Anyone have any tips for resealing an aquarium?

[Jspigs]

So I got a slate bottomed metaframe aquarium and it leaks.

I have read about using warm water to soften the old sealent which might allow the tank to rweseal itself but someone already resealed the tank with silicone so that trick won't work.

Some people say that silicone won't create a waterproof seal with slate but there is silicone on the slate bottom and it is not leaking (the leak is coming from the top of the aquarium).

I know the basics of resealing an aquarium using silicone (thanks to google) but I was wondering if anyone who has resealed an aquarium has any tips.

Metaframe specific tips are also appreciated if anyone has them.

I would also like tips about stripping the old silicone too.

I plan to completely reseal the aquarium tomorrow.

 

[The Zigman]

tanks with metal frames are designed a little bit differently. They were designed to seal between the sides and the frame, not so much the sides against its adjacent side like modern tanks are. IME the seal between the Stainless steel frame and the glass seems to be most critical, in fact some of the tanks I have resealed have has 1/4 inch gaps between the panes of glass making up the sides and the bottom.
I havent dealt with any slate bottom tanks... Mine all have had glass bottoms too. I could see how silicone wouldnt make a great seal against the slate though.

 

[ChicoRaton]

Concerning the potential issue with silicone not sealing well against slate, you could apply another material such as polyurethane to the slate and the silicone might potentially adhere to that better.

This person noted a problem with silicone not adhering to unglazed tile (!!!)
http://www.diynot.com/forums/viewto...previous&sid=d8d0c1d4dc30cdb017dd055741e359cc

You might be interested in something known as a polyisosilicate adherence primer. I have no idea how well silicone will stick to PU or slate.

eng-tips.com has a forum for adhesive and sealant engineering.

 

[andyjh]

I did reseal my 10 gallon metaframe after the "soak in hot water trick" failed. Mine had the advantage of never having been resealed with silicone previously so I was working with a pretty clean tank. In your case, you'll need to strip off the silicone using a razor blade (per the usual methods), and then clean the glass very well prior to resealing with black silicone sealant. You said your tank never leaked from the bottom, only towards the top. That's a good thing. I 'd still run a nice bead of silicone along the edge of the slate and up onto the glass. I taped off at about the 1/4" point up the glass and used black silicone. This way, if you use a black substrate you won't see the slicone at all. I also found that my tank leaked at the very top when filled to within 1/4 of the top rim. Key here is to also silicone a very fine bead around that upper rim, or water will find its way under the stainless rim. Using blue painters tape to achieve a fine line is very important for a neat job. Finally, if you ever experience a leak from the slate bottom area, one trick I read about (and it makes total sense), is to have a piece of glass cut to fit the tank bottom, and then silicone from that piece of glass onto the side panels, thus giving good glass/glass contact with the silicone. Hope this helps.

Andy

 

[Jspigs]

I did reseal my 10 gallon metaframe after the "soak in hot water trick" failed. Mine had the advantage of never having been resealed with silicone previously so I was working with a pretty clean tank. In your case, you'll need to strip off the silicone using a razor blade (per the usual methods), and then clean the glass very well prior to resealing with black silicone sealant. You said your tank never leaked from the bottom, only towards the top. That's a good thing. I 'd still run a nice bead of silicone along the edge of the slate and up onto the glass. I taped off at about the 1/4" point up the glass and used black silicone. This way, if you use a black substrate you won't see the slicone at all. I also found that my tank leaked at the very top when filled to within 1/4 of the top rim. Key here is to also silicone a very fine bead around that upper rim, or water will find its way under the stainless rim. Using blue painters tape to achieve a fine line is very important for a neat job. Finally, if you ever experience a leak from the slate bottom area, one trick I read about (and it makes total sense), is to have a piece of glass cut to fit the tank bottom, and then silicone from that piece of glass onto the side panels, thus giving good glass/glass contact with the silicone. Hope this helps.

Andy

Thanks for the help.

Unfortunately the hardware store only had ge silicone I window and door in white so that is what I will have to use. But that is more of an aesthetic issue than a structural one.

 

[oowl]

We recently refurbished a 16g Metaframe tank. We used clear silicone (I wanted black but with all that we used, I was glad we elected to go with clear; you'd have to be REALLY neat and tidy to have the black turn out to look nice, especially when you're sealing the glass to the metal frame and the extra wide seams between the panes of glass). My tank has a slate bottom, so we used a pane of glass on the bottom and siliconed glass to glass, which worked beautifully and the tank does not leak. Of course, the tank has substrate so you can't see the slate bottom anyway, but I wanted it there to be "authentic." There is a great article on restoring Metaframe tanks in FAMA February 2007 issue (available for purchase online as a PDF), "Remanufacturing Metal Frame Aquariums," by RJ Lessman. It has a lot of good information, diagrams, and photographs. Good luck on your project.

 

[Lady G]

I know nothing about the slate bottom, but to get the silicone off....rubbing alcohol works wonderfully! It smells pretty bad, but just pour ya some on it, use a razor blade and it came off pretty easy. Then I put the alcohol on a rag and wiped up the rest of the residue left behind.
Good luck, I think the pane of glass as stated above would work great

 

[piggy67]

Be very careful while using ge for windows and doors, most of those types of silicone have mold inhibitors. I wouldn't use that stuff if i were you. You really need to get some aquarium silicone to be 100% sure there's no additives that can harm your fish.

 

[tyler79durdan]

I have had 12 customers whose tanks were resealed by myself.

The worse possible scenario is the primary seal leaking.

Aquariums have a primary seal and a secondary seal.

I have done 12 tanks(and one more in a few days...) and none have leaked and the customer actually recommended me to others. Thats how I came about resealing 12

I consider myself a master at this art now, and have no problem guaranteeing my work.

I can give you a few tips.

1. Silicone does not like to adhere to cured silicone.
Clean your glass well.
2. NEVER slice into the primary seal when stripping the secondary off.
Make sure that you use ALOT of clean blades, and after you think you got all the old stuff off, scrape it again to get the final films(yes film) off the glass. I have scraped off the final film to scrape again and find more film. GET THE GLASS CLEAN!
3. Never use solvents to wipe the tank after scraping
I have always used hot water and vinegar mixture 75/25. After cleaning with the W/V solution, wipe all the surfaces to be sealed with another clean dry towel and put some elbow grease behind it(dont break the glass!).
4. Start with the bottom four seals, one at a time, and press the silicone into the seam/corners while arching your finger and slightly rocking your finger while applying pressure. (this is an experienced art, and very hard to describe). Basically rocking your arched finger while running it along the seam with leave an even seal, without the ridges on the sides of said seal.
5. Do only four seals at a time.
If you put the silicone on all the seams, by the time you get to the last ones, they will have a slightly cured layer over them and look like crap and possibly have small air bubbles in them.

I hope these tips help!

-Aaron

p.s. use very fine beads of silicone, and dont over do it. pressing it into the corners will give you a better seal than a globbed bead not pressed.

 

[Jspigs]

Be very careful while using ge for windows and doors, most of those types of silicone have mold inhibitors. I wouldn't use that stuff if i were you. You really need to get some aquarium silicone to be 100% sure there's no additives that can harm your fish.

ge silicone I window and door is known to be aquarium safe.

It is ge silicone II that is not aquarium safe.

Thanks for the help everyone. I have been busy and still need to finish cleaning off the old silicone so I am not done yet but your tips will no doubt be helpful.