Resealing 100 gallon problems

560 Views 7 Replies 7 Participants Last post by BillD, Mar 16, 2011

howmany

Discussion Starter · Feb 1, 2011

My 100 recently started leaking in the bottom fron right hand corner, so i took it all down and i am resealing it. My problem is that in all the corners where *** taken the silicon off, and scrubed with vinegar and razor blades, no matter how hard i try, you can still see where the old silicone was. On top of that, I ordered black silicone to reseal it with. and you can see the stains really good with black behind them.

Another question the I have is, is that where the seams are, and the glass panels meet eachother, there are bubbles between the joints. Is this a problem? I was very carefull not to cut the silicone holding the panels together, so I dont know why its doing that. Heres a picture if it helps.

See less See more

Save

1 - 8 of 8 Posts

clgkag

· #2 · Feb 1, 2011

I always scrape with a brand new blade when I think I have it all off and still get more. I also wet some scotchbrite with alcohol and scrub it. The bubbles in the seam probably got there when it was leaking. I would feel better cutting the seam apart and resealing the joint and the inside seal.

Save

howmany

Discussion Starter · #3 · Feb 2, 2011

Well, I for sure have absolutely everything off the seems, *** scraped with 5 or 6 brand new blades... I'm just wondering about the stains, and seams. I was afraid I was going to need to take all the panels off, and start over.

Save

bearwithfish

· #4 · Feb 2, 2011

as long as the new seal extends 1/4 inch beyond the corner on both sides it will bond with the glass and you should be good to go... as long as you have a rim on the tank that is..

Save

jmlp3

· #5 · Mar 9, 2011

So how did it turn out? I too am in the same sort of problem as you. I had a leak in my 150 gal about a 1 yr ago, got it braced at the bottom where the leak began, and the tank has been set up and running now for almost 11 months. I too have bubbles in between the glass seams, but I have seen these bubbles in the seams of brand new tanks as well.

Was wondering what did you do?

Save

jkulysses

· #6 · Mar 16, 2011

I'm about to attempt the same thing myself on my 90G. How do you tell if the bottom piece of glass is the biggest piece and the sides sit on top of it or is it sandwiched in between the side panels of glass?? I just want to make sure I don't cut down into the seal the holds the panes together. My existing seal is holding water fine but the visible parts of the seam inside the tank look horrible and they are pretty much peeled back anyway so it's just a leak waiting to develop and I don't want that.

Save

shellies215

· #7 · Mar 16, 2011

Clean the glass with acetone to remove the silicone residue

Save

BillD

· #8 · Mar 16, 2011

Acetone will not remove the silicone residue if it is still attached to the glass.
As a side note, black is a poor choice to reseal a tank built with clear silicone. It doesn't look right when done. In addition far more care needs to be taken when using black to get a nicely finished look.

Save

1 - 8 of 8 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month