Used wrong silicone

[Sonofthunder]

So as part of my new tank I decided to install a background of natural slate tile. I used GE clear Silicone I to adhere the tile, but mistakenly grabbed the red tube (Tub & Tile) instead of blue (All Purpose). Apparently the Tub & Tile includes fungicide that will kill the fish. I'm glad I realized the mistake before stocking, but now I need to pull off the tile and redo it. Any tips on getting this slate out without destroying the tank? I'm afraid of prying too hard and cracking the tank. (I don't mind so much if the slate breaks.)

 

[tlindsey]

So as part of my new tank I decided to install a background of natural slate tile. I used GE clear Silicone I to adhere the tile, but mistakenly grabbed the red tube (Tub & Tile) instead of blue (All Purpose). Apparently the Tub & Tile includes fungicide that will kill the fish. I'm glad I realized the mistake before stocking, but now I need to pull off the tile and redo it. Any tips on getting this slate out without destroying the tank? I'm afraid of prying too hard and cracking the tank. (I don't mind so much if the slate breaks.)

View attachment 1379865

The only thing I can think of is prying off the tile with a plastic paint scraper.

 

[krichardson]

You may need to use a Dremmel type of tool to cut and possibly ruin one of the tiles in order to get it out of the way.....once you have gotten one of them removed you can easily cut the others free with a scraper.

 

[esoxlucius]

That sounds like an awful job you've got on your hands. Someone will have to chime in and back me up on this but is there a slight possibility that you could leave the slate as it is!!! Is there a fish safe, underwater safe product, maybe such as a clear crylon fusion type product that you could simply paint over it, a few coats obviously to ensure it's sound. It would certainly save you a load of hassle.

 

[islandguy11]

Oh goodness, at least you caught it before going any further! Besides the aid of a paint scraping tool as Thomas & krichards recommended, I wonder if using a heat gun (or hair dryer on high setting) might make the job easier (of course being careful not to do it near the tanks integral silicone). Good luck and keep us updated how it works out.

 

[Sonofthunder]

You may need to use a Dremmel type of tool to cut and possibly ruin one of the tiles in order to get it out of the way.....once you have gotten one of them removed you can easily cut the others free with a scraper.

Thanks for the advice. Breaking away one piece worked. Thankfully since the slate is very brittle and cleaves apart easily, I was able to break away part of one piece after a bit of gently prying without needing a dremel tool. From there I was able to carefully chip away at it by sliding a metal scraper behind the tile until everything was eventually loose. Each tile came out in many small chunks, leaving most of the silicone on the tank. That seems to come off easily with a razor blade, which is what I'm working on now.

Plastic scrapers were no help. My metal scraper did the trick but I had to be very gentle. I wasn't concerned about scratching the glass since it will be covered up again anyways. I was very tempted to use my oscillating tool with the scraper blade, but decided it was too risky.

Thankfully Home Depot still had the slate on clearance and I was able to pick up enough to redo the background for about $4. Also got a tube of the BLUE (all purpose) silicone.

 

[tlindsey]

Thanks for the advice. Breaking away one piece worked. Thankfully since the slate is very brittle and cleaves apart easily, I was able to break away part of one piece after a bit of gently prying without needing a dremel tool. From there I was able to carefully chip away at it by sliding a metal scraper behind the tile until everything was eventually loose. Each tile came out in many small chunks, leaving most of the silicone on the tank. That seems to come off easily with a razor blade, which is what I'm working on now.

Plastic scrapers were no help. My metal scraper did the trick but I had to be very gentle. I wasn't concerned about scratching the glass since it will be covered up again anyways. I was very tempted to use my oscillating tool with the scraper blade, but decided it was too risky.

Thankfully Home Depot still had the slate on clearance and I was able to pick up enough to redo the background for about $4. Also got a tube of the BLUE (all purpose) silicone.

Great to hear things worked out for you.

 

[krichardson]

Thanks for the advice. Breaking away one piece worked..

Yep,glad it worked out for ya and btw,love your username!

 

[Lepisosteus]

Braided fishing line or strong monofilament/fluorocarbon will cut those tiles out quickly.

 

[fishdance]

Using a silicon with anti fungal/mold inhibitors isn't the end of the world. If your tank has a reasonable water volume and the amount of silicon is similar to building the tank than you will not notice as the dilution is sufficient especially after multiple water changes.

If you did use a lot of silicon, the anti fungal molecules are quite large. Very long chain structure and easily removed with activated carbon filter.


Posting more for future reference to others as you are already removing the silicon.