# Worried about resealed tank...help needed



## newbiechick (Apr 2, 2009)

Hi
I resealed and old 4ft tank that was in pretty bad shape using an aquarium safe silicone found here (couldn't get hold of the GE stuff). I overdid it a bit with thick beads on the inside. It has held up ok for the past week but I happened to touch one of the edges and the silicone felt kinda slimy. If I rub it a bit, it comes of in a very little white cloud. 
I'm starting to worry that it just might corrode away leading to a nightmare.

Is this normal or should I do something about it straight away?
Thanks


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

What brand and type did you use? While applying, did it smell like ammonia or like vinegar?


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## newbiechick (Apr 2, 2009)

Hmm its Selleys Glass clear silicone sealant, it says aquarium safe on the tube. It smells like vinegar I think..hope thats the right answer


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## kjhydock (Apr 28, 2009)

Yes, it should smell like vinegar. How long did you let it cure before subjecting it to water? A minimum of 24 hrs is recommended, but I've done less with GE 1 silicone. Does it say anywhere on the tube about an anti mildew agent?


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## under_control (Jan 9, 2008)

You need to let it cure more. If you put it on really thick it will just be longer to cure. I recomend 3-6 days. Not sure if you're current seal is f'd or not.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

Yes a thick inner seal takes much longer to cure. It's also a little weaker than a thin bead. Surprised? Silicone swells slightly when submerged, so the swelling effect has a stronger effect on a thick bead since it's not quite as flexible. That is not to say it will be a problem. There is a large safety margin in the strength of the silicone seal, so this just means your safety margin is not quite so large.

My wife wanted to see Sydney this September, but by the time going between Melbourne and Toowoomba to visit relatives. It just didn't work. Too many miles to cover. Otherwise it would be great to see how your aquarium is doing by then.


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## newbiechick (Apr 2, 2009)

Thanks for the help guys. It definitely does not have anti mildew agent, I knew to look out for that.
I did let it cure for about 4 days, maybe it should have been longer :x

It was just instinct to be extra safe that made me lather it on a little too much. I can see what you mean by swelling Mcdaphnia, the 'outer' layer looks swollen and white. Hopefully the innermost layer will hold and be fine.

Hopefully by September I'll have a couple more, this is getting quite addictive lol 
You're more than welcome to come have a look, I'll get some more pointers off of you.


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## BinaryWhisper (May 5, 2006)

newbiechick said:


> Hi
> I happened to touch one of the edges and the silicone felt kinda slimy. If I rub it a bit, it comes of in a very little white cloud.


Have to say that this post made me curious.

So when you rub it a bit it comes off in a little cloud? So you re-did the silicon approx 2 weeks prior to posting this thread? Can you post a pic of this?

Not only is that not normal it is not the result of putting it on to thick or not allowing it to cure for long enough and in your case 4 days is plenty long enough regardless.

I have some significant experience resealing tanks ( I have stripped and redone 23 30 gallon and up tanks in the past month alone) and I honestly have no idea what might cause that. The only time I have seen a white cloud rub off caulk was an acrylic modified caulk.


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## newbiechick (Apr 2, 2009)

Well thats worrying, I'll try to get some shots and see if the cam picks up anything...


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

newbiechick said:


> Well thats worrying, I'll try to get some shots and see if the cam picks up anything...


I hope it's not Selley's All Clear.

http://www.selleys.com.au/Selleys-All-C ... fault.aspx

That product would say NOT safe for use with aquariums.

The one I hope you used was Selleys Glass silicone.

http://www.selleys.com.au/Selleys-Glass ... fault.aspx

That was the one I think you said you did use. If you filled the aquarium with very hard water, you could get a white coating on the silicone that would rub off. Slime algae and diatoms do often invade the aquarium and the silicone is an easy target. They are slimey but would usually be green, red, or brown.


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## newbiechick (Apr 2, 2009)

Yup its definitely Selleys Glass silicone, thanks for looking that up. 
It is like a slime coat on the silicone, when I rub a section a layer comes off and the inside coat has the usual rubbery texture. But, it gets slimy in a couple of days and that's whats worrying me.
The water here is very hard, so maybe that would be it.
I'll post a photo as soon as my cam charges...


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## BinaryWhisper (May 5, 2006)

newbiechick said:


> It is like a slime coat on the silicone, when I rub a section a layer comes off and the inside coat has the usual rubbery texture. But, it gets slimy in a couple of days and that's whats worrying me.
> The water here is very hard, so maybe that would be it.
> I'll post a photo as soon as my cam charges...


 If you rub off the coating and there silicon is normal underneath then it is certainly sounding less like a silicon issue. Still kinda of odd though. Is this layer not sticking to everything else in the tank?


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

The last tank I resealed had a similar issue. it developed a white coating, that made it appear that it was failing. I scrubbed all the white stuff off with a pot scrubber, and it came off in chunks. It has never returned. Every tank I own has been siliconed or resealed by me, and I have never seen that condition appear with any of them before. I used the same silicone each time, and allowed lots of time to cure.


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