Tank Resealing Question

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
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BrightSun

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 3, 2010
20
0
0
Shelton, WA
We started the task of resealing the 135 gallon tank today. The guy said it never leaked in the five years he had it, and indeed it had water in it with no issues when we went to pick it up. By the time we got it home (45 minute freeway drive in the back of a truck) it was leaking out of one corner, just a tiny bit of the leftover water but enough to scare us. Good thing we had no plans to stock it right away!

Today, armed with a razor blade, rubbing alcohol, butter knife, and cotton balls, we went to work scraping it. We got all of the silicone off, but even with razoring repeatedly and cleaning with the rubbing alcohol and cotton balls, the residue won't all come off.

My question is, is it imperative that we remove all of this residue from where the seals were? We're going to be sealing in the exact same spot with the GE Silicon II Kitchen and Bath that we bought for the purpose (apparently they don't sell the Silicone I here anymore??), so will this very minute residue interfere with the new seal? I imagine not, but thought I'd ask because the last thing we want is to seal it all up and still have it leak.


Any thoughts are appreciated.
 
Has to be clean as a whistle, also don't use silcone II, use silicone I keep looking its out there. Are you resealing just the inside or did you disassemble the whole tank?
 
I'm seeing mixed reviews on the Silicone II, some say it is toxic for fish, and others say that it's fine as long as it fully cures (48+ hours) with no water in it. This won't have water in it for weeks.

We are only resealing the inside of the tank.
 
To remove the remaining old silicone residue, it's important to use a NEW razor blade and hold it at a 45 degree angle to the glass surface. This allows you to get that thin skin of silicone off.

No reason to use the cotton balls. Try an old t-shirt or cotton rag. When used dry, it helps spot any remaining silicone particles. Also, a very bright light held at an angle lets you see any spots you missed.

No reason to use paint thinner in the tank. I prefer denatured alcohol for final cleanup but others have had good results with rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner.

I prefer to use a silicone without any mildewcides.
 
Thanks for the advice. I think we will be taking the Silicone II back to be safe, and just getting something like DAP 100% silicone, or similar.
 
From what I've read the silicone cannot have the mildew resistance in it. That is what is harmful to the plants and fish.
 
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