Re-sealing an old tank - what's the process?

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Finley

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Oct 22, 2007
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Sydney, Australia
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Hi

I have an old 2' fish tank which I know has a slight leak due to poor quality silicone used when it was made...

Is it possible to re-seal this tank so that it can be safely used again? If so, what are the "Idiot's guide" instructions please?

Thanks :)
 
Yes, it can be resealed. What you need to do is get a razor blade and scrape off all the old silicon (the entire tank, not just that part since it IS leaking). Next clean off all the glass so that the silicon will adhere propertly. Then I usually use painter's tape so that I get nice clean lines with my silicon. After all this, get a tube of GE1 silicone (you can find it at lowes, home depot, walmart) and silicon it. I will add that the silicon does start to setup rather quickly so just do a small section at a time. Good luck.
 
Yup, I resealed my hex tank. Wasn't fun, resealing a 6-sided tall tank that I could barely reach the bottom of, but I did it.

Follow subtluxt7's instructions, Make sure you only get the GE silicone 1, other stuff has a mildew inhibitor that is generally assumed to be unsafe for fish (I don't recall if that was ever verified or not). I think you can clean the tank with vinegar.
 
There are two types of GE Silicone I - windows and doors, and kitchen and bath. The kitchen and bath has the "biocide" or whatever in it, the window and door stuff does not. Make sure you get the one without. They are both Silicone I.

After scraping the silicone out, I use rubbing alcohol to clean the glass before applying the new stuff.
 
Actually, 'Kitchen and Bath' is Silicone II.
 
funny that this post arrived......I just came across a FREE 250 gallon aquarium thats needs to be resealed on craigslist!!!!!! Do you need to silicon the outside as well when you do the inside? thanks for the help
 
JohnnyD44 said:
funny that this post arrived......I just came across a FREE 250 gallon aquarium thats needs to be resealed on craigslist!!!!!! Do you need to silicon the outside as well when you do the inside? thanks for the help
Click to expand...
No just the inside of the tank and don't seperate the panes of glass.
 
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GE's website lists both Silicone I and II in door/window and kitchen/bath options...both kitchen/bath types have the bioseal.
 
Sploke is right- you can get GE Silicone I and Silicone II in both "Window and Door" and "Kitchen and Bath" varieties. Silicone I is a bit sturdier than II and seems to adhere better. I also recall hearing that both varieties of Silicone II have antifungals; can anyone confirm or deny this?
 
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