Leaking tank help

[Good_Times]

OK so my 150L glass tank is leaking as we speak and i'm gonna remove the inhabitants to a plastic tub.

My question is should I just cut out the part of silicone where the leak is or should I remove the hole strip? There is about 3 or 4 leaks.

Also now that I have to empty my tank is there anything I can do to remove my Black Beard Algae infestation?

Any advice much appreciated

 

[Mr.Catfish]

You will have to remove all the silicone inside the tank. Here this might help.
[video=youtube;qiKhaq4pSp8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiKhaq4pSp8[/video]

 

[Good_Times]

Thanx mate. Think i'm gonna remove just the strip where the leaks is bcoz there pretty close together, then i'll do a test and if it fails i'll re-seal everything.
Also my tank stand is slightly of balance, could that be a problem?

 

[isde02]

Remember fresh silicon doesn't bond to old silicon.

 

[joe jaskot]

If you are going to reseal a tank, you might as well do it the right way. Remove all the old silicone, wipe down with acetone, and then reseal with an aquarium safe silicone. Level the tank before refilling.

 

[Good_Times]

Why would I need to wipe it with acetone, isn't it poisonous ?

 

[C L O W N K N I F E]

Why would I need to wipe it with acetone, isn't it poisonous ?

You don't have to wipe it with acetone after you remove all the old sealant, its just recommended to remove any residue and other foreign material. Usually the razor does a good job of removing any leftover residue though.

I would also suggest you reseal the whole tank because fresh silicone doesn't bond to old & later down the road, you'll just have another leaky tank probably.

& its also a good idea to use some kind of tape like painters tape so your seal job turns out looking professional...totally up to you though

 

[Good_Times]

Thanx bud, always used the tape for spray painting but never thought of using it for silicone.

So let me get this right, you're saying I should remove all 8 lines of silicone to fix a small leak.
Don't get me wrong I'm a supporter of doing things properly but this seems like re-upholstering a couch because a drink was spilled on it.

 

[Theseabean]

I tried just resealing a spot on a smaller tank and it didn't work out. like 2 weeks later I had a bigger leak. I would fix the WHOLE seal now

 

[Mr.Catfish]

Yes, you will have to remove all 8 seams. As said before new silicone will not bond to old silicone for very long. You will be just wasting time just trying to fix that small area. The silicone may hold for a week or two and then you will have another.Trust me,I have been given numerous tanks because someone tried repairing a leak several times by just resealing the area were the leak was. New silicone will not bond to old silicone!