Hi everyone,
I purchased an older 75 gallon aquarium used off of Kijiji awhile back that has 3/4" panels. Overall the tank is in good shape, it is braced top and bottom along with a center brace which is surprising for the thickness of the glass. The inner seams holding the glass together are also in good shape. No air bubbles, stretching etc., however the outer seams were beginning to dissolve. Since I was doing a complete build, drilled etc., I decided to re-due the outer seals at the same time to ensure the tank lasts for the length of time I plan to own it.. Anyways, after I was finished and the silicone cured, I noticed that there were several spots that have pockets at the joint of the two panes of glass (if any, not more than one a joint), almost like a large air bubble once the silicone had cured. I'm assuming there might have been residual silicone left from when I removed the old silicone, and the new silicone did not adhere once cured and lifted from the joint.
When resealing the aquarium, I applied a significant bead since it isn't a show tank and I was going for longevity. At the time, I inspected the pockets and made sure there was still a significant barrier of silicone between the outer seam and inner seams. Basically, I wasn't concerned with the 3-4 pockets and filled the aquarium.
My aquarium has been running for roughly 4 months now, no leaks. However, just the other day I noticed what looks to be water beads in one of the voids? I'm assuming there isn't a leak between the outer seam and inner seam and it is actually condensation from the aquarium being 82 and the house 74?
My question is, should this be a concern? It originally wasn't even a thought or else I would have redone the job. However, now that I see some signs of potential water I'm curious.. I'm hoping to receive input from people that are experienced in building/re-sealing aquariums. In my opinion, I find people are overly cautious with aquariums thinking they're more fragile then they actually are..
fyi, the bubbles that look like they appear on the inner seam are actually dried water droplets from a water change..
I purchased an older 75 gallon aquarium used off of Kijiji awhile back that has 3/4" panels. Overall the tank is in good shape, it is braced top and bottom along with a center brace which is surprising for the thickness of the glass. The inner seams holding the glass together are also in good shape. No air bubbles, stretching etc., however the outer seams were beginning to dissolve. Since I was doing a complete build, drilled etc., I decided to re-due the outer seals at the same time to ensure the tank lasts for the length of time I plan to own it.. Anyways, after I was finished and the silicone cured, I noticed that there were several spots that have pockets at the joint of the two panes of glass (if any, not more than one a joint), almost like a large air bubble once the silicone had cured. I'm assuming there might have been residual silicone left from when I removed the old silicone, and the new silicone did not adhere once cured and lifted from the joint.
When resealing the aquarium, I applied a significant bead since it isn't a show tank and I was going for longevity. At the time, I inspected the pockets and made sure there was still a significant barrier of silicone between the outer seam and inner seams. Basically, I wasn't concerned with the 3-4 pockets and filled the aquarium.
My aquarium has been running for roughly 4 months now, no leaks. However, just the other day I noticed what looks to be water beads in one of the voids? I'm assuming there isn't a leak between the outer seam and inner seam and it is actually condensation from the aquarium being 82 and the house 74?
My question is, should this be a concern? It originally wasn't even a thought or else I would have redone the job. However, now that I see some signs of potential water I'm curious.. I'm hoping to receive input from people that are experienced in building/re-sealing aquariums. In my opinion, I find people are overly cautious with aquariums thinking they're more fragile then they actually are..
fyi, the bubbles that look like they appear on the inner seam are actually dried water droplets from a water change..
