I took a risk. 425 craigslist rebuild
- Thread starter OTp1144
- Start date
Sweet. Time to start all over.
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I have been resealing fish tanks for many many years and the first 5 years I used the aquarium stuff they sell at the big pet stores, until the owner of a LFS told me about GE1.. I gave it a try and loved it, I have sealed at least 50 tanks with it and never had a problem or leak with it!!!
However a few weeks ago I used this rtv103 on a tank for the first time, while I will say I have never seen a silicone as strong as this stuff or one that sticks to glass as well as this I will never use it again!!! It sticks so well you can hardly scrape it off the glass with a razor blade, and it is so strong I had a paper thin piece I scraped off the glass and tried to pull it to break it and it pulled a good 8 to 10 inches before it broke... But the really bad side to it is I was only doing a little 40 gallon tank with it and by the time I layed a bead all the way around the tank it was already skinning over, by the time I tried to smooth it out with my finger 1/2 way around the tank it started pulling off the tank because it was already so hard!!!
If you was using it on a real small tank it may be ok but it just dries way too fast to use on bigger fish tanks!!! I have not done a water test on the tank yet but I am pretty sure I will have to strip the 103 off and reseal the tank again because the back seem looks like crap from the way it was pulling up while I was trying to smooth it out, and from the time I started to finish could not have been more then 3 minutes!!!
Good luck with it buddy I hope it works out for you, But I would move really fast with it if I was you!!!
3 coats of RTV 108. Covered all the screws as well as adding it to the threads of the screws themselves. Hope I never intended to take this apart. 
Next up after waiting 24 hours, turn it up right, tack the center brace and get working on how to filter it while waiting for it to cure.
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Next up after waiting 24 hours, turn it up right, tack the center brace and get working on how to filter it while waiting for it to cure.
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3 coats of RTV 108. Covered all the screws as well as adding it to the threads of the screws themselves. Hope I never intended to take this apart.
View attachment 1048073
Next up after waiting 24 hours, turn it up right, tack the center brace and get working on how to filter it while waiting for it to cure.
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Looking good.. I can't wait to see it all done and set up!! So what did you think about that silicone, did you have any problems with it skinning over on you??
Actually I didn't. I did one side at a time and I had plenty of time to smooth it down. I did however notice when I ran out of silicone and had to switch tubes, the old stuff was starting to harden by the time I got to it.
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Well that is good, glad it worked out for you.. And that stuff is awesome you could run that tank over with a bus and t he window will still be attached to the wood!! LOL... If they could make that stuff have 5 to 10 minutes longer work time it would be the greatest stuff ever invented!!!
I totally agree. Oh and I also saw what you meant that once it's on...it's on! I got some on the wood as it fell out of the tube accidentally, and well.... It's not going anywhere. I tried. I still have some under my fingernails and cuticles. I've washed my hands so much I feel like I have ocd. Still there. Lol
On another note, the wife insisted we redo the entire inside of the tank. So... What's the recommendation on sealant for the wood itself? Marine grade sealant? Pool paint?
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Also quick update. Finally got it upright again.
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Well that is a real good thing if you could not pull it off the wood, because I know it sticks to glass better then anything I have ever seen but I was not sure how it would do on wood!!! I still have some on my hand from 3 weeks ago so get use to it.. LOL, I even used paint thinner to take it off and that didn't work!!
As for sealing the whole inside there are 2 different things you could use for it, Max ARC EPOXY RESIN if you go to ebay and put in this # 310075939459 you will find it or you could just use pond armor. IMO I think the Max ARC is better but they both work great!!
Thanks! I feel like pond armor might be a bit easier to work with and find, but I haven't checked anywhere yet, so we will see.
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