS sells the proper sealant you will need. I suggest that you run your finger along the sealant after you apply it to force the glue into the seams of glass and further seal and bond the glass. Then let it sit for about 48 hours and fill the tank with water, that way you know you did a good job.

[extreme_tooth_decay]

Word to the wise:

 

Make sure the sealant you bought didn't expire 7 years before you bought it: LINK

[treesprite]

Word to the wise:

 

Make sure the sealant you bought didn't expire 7 years before you bought it: LINK

That would be pretty bad.

 

FYI, this tank still has no leaks.