[chrispyweld]

Yeah you heard me. My Lab/Dane mix decided to jump out the lower window only way to do this was to get in my tank and then go out. :roll: My step daughter has let him out of the kennel and then he has gone out the window every day for tha last week. Teenagers are slow. :lol:

Today it was about half empty and there was a nice puddle of water under my carpet. So I took all my fish except what I could cram into my 20L to the LFS.

How hard is it to re seal a large tank? Any tips?

 

[kingpoiuy]

So the dog jumped IN the tank and then out the window which caused your seal to break? Re seal isn't hard. Getting the old silicone off can be a task. My tip would be use a spoon to spread it.

 

[chrispyweld]

Yeah that's what happened. You'd believe it if you had any idea how my luck runs.

 

[BillD]

Resealing is not difficult, albeit a little tedious. the most important thing is to ensure you have removed all of the old silicone. Single edge razor blades are the most commonly used tool to rmove the old bead. When you are positive you have removed it all, take a new blade and go over it all again. Clean well with acetone or alcohol, apply silicone, and smooth using afinger, thumb or spoon. itried using a poon on my 90, but it was far to wide, ao I switched to a thumb. If you are new to this and want a neat job, mask the areas you don't want silicone on before applying bead. Remove the tape as soon as the silicone has been smoothed. As far as silicone goes, GEI (NOT GEII) for windows and doors has been used for many years to build and reseal tanks. Never mind what it says on the tube. Don't use any product that says "Tub and Tile" or "Kitchen and Bath". Personally, I have never used GE, because I have been able to get house brands that say "ideal for aquariums" on the tube, for less money. Good luck.

 

[chrispyweld]

I have done a lot of tile work and have tools specific to caulking corners so that won't be an issue.
I do like the tape idea though :idea:
I do prefer black silicone anyone found an acceptable brand in this color?

 

[chrispyweld]

 

[BillD]

GE makes a black silicone in it's 1200 series. You won't usually find it in retail outlets, but rather in stores that cater to the construction trades. It is stronger than GEI. However, if the tank is assembled with clear silicone, and you reseal with black you may not like the result.
I used tape for the first time on my 90, because I was applying a rather large bead and was concerned about getting a clean edge when smoothing. It worked very well with perfectly straight lines for the edges of the bead. I think it was worth the 15 minutes I spent applying the tape.

 

[chrispyweld]

However, if the tank is assembled with clear silicone, and you reseal with black you may not like the result.

Could you elaborate?

 

[Mcdaphnia]

However, if the tank is assembled with clear silicone, and you reseal with black you may not like the result.

Could you elaborate?

I think what he may refer to is that if you replace only the inner fillit seal with black, the original clear seal that you left in the butted area between the glass panels might contrast with the black. If you remove both the fillit and the butt seals and replace them all with black, it will look like it was intended that way. Mixing the two is like when you add a room onto a brick house and can't get exactly the right bricks or the same shade of mortar to match the original.

 

[BillD]

Well said McDaphnia. I haven't done it myself, but have heard stories from others. I think it would look slightly "off" because of the two tone effect.

 

[chrispyweld]

I just assumed you had to remove and reapply ALL the silicone due to the fact that when the new silicone dries it pull the old out as it shrinks. I though that was why it was so important to remove all the silicone.

 

[Mcdaphnia]

I just assumed you had to remove and reapply ALL the silicone due to the fact that when the new silicone dries it pull the old out as it shrinks. I though that was why it was so important to remove all the silicone.

Many people replace only the fillit seals if the butt seals are intact. If there is a leak, though, at least one butt seal must have failed to some degree.

 

[chrispyweld]

If there is a leak, though, at least one butt seal must have failed to some degree.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[BillD]

A butt seal does not have to fail to have a leak. That is to say the silicone didn't give up, but there may have been a void when the tank was assembled. A reseal does not require the tank to be disassembled; that would be a rebuild. One of the described methods of tank building, as seen with photos on some forum, suggests that wires be placed in the joints to prevent the glass from compressing the silicone too much. Once the silicone has set the wires are removed. Everywhere there was a wire there is a void. A properly assembled tank, without voids, will hold water without the inner filet beads. I wouldn't wish to hazard a guess as to how many tanks are assembled with voids in the butt joints. I would assume that the percentage would be higher than one would suspect, by the number of new leakers I have bought and repaired over the years, from a variety of manufacturers.

 

[chrispyweld]

Good info thanks.

I had heard about putting pins in acrylic and then removing them during production but not in glass tanks.

I'm probably going to put this tank in the shed and leave it be for a while. There are chips in the corners from before I got it and now that I think about it it is probably not a worth while endeavor to try and reseal it. I may try a DIY plywood tank in the future and the chips could be hidden behind the frame. I plan on buying a house in the next 6 months to a year and a built in is definitely in order.