Got leak((( please help with sealant

Got leak today and all life stock in the middle of the room. So tank has been drained and vac also. Old sealant got leak what is the best to fix it? Any stuff from homedepot or it need to be special stuff?

 

Aquarium silicone if its glass. I've heard GE Silicone ll but I know it specifically says on the tube not for aquariums. Hopefully someone with actual experience will chime in and give you a step by step.

 

Doesn't the II have the bioseal? It's the mildew resistant one you shouldn't use.

 

I'm not positive, I do know for a fact that both l and ll say not for aquarium use. I don't know if it is just a liability thing but it says "not for use below waterline, where FDA compliance is necessary, or aquarium." I did not see bioseal anywhere. I have a tube right here in my truck. (Use it all the time. For work)

A lfs tried to sell this to me before. I asked for Aqueon aquarium silicone and he said this was the same. I passed.

I would go to your lfs and get Aqueon aquarium silicone. I would say its just safer than taking a chance with something else that's not for certain.

 

You will not be able to fix a leak without first stripping all the old silicone/residue off first.Not an easy task.New silicone will not stick to cured silicone so stripping of the entire tank would be necessary to ensure no more leaks occur.My advice would be to start looking for a new tank.
You can try fixing it with a larger bead on the leaking panel but I would be very nervous about the long term effectiveness of that sort of "repair".

http://www.homedepot.com/p/DAP-2-8-oz-Silicone-Aquarium-Sealant-00688/100128841
Here's an idea of what you face as far as repairing the tank.
From the Fish Channel.-

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/healthy-aquariums/fixing-a-leaking-aquarium.aspx

 

Ya, most products will say they are not aquarium safe, not because of legal issues, but because it has not be tested for such. If you make a claim something is "blank", then according to FDA regulations, you better have studies to document this. Doesn't mean something is unnecessarily unsafe, it just hasn't been tested.

I'm going to call them. I'm not seeing a whole lot of their MSDS comparison and both seem to have mildew resistant documented on the side..... which I thought only one did "once upon a time".

 

I just used some of GE's "regular" 100% silicone (GE-55) to silicone the baffles in my sump. It does not have the "not for use on aquariums" statement. It says it is excellent for marine conditions above the water line. Obviously baffles are much different than the tank itself though.

 

So if it didn't say that the FDA would go after them, then it would be a legal issue.
Thanks for enlightening me.
I think personally I would not use anything except "aquarium silicone" on my dt. That's just my personal opinion. I'm not saying anything else won't work it's just to many ? with anything else.

 

any 100% RTV type silicone will work. If going clear, make sure it is 100% silicone. NOw, to fix your tank, you MUST carefully remove all silicone except that which lies between teh panes. you can leave that or if you want to remove the panel that leaked, it is adviseable to do that. With a new razor, remove all of the silicone in all of the corners and the bottom. what I like to do is make a clean cut on on teh pane that overlaps down to the other pane, then scrape to that line so you dont harm the silicone between the pane edges. (basically cut ont eh pane that has its edge touching the end of the inside of the other pane)

if it has a plastic rim on the top, carefully remove that. or cut the silicone as close to it as possible.

once you ahve all of this removed it should look perfectly clear, no smudges. clean up any residual silicone with mineral spirits.


now that you have all silicone off inside the tank (except between panels) get some blue masking tape and tape off the panels leaving 1/4 between tape and the corner. this helps you get a perfectly straight edge. start and put a bead around the bottom. then do each corner. Smooth each bead with your finger to make a nice edge.

i replaced an end panel on a 225 a few years ago and I removed all of the inside silicone before putting the new panel back in. this worked like a charm and the tank held water perfectly. yes, it can be labor intensive. take your time and do it right.

 

Thanks guys for re. I watched video on yuotube how to reseal tank, like you sayd remove all seal from inside (it was scraiped) then wipe with aceton and I used Aqueon brand silicon to put new seal. It says wait for 48 hour before fill tank so in my was 32 hr because my life stock start fill bad and ammonia come up one body die (6line wrasse). Like Vinny said spoke today with guy from fish store and he said for 15 years no good result to fix tank this way, if water between glass it will leak in future, I agree and start looking for new tank. It not leak for now and circulation water go back but I fill not shure it gonna happen again. Around $500 120 gal in local stores asking it is ok price?