# 180 gallon tank reseal



## danielratti (Feb 17, 2008)

Alright since working at a LFS I've acquired a 180 gallon tank for free. it came with the center braces were separated at the seam of them. I've already reattached the braces with plastic welder and silicone just to be on the safe side of them. The seals on the sides of the tank were already gone and the tank is only 6 years old if that from what the owner and my boss said since he set up the tank for them. I dont think there was any leaks but am going through and cleaning them areas really good and going resealing all the joints of the tank including the bottom seal witch was still all there along with the seal behind the overflow. What I am getting at is was it the saltwater that made the silicone dissolve or was it something that they did during the process of them cleaning or just for looks. Is there anything else I should be worried about with resealing a tank this size. I had to patch a pinhole leak in my 90 gallon and that was fairly easy...

If this works out well I will be moving on to the next step witch will be making a wet dry. I can get a wood stand for about 50 bucks so Im not too worried about that. But this is my first 6 foot tank I figured I may as well go big now even if I cannot set it up until I move in September but as of right now I have 3 dollars invested into this tank and all of that is in razor blades...


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

Make sure you re-seal the whole tank, don't do a partial seal. New silicone has a tendency to not adhere to old silicone. A tank that size, you might want an extra hand when actually putting the silicone back in. One person using the caulk gun, one person going behind running the bead with their finger or tool. You don't want to let the silicone form a "skin" while you're still caulking, not to mention you can be more precise since you're not in a rush.

I just did my 40g and used 3 different types of scrapers and a flathead screwdriver. One scraper was a 4 inch blade that really helped out loosening the fillets in a quicker manner, while the smaller 2 were for more precise scraping. I used the flathead to go underneath and "pop" the silicone bead up, for the most part in larger sections or pieces.

One thing I did learn is that when you think you have all the silicone scraped off... go at it one more time, because you're sure to get some more residue. Good luck!


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## danielratti (Feb 17, 2008)

Right I found that out resealing my 90 gallon it just seemed like I would always miss a spot of silicone. I didnt plan on pulling it apart because I don't really know anyone in the area I live know that could help with this big of a project. I had a hard enough time moving it myself from the bed of my truck to the porch.

*** see the tank full so I know it wasn't leaking but the silicone that was there was green so I figured Id just replace all of it. But if I have to tear it apart I will a tank this size and nice I would not want to give up on fixing since I got it for free.


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

My inner fillets were the same way, green from algae and had spots underneath like the fillets came up. I believe mine was also used for saltwater at some point, even found the company/ person that made this brand of tank is recommended for saltwater tanks on a SW forum. not to mention all the silicone up top from the brace is severely deteriorated. Once I decided I'd pull the seals out, I started finding all kinds of grit behind the fillets, so I'm glad I did re-do them. Even though it was a 40g, I wish I had someoen helping me because even the taping was a chore with one person. You could always pay a neighborhood kid to help ya, or talk up someone in the LFS


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## danielratti (Feb 17, 2008)

There is only 5 of us at my store and 2 of them are only there 2 days out of the week and the other 2 are out doing tanks half the time so Im running the store alone a lot that's why I brought it home and we don't have a lot of room at the store.

Im not having much of any problems right now im almost done cleaning the joints to reseal them this evening once my girlfriend gets back and sucker her into helping me. Plus the 90 some degree heat isn't helping me much either...


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

You don't have to disassemble the tank, you only need to remove all the inner silicone fillets that are inside the tank.

I'm not a fan of repairing broken plastic trim with plastic weld material and silicone. Considering this aquarium was set up for a salt water tank, it's possible the previous owner was using metal halide lighting which is extremely hard on the plastic trim, weakening it. My suggestion would be to order a new top trim/brace for your tank, remove the old one and install the new one using silicone to attach it to the tank.


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## danielratti (Feb 17, 2008)

They were not broke they were just separated. the type of top it kind of weird since there is a third plastic part on the bottom of the two braces and the braces are held together at the bottom and looked like it was just held together with silicone.

From talking to him today I guess he said there was a pinhole leak at one time but he had that fixed. and im guessing the braces not being there is why he was having problems with a leak even though he was told by people the braces were just there for glass tops and to hold up lighting and since he was going to use a canopy it would be alright...

I just finished up all the inside seams and put the overflow back in but it looks a little cockeyed but that shouldn't be a issue I hope. *** never really had a tank with an overflow so I hope someone else can chime in and gie me some ideas on how to make a wet dry, plumb, and what to use in the wet dry as well.


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## danielratti (Feb 17, 2008)

Tank is all resealed and just test filled it out on the deck. I was wondering how long I should let it sit for before I drain it and start working on the other things like the sump, canopy, and lighting.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

How long did you let the silicone cure before you added water to the tank? I waited a minimum of 7 days to allow the silicone to cure properly when I reseal used tanks.


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## danielratti (Feb 17, 2008)

I set it out for 4 days in reallity it was 5 days if we go by hours. It seems to be holding up well.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

A word of caution for anyone "testing" a tank for leaks, in the garage, on the deck or anywhere else. The tank needs to be on a flat reasonably level surface or you risk damaging or even breaking the tank. It basically needs to be supported the way it would when you set it up. i saw photos from another forum where the tank was set up on a lawn (possible on patio slabs)for testing and the tank broke in several places..


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## danielratti (Feb 17, 2008)

I put it up on boards so it was level and sturdy.


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## Jayse (Feb 15, 2012)

danielratti said:


> Tank is all resealed and just test filled it out on the deck. I was wondering how long I should let it sit for before I drain it and start working on the other things like the sump, canopy, and lighting.


Directions for my silicone said cure time was 24hrs, I let it sit 72 to be safe and then filled to top for leak testing. I let the water sit for 72hrs as well just in case it had a pinhole leak that was a very slow drip at least I should see something in three days time. I had what appeared to be a seam between glass pane repair on mine as well. Whoever had mine at one time stuck silicone in betwen panes (probably with a syringe, as I've seen that recommended) and repaired it. I've had the tank filled for close to a year before, no leaks from it, and my friend owned it prior to me and no leaks for a couple years.


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## littleolme (Nov 1, 2011)

BillD said:


> A word of caution for anyone "testing" a tank for leaks, in the garage, on the deck or anywhere else. The tank needs to be on a flat reasonably level surface or you risk damaging or even breaking the tank. It basically needs to be supported the way it would when you set it up. i saw photos from another forum where the tank was set up on a lawn (possible on patio slabs)for testing and the tank broke in several places..


I learned this the hard way with a 40g breeder that I had just resealed a few months back. Make absolutely sure the tank is sitting flat.


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## danielratti (Feb 17, 2008)

I was aware I usually have to stress this more with customers setting up tanks or wanting to see if they leak or not. We even check and double check when we set up new tanks for customers.


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