Resiliconing a 125 Gallon Tank

cichlidsickness

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 25, 2011
371
96
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Ceres, CA
Hello fellow MFK DIYers,

I have a bit of a dilemma here. I went to check out a 125 gallon aquarium yesterday for a really good price. Problem is, the inside of the tank is not lined with silicone. In fact, it looks as if someone did a super great job taking it off, or it has never been lined with silicone before. The guy made no mention of this, and when I mentioned it to him he told me that he used to have the tank filled with water with no problems. He was iffy on filling it up for me because "were in a drought and water prices are high" lol yea right.


Anyways, the glass panels are siliconed together, its only missing the inside silicone lining. I have never siliconed an aquarium before. Here comes my question....Is this an easy repair?

I was watching this youtube link and was wondering if this is all I would need to do to get this tank up and running (the first half of the video is peeling the old silicone off, so you can skip this).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3nNJ0PRhB0

Should I pass up this great price, or go ahead and resilicone the inside using the method in this youtube video?
 

fishguy306

Peacock Bass
Community Vendor
MFK Member
Oct 24, 2005
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The silicone in the corners is not there for support nor to keep the water in the tank. It's sole purpose is to protect the silicone between the panels of glass. A tank will hold water just fine without the corner silicone.

Now that said, it is not very common to see a tank made without the corner silicone. If someone previously removed it I would not trust the bead between the glass as the two would have dried together. Removing the corner silicon may have pulled or damaged the silicone between the glass.

I would try to get a good look at the seams. If you can be 100% sure that there was never any silicon in the corner I would have an easier time trusting the tank. If you see signs of old silicon I would not trust it without resealing it, and by resealing I do not mean like in the video above. That will not provide any support. It would need to come 100% apart and be rebuilt with good silicone, not GE I or II. But that is just me. I know many people disagree, but then again it seems many people are much more willing to have 125 gallons of water on their (or their parents) floors than I am.
 

cichlidsickness

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 25, 2011
371
96
46
Ceres, CA
Well, I've learned something new today. I was assuming that the inside lining of silicone was used to help support the tank and to help keep the water in the tank. The inside seams didn't look like they were cut with a razor blade, they just looked like the silicone was never applied (I could be wrong). When I felt the little bit of silicone between the glass panels it didn't feel old and dried out, it still felt rubbery so that's a good sign.

So now I have a couple more questions. Can I have him fill this tank up to the top without the inside seam to check for any leaks? Is this a sufficient test?
 

fishguy306

Peacock Bass
Community Vendor
MFK Member
Oct 24, 2005
1,161
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Illinois
It is very possible the tank was built without the silicon in the corners. You dont see it too often but it doesnt hurt the strength of the tank at all, its just nice to have a bit of extra protection from fish nipping at your silicon, rocks, wood or whatever hitting it.

Is it a homemade tank? Does it have the trim around the top and bottom? You can ask him to fill it, however the issue is that damage to silicone may not be apparent in that short of a time. Give it a good look, check to see if it is even between the glass all the way around, not dried out anywhere, no large bubbles or anything and you should be fine. I would push him to fill it for you, but dont have that be the only way you check for flaws.
 

cichlidsickness

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 25, 2011
371
96
46
Ceres, CA
The tank has the trim as well as the center glass brace on the top. It doesn't look home made, the only thing that threw me off was the inside not having the siliconed corners because I have never seen a tank without it. I'm glad you say that the tank could have possibly been built that way because the tank looks to be in good shape besides that issue. When I go to buy it I'll make sure to check each seam for all of the above mentioned. If it passes my inspection as well as the leak test, I'm going to bring it home and add that inside silicone lining. Fingers crossed at this point!
 

coolkeith

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 1, 2005
403
10
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Detroit
Water rates in Ceres is $1 dollar per 1000 gallons. So just give the guy the 13 cents it costs to fill up the tank and tell him to keep the change.
Edit: I see water rates went up recently. So you should give him 17 cents instead.
 

poppalina

Gambusia
MFK Member
Sep 26, 2010
669
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Boston
I would use it as a bargaining chip, if he fills it you pay one price and if he doesn't offer a lot less. You may actually end up getting a better deal if he doesn't fill it. Just check it really good so you know what your getting.
 

cichlidsickness

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 25, 2011
371
96
46
Ceres, CA
Lol that's what im saying, water prices aren't that high so I feel like he's either being lazy or trying to swindle someone cause I know he doesn't care about the drought lol. I won't buy unless he let's me fill it up.

Sent from my LG-MS770 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 

cichlidsickness

Candiru
MFK Member
Nov 25, 2011
371
96
46
Ceres, CA
I bought the tank today and am very satisfied. Nice clear glass, tank stand, emperor 400, undergravel filter with 2 powerheads, natural looking aquarium gravel, air pump, and a light that needs a little maintenance. All for 120 bucks. I'll post pics when I get it up and going.

Thank you all for your help, it is much appreciated!

Sent from my LG-MS770 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
 
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