Hi. I have a 125 gallon tank that started leaking late June. I was thinking of buying three 3 oz tubes of AqueonTen gallons, in an aquarium, translates to a very small and inexpensive-to-replace tank.
Ten gallons soaking into your carpet or hardwood floor is a whole different critter.
You could carefully inspect all the seams to see if one of them has begun to give way. If not, you would then need to carefully scrape every bit of the interior bead off the glass...all of it, all the way around...and then apply a new bead. If the actual seam has let loose, you would need to complete dismantle the thing, scrape off every last bit of silicone, and then rebuild. The current fish would need alternate housing for at least a couple of days while you mess around with this. If this is your first attempt at silicone work, you will end up with a tank that should hold water...and it will look like your first attempt at silicone work.
Honestly, the only benefit to this that I can see is the experience gained in working with silicone and glass. If all you want is a nice tank that holds water, just get a new one. The time you save can be better spent enjoying your daughter's fish with her.
Ten gallons, in an aquarium, translates to a very small and inexpensive-to-replace tank.
Ten gallons soaking into your carpet or hardwood floor is a whole different critter.
You could carefully inspect all the seams to see if one of them has begun to give way. If not, you would then need to carefully scrape every bit of the interior bead off the glass...all of it, all the way around...and then apply a new bead. If the actual seam has let loose, you would need to complete dismantle the thing, scrape off every last bit of silicone, and then rebuild. The current fish would need alternate housing for at least a couple of days while you mess around with this. If this is your first attempt at silicone work, you will end up with a tank that should hold water...and it will look like your first attempt at silicone work.
Honestly, the only benefit to this that I can see is the experience gained in working with silicone and glass. If all you want is a nice tank that holds water, just get a new one. The time you save can be better spent enjoying your daughter's fish with her.
...then I'd say no. Get plenty of extra silicone; it has a very long shelf life, has many other uses in the hobby, and even a partially-used tube, if carefully sealed at the end, will usually still be useful at a later date. Well, the actual volume of silicone in three tubes...I'm talking standard 300ml caulking-gun tubes...is enough to adhere and seal that much glass. But when you consider the extra that will squeeze out and end up being wiped off/discarded/wasted...especially if you are new to this wonderful gooey mess of a project
Two more comments. First: Check the best-before date on the tubes you buy. They're good for a couple years, but I have accidentally purchased tubes that were already expired on the store shelf. Didn't notice until after the job was complete, and never had a problem, but why risk it? Buy fresh.
And second: I am guessing that Aqueon silicone...like any other hardware product that is re-branded for aquarium use...is probably stupidly expensive. Just go the the hardware superstore and get clear GE Silicone I; it's been used for this purpose for decades and works beautifully, and will probably be cheaper than the Aqueon-branded stuff (which is likely the identical stuff). Don't get Silicone II. And don't fret when you read on the tube that Silicone I is not for continuous underwater use, or for aquariums. The product hasn't changed, but the labelling has, probably for some obscure liability reason. The product still works as perfectly as it always has. Make sure you have excellent ventilation, as the acetic acid fumes from a larger project can become irritating otherwise.
Take your time, be thorough in removing all old silicone before starting as new silicone won't bond properly to old. Clean the glass thoroughly, have lots of paper towels on hand, and make sure that you have everything ready before you start. Don't sweat it if you get the occasional smudge or dab of silicone in unwanted spots on the glass, it'll be easy to remove with a razor blade after it cures. Once you begin sealing the pieces together, you can't stop for a break; the entire box must be built in one shot, so that there is no point where the silicone begins to cure before you add more.
Good luck!
