resealing 180

[tank90]

I just picked up a 180 gallon aquarium, pre drilled with built in overflow dirt cheap, but I think it need so be taken apart and resealed. I did an online search for step by step process of doing this but came up with nothing. Does anyone know of any links, or point me in the right direction?

Thanks a lot,

Chris.

 

[koliveira]

You can try resealing the inside of the tank without breaking the individual panes apart to reseal completely. Take a razor blade and scrape every single bit of silicon off of the inside of your tank. Try not to get the blade between the panes or you'll have to disassemble the whole tank. After thats done take some Acetone and clean the joints of any residue, oils, or dirt/grime. Then take some aquarium safe silicon(100% silicon, no additives to prevent mildew etc). Lay out a 1/4" bead of silicon around all the joints, take you finger and smooth the bead into the corners and joints. Try not to displace too much of the silicon, all you want is to create a nice seal but there should still be a fair amount of silicon left, simulate what is in the tank already if that description is confusing. Let the Silicon dry for a minimum of 48 hours, and 72-96 hours is better. You want the silicon to be completely cured before adding water, waiting as much as a week wouldnt be a bad idea either

 

[gomezladdams]

Id add to that after scraping as good as you can scrub the corners with a piece of scotchbrite.and wear gloves when smoothing the silicone

 

[thatonegirl]

And test the seals outside when you're done, just in case. LOL

 

[TankBuster]

http://garf.com/ check this site out, pretty cool for building or sealing tanks.

 

[tank90]

thanks everyone, I dont know how ( if there is even a way ) to tell what the integrity of the seams are, I am almost tempted to take it apart and make it like new instead of worring about it bursting at the seams. Is there a way to tell. I bought it off a buddy that got it from a lfs. The center brace is busted ( I have plenty of replacement glass ) and he said they replaced the tank with a new one and he was not sure if it leaked or not. I am assuming that it leaks is why they replaced it, either that or they didden't want to bother to fix it. I got the 180 and a 40 for 70 bucks so I figured i couldent go wrong, also the 180 is drilled on the bottom and back, and has a overflow built in....

 

[gomezladdams]

If the center is broke/missing check the upper frame corners for separation theres a good method for repairing the frame in the diy section

 

[MikeVance]

thanks everyone, I dont know how ( if there is even a way ) to tell what the integrity of the seams are, I am almost tempted to take it apart and make it like new instead of worring about it bursting at the seams. Is there a way to tell. I bought it off a buddy that got it from a lfs. The center brace is busted ( I have plenty of replacement glass ) and he said they replaced the tank with a new one and he was not sure if it leaked or not. I am assuming that it leaks is why they replaced it, either that or they didden't want to bother to fix it. I got the 180 and a 40 for 70 bucks so I figured i couldent go wrong, also the 180 is drilled on the bottom and back, and has a overflow built in....

180 gallons is alot of water to have all over the livingroom
I would definately pull it totally apart & fix that center support. Good Deal on the tank!