Silicone Question

I bought a 130 gallon tank, stand, hood, etc. off CL. Everything is in good shape.... tank doesn't leak, no chips or scratches.... Pleased with my purchase....

While the tank doesn't leak, the silicone has some ware and tear on it. Edges not straight, discolored slightly.

Should I leave it alone? Put a bead of fresh silicone over it???

Your thoughts???

Mark

 

I probably would leave it. Unless it is bad enough to warrant re sealing it.

Can you post a picture of the silicone? If it is bad enough I would cut the old silicone out, without taking the silicone out of the junction of the panes, and then re seal it with new silicone.

 

If it's not broke don't fix it. I would just leave it be.

 

If you are worried enough clean it up with acetone and reseal over the silicone.

 

I spent the evening cleaning the tank up....

1) For the silicone, I am going to razor it off and reseal it. On closer inspection, it is pealing in places.

2) Refinishing the stand is going to go quicker and easier than I thought... I expected more work, but a little bit of sanding and revarnishing/sealing it and it'll be good to go.

I may have this thing set up this weekend. Get it in place and let it start cycling....

Hehehehe... This is an addictive habit...

M

 

So, what silicone are you using (used)?

Also, any silicone needs to be cured until the vinegar smell goes away, so unless you already got the silicone job done, I wouldn't rush getting it filled with water.

 

I think atleast 48hours youd wait to wait.

 

On the All-Glass Aquarium 100% silicone tube it says it cures in 5 minutes, fully bonds in 24hrs, and has water proof seal in 48 hrs. So I would think that if you don't wait 48 hours you would run into trouble. I have repaired many tanks and re-seamed quite a few of the too, its not hard to do but I have a couple of suggestions that will result in a better job.

Make sure you clean ALL of the old silicone off the glass, new silicone will not stick to the old real well and you could run into trouble. Go out and buy a bunch of razors and use new blades as often as possible to get it as clean as possible. And do not allow the razor to cut between the panes of glass in the corners, this will weaken the bond and even though you have reapplied the silicone in the corners it could possibly split. Allot of the strength come from the silicone that is used to glue the two panels together.

If you want really clean corners use painters tape in the corners to straighten out your edges. put it about 1\4" or 3\8" out from the corner, then when applying the silicone smooth it out trying not to get too much on the tape. Then carefully pull the tape off before the silicone skins over and you should have a nice clean edge.