Leaking tank advice needed

You need to clean the whole thing out, take a razor and scrape as much silicone out as you can. Then use 100% silicone on the seams. Let it cure for more than a day.

 

I agree with Adam, scrape out all of the old silicone and put in new...don't worry about breaking down the tank and resetting the glass, etc. Getting a good seal on the silicone on the inside of the tank will make sure that your leaks get fixed.

I've found when cleaning off old silicone, your razor blade will quickly dull and no longer scrape good, so change your blades frequently. Menards has a $0.99 Red Devil plastic razor blade scraper that works great. It's small enough to be agile, but better than holding just the blade. You can buy a large pack of blades (100 I think) for around $5.00 in their wallpaper section. I get my silicone from these guys (http://www.herpsupplies.com/). They have black and clear available. I know you can probably get reef safe stuff from the hardware store, but I feel better about getting the All Glass brand....that way I know it's safe. Take your time and scrape it until you don't see any more of the silicone at all. The last layer of silicone will look like a haze on the glass. Keep at it...it will scrape off with a new blade. Once done, clean it with alcohol so that you have nice, clean glass for good adhesion. It's not worth fixing if you don't do a good job on cleaning the old silicone off as old silicone under the new could lead to a leak if it allows water to seep under it.

I like to use painters tape to help keep the silicone from going past where I want it. I usually do about a 3/8" to 1/2" margin between the glass and the tape, but it's not an exact science...I just eyeball it. Here's an article that shows using masking tape (http://aquamaniacs.net/forum/cms_vi...hp?aid=107). I also use a silicone smoothing tool to keep the silicone smooth and consistent all the way around.

I'm sure you don't need to do all that; for example, you don't have to use masking tape and you can use a wet finger for smoothing the silicone too...whatever you prefer.

All in all, I would prepare to have them in your temporary tank for around a week, at least.

Good luck and post pics!

--AJ

 

sounds like someone is going to have a fun time. It might be a good time to up grade!

 

+1 How big is the tank? It might just be more hassle than it is worth /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default/emoticons/sad.gif

 

If I understood correctly, it's on his display tank which is a 180 I think...definitely worth his time to fix vs. replace. In fact, unless it's a 10 or 20 gallon tank, it's always worth the time to fix. It doesn't take that long....just make sure and do a good job.

--AJ

 

Ha! Not sure how I missed that one! How high are you planning to elevate your base rocks? That's an interesting idea...but it makes sense to get rid of any dead spots on the bottom of your tank...keep detritus moving and suspended.
You would probably want to use really thick rods vs thin ones, right?  It would seem like that would make it more stable and distribute the weight better preventing issues if a rock split and a leg came loose.

--AJ

 

I have resealed many tanks and what Aj has told you is all you need to know. if you need some help from someone who has done this you can call me 319-537-0922 and i would be glad to stop my and help.
Bill

 

AJ- what else does a place like HERP supplies sell?! hahaha

 

Hahaha...nice.  Acyclovir maybe?  Haha
--AJ

 

I hate to ask but, its not an evaporation isue is it?
I have sealed a few tanks just by smearing silicone over the old stuff and plugging the hole. In this case I would not go that route but I have done it.lol
Use 100 % silicone. No acrylic, siliconized, paintible or painters. No mold or fungus resitant.

 

you are probably right about the leak. Sounds like you have a good plan. I am also willing to help out with anything that you need. 319-931-4227 Shaun