Leaking tank please help
- Thread starter Rtc/tsn
- Start date
This is great info. I didn't know you needed to use a silicone adhesive for the direct contact seems. Thanks for sharing.
?? being a teenager that keeps fish. There’s a lot of times where it’s better for me to go off of what I know instead of what they think.
That’s best used as a silicone sealant, not for “gluing” together glass panes of 55g aquarium.
You have to buy one of these for building an aquarium, like what you are doing by attaching glass panes together
1) Momentive RTV108 silicone adhesive
2) GE SCS1200
GE 1200 Series Construction Silicone Sealant - Clear: Thread Sealants: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
GE 1200 Series Construction Silicone Sealant - Clear: Thread Sealants: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
www.amazon.com
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While I agree on the adhesive vs sealant point, I would actually argue that the standard ge silicone 1 is adequate for a 55 gallon tank. I've used it to build successful 75 gallon and smaller tanks in the past.
I cant speak for rtv100, but I have used scs1200, and will say that it is a much more difficult silicone to work with than the ge1. It cures very fast, which could be bad for a novice builder.
So you suggest I do use what I have to rebuild? It’s also what a guy at the pet store said to go buy from Walmart
The Silicone I is the product I have been using for many years for both sealing and assembling tanks. When I was a youngster I worked for a local fellow who built aquariums commercially, and that is we ever used, although I seem to recall that the product had a slightly different name at that time. I recall him contacting GE at one point to confirm that the formulation had not changed when the name did. The largest tanks that I personally did were 108-gallons...72x18x18 inches...and Silicone I was more than adequate for both adhesion and sealing.
BUT...the glass typically used was much thicker than that commonly seen today. Thicker glass = a wider seam, much greater contact where one piece butts up against another. None of those tanks had any kind of bracing, and didn't need any. Now that glass is always just thick enough, perhaps the stronger adhesion offered by the newer products is necessary; it's certainly desirable.
Never touched the newer stuff, but if it cures faster then it will indeed be a tougher job for a beginner to do. Make sure you have plenty of braces, weights, jigs, etc. to help hold the pieces in place as you work.
Something we may have forgotten to mention: once you start, the clock is ticking and you can't stop for a break...or to post on MFK...you must get the job done in one smooth, quick step.
BUT...the glass typically used was much thicker than that commonly seen today. Thicker glass = a wider seam, much greater contact where one piece butts up against another. None of those tanks had any kind of bracing, and didn't need any. Now that glass is always just thick enough, perhaps the stronger adhesion offered by the newer products is necessary; it's certainly desirable.
Never touched the newer stuff, but if it cures faster then it will indeed be a tougher job for a beginner to do. Make sure you have plenty of braces, weights, jigs, etc. to help hold the pieces in place as you work.
Something we may have forgotten to mention: once you start, the clock is ticking and you can't stop for a break...or to post on MFK...you must get the job done in one smooth, quick step.
