Help me with my used aquarium, please.

fishyfish

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 24, 2010
21
0
1
Virginia Beach, VA
I bought an aquarium about 4 years ago that has been nothing but trouble. I have several other tanks but the only one to give me so much grief is my 75 gallon. In an act of final frustration I have broken in down intending to start over with new substrate, etc. Upon close inspection it appears that the bottom has been resealed and I am wondering if the guy that I bought it from used bathroom silicone instead of the right stuff?
My question is: What do I do now? Do I remove this stuff and reseal it, get another tank, or just go with something like a bearded dragon? I would appreciate any and all ideas.

Thanks.:help2:
 

japbart

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Jun 1, 2012
1,140
14
68
Los Angeles
If you have experience resealing tanks (not that they are hard to do) then I say reseal it. I wouldn't reseal a tank cause I wouldn't know what to do. I'll probably look for someone here in the forum to help me and just give them some cash for the help.


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dan197

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Dec 22, 2009
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england
Resealing a tank really isn't that hard a task. All you need is aquarium sealant and a razor blade. Make sure all the sealant is removed completely and make sure the area is dry and then simply apply new sealant and wait for it to dry. I'd recommend checking the forum for some hints and tips but like I mentioned it isn't that difficult. Good Luck!!

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fishyfish

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 24, 2010
21
0
1
Virginia Beach, VA
Thanks so much for the advice. I have resealed a 125 gallon before and then gave it to a friend. It is harder then it looks but you sorta get the hang of it after a while. The person that I gave it to was forewarned that I had repaired it but says that it is holding well after about 3 years of use.

It is hard to believe that the little bit of sealant around the bottom edges would poison so many fish but we think that is what may have happened. The tank would flourish and do great with fish growing and breeding and then it would start to crash and nothing seemed to fix the problem. Water changes helped but did not cure it. I stopped keeping up with the losses after it hit $1000.

It could be something else but everthing else seems fine and the only variable is the reapplied sealant. I HOPE it works!:)
 

SePPii

Dovii
MFK Member
May 21, 2011
3,373
371
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Chesapeake, OH
I just resealed my 265, time consuming but very easy


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Gill Blue

Piranha
MFK Member
Apr 28, 2011
4,072
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michigan
I'm doing my first reseal on my 90G and it's going pretty smoothly. just keep the razor blades out from in between the panes , and use bright light to check that you've removed all the silicone and you'll be fine.
[YT]I3nNJ0PRhB0[/YT]
 

dan197

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Dec 22, 2009
19
0
31
england
I would personally only buy silicone that is designed for aquarium use. If your having difficulties finding it in stores I'm sure you can find it on Amazon or perhaps eBay.

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duanes

MFK Moderators
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Jun 7, 2007
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Isla Taboga Panama via Milwaukee
I use GE 1, have resealed plenty of tanks with it, and never had a problem.
Just make sure its the GE without the mold inhibitor.


tank up and running, you can see the repair on the right side. click on pic below to start the video
 
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