DIY Tank decontruction help

[TraceBucked]

I was gifted a 30 gallon hex shaped tank, with bad seals. I am attempting to take it apart so I can re-seal the entire thing but I'm running into a problem. The top (and bottom) plastic pieces of the tank are not coming off. I've tried a razor, a putty knife/hammer and even silicone solvent, but I can't seem to make it budge. I think there is silicone on the top edge of the tank that it holding the plastic piece on but I can't seem to get to it, any ideas?

[Coral Hind]

Yes, they are normally held on with silicone. You could try using a silicone remover or softner that costs about $10 and can be found at a Lowes or Home Depot. It is made by Dap and is called "silicone-be-gone".

[YBeNormal]

There *is* silicon under the trim on both the top and the bottom--and lots of it. You have to carefully cut through as much of it as you can. I use one of the long, thin retractable razor knives to do that. Once you have cut through and removed as much of the silicon as possible, you have to carefully pry the plastic away from the glass by hand, pulling a little in one area and moving around the tank until it comes off. I also recommend removing the bottom trim first. I've had real good luck when I've done this, but the plastic will crack or break if you try to rush the process. Good luck!

[HDReef]

I had a lot of trouble removing the trim on my sump to reseal it. After cutting around it for a couple hours trying to cut the silicone out I ended up pouring 90% rubbing alcohol into the trim and letting it sit about an hour. After that I was able to pry it off.

[treesprite]

Be VERY careful! I broke a 75g tank taking the top rim off.