Resealing a tank

V

Victor

AC Members
Jun 21, 2005
171
0
0
Vancouver
www.canuckshq.com
i just picked up a used 55 gallon today. I want to reseal it. I'm thinking that I scrape off all the old silicone and the running a new line of silicone on it.

Is there anything I should know or watch out for being doing this? I know it'll take a long time, but hey, it'll be worth it (i hope)
 
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59589

There's another thread on the same topic..



I'm personally interested, I have a leaking 72g tank that I'd like to reseal.. I'd like to see something really definitive on the matter, rather than deal with a few gallons of water in the family room again...


anyone offer any assistance or links to a guide somewhere ?
 
If it's leaking, make sure it's the sealing. If you are sure it's not a hairline crack anywhere, then there is no harm in resealing a tank. Personally i wouldn't scrape off all of the original silicone. It should adhere to that as well as the glass. Just make sure you scrape some off to get the existing aquarium gunk off of it.

If it's the glass leaking... that's another story. Depending on the location and condition, you can either silicone it, get a repair piece of glass, or dump the tank.
 
my husband just resealed a 20g tank with succes ..he just put it on the floor took off all the old stuff on the inside .. scraped it off .. then just ran aquarium safe silicone all along the inside .. he used rubber gloves ..like the cheap ones you can get at a drug store and it worked good ..and just wait the 48 hrs before putting water in it .. and we havent had a problem .. if it was just recently filled there might still be some water in the bottom frame of the tank .. that might leak out when you go to fill it .. just from the pressure of the water being in it . dont worry about it .. just keep an eye on it ..if there is a lil water then dont worry .,. alot of water then you didnt seal it enough .. and when you first add water just fill about 1/4 of the way and watch to see if there is leaks .. then add more and more if no leaks .. better that way then ging through filling the whole thing then haveing to drain it ..

good luck .. ya shouldnt have a problem ..

Marn
 
Thanks, I'm going to pluck up some courage, search out some time and give it a go..
 
I got a 45 gal that needed resealed in the corner and all i did was scraped the old stuff off half way up and half way across the side and back. I got most of the old stuff off but couldn't get it all but i resealed it and didn't have a problem wasn't very hard. Once i put the sealant on i used a plastic bag to push it into the corners really well and then let it dry for 24 hours before i pulled the bag off and it came off really easy. I would advise to let it dry for a good 48 hours to 5-7 days just to make sure it dries all the way. Once you have let it dry completley i would fil the tank up to where the leak was before wait a day and make sure it doesn't leak and then fill the tank all the way full just to make sure with all the pressure it doesn't cause it to leak. After that you should be good to fill it up and put it back in your living room. Mine has been set up for a good two months and have had no problems with leaking. Knock on wood!!
 
how long after filling it the first time after sealing do you wait to see if there are still leaks. Should it happen immediatly or does it take a while? I let mine sit for about 15 minutes and there were not any leaks. Should i fill it again and leave it for a couple of hours? (more?)

Thanks,
Janell
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom