Well after reading the last couple posts I will be doing glass and some research for what's gonna be best to seal it with. Is there anything that isn't black? Preferably blue? This will be a flowerhorn tank
First attempt
- Thread starter specialized002
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specialized002;3803281; said:My question is, can/should i silicone the corners before I seal it up? Will this be good or bad and why?
Bad idea because basically no sealers used in plywood aquaria can be applied over cured silicone. Well they can be applied over it but they won't stick to it.
Just to clarify, just because silicone will stick to cured epoxy, for example, does not mean that epoxy will stick to cured silicone. In fact it won't.
The one possible exception to this is polyurea. One of the plywood builds in the sticky thread did this. No idea if it's still holding water or not.
You can put down a polyurethane based caulk and then seal over that, but make sure the caulk is completely cured. In the case of moisture cured polyurethane adhesives, this can take weeks.
Some people put down a fillet of bondo (which is thickened polyester) or thickended epoxy in the corners before sealing. Garhog is the most recent to do this, I believe.
But silicone? No. Bad idea.
Ok, Thanks!!! You just answered what I was looking for. Just to clarify though, I can seal the inside of the tank and then when I put the glass in I can silicone it because the silicone will stick to the epoxy? Bondo? Never thought of that, just regular car body bondo? Thanks again for all your guys's help!!
specialized002;3808986; said:Ok, Thanks!!! You just answered what I was looking for. Just to clarify though, I can seal the inside of the tank and then when I put the glass in I can silicone it because the silicone will stick to the epoxy? Bondo? Never thought of that, just regular car body bondo? Thanks again for all your guys's help!!
Yes, you can silicone glass to a cured epoxy or polyester coating. The bond is more than sufficient for the glass to hold.
If you used a rubberized sealant then you may have to try a different approach as silicone is said to have a poor bond.
But I think there was one thread where somebody used silicone. Poster name was Joey or something like that and the title "Trying a new waterproofing rubber" or something similar. I'll see if I can find a link.
Yes, just regular automotive Bondo or really any auto body filler.
I prefer thickened epoxy over Bondo, however.
Ok, that will be great. Just had to drop $500 on my effin car so tank might be put on a little hold. We'll see though as the materials have been FREE so far. The epoxy and everything else will be bought but the wood materials is no charge...haha
specialized002;3810068; said:Ok, that will be great. Just had to drop $500 on my effin car so tank might be put on a little hold. We'll see though as the materials have been FREE so far. The epoxy and everything else will be bought but the wood materials is no charge...haha
I found both of Joey's threads this morning and was starting to re-read them but then got distracted. Don't have them in cache anymore.
His user name is Joey with some numbers after it. Something like Joey020234. Title was "Trying a new waterproofing rubber" and then he links to his build thread.
I'm positive in one of his posts he mentions silicone sticking to the Liquid Rubber. At least good enough to seal his window.
I would find the threads and read them yourself. Some good info for sure.
Ok, so I'm sanding the tank down tomorrow, and would like to know what would be the best size and type of wood screws to use? 3/4" plywood is what I used. Would it be safe to paint the inside of the tank after it's been water proofed or is there a blue backround waterproofer that I can use? Again, tank is for a flowerhorn and I don't want him to lose color b/c of the black backround. Thanks again guys!
There is a sticky or 2 at the top of the DIY section with several builds, you might want to read through some of those for ideas/answers.
Here is Joey's build. And yes, he did use Silicone to seal his viewing window and said it stuck fine to the liquid rubber. I have heard that over time the silicone will degrade the liquid rubber. I am planning on a build that will have a silicone cushion on the front of the window and will use the liquid rubber as the primary seal.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236174
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236174
