# Tank Reseal



## redm18 (Feb 1, 2004)

I got a couple of aquariums for $100 a 29 gal. and a 90 gal. I thought the inner seals on both tanks looked really suspect so I decided I should reseal them both. This tank is a 29 gal
I thought it would be a good idea to do this one first to get some practice before I tried the big one. I scraped all of the old silicone of and then cleaned the edges with nail polish remover.








I don't think I did a very good job the seals were not real strait.
















I hope it doesn't leak. 








Do you guys think it will hold? How bad does it look? Should I redo it? How long should I let it dry before I test fill 7 days? How long should I test fill it before I trust it inside? Thanks for any anyput.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I would redo it. It has several weak spots which might be leaky, and at the least, they are messy looking. Before you do it again, get some really cheap caulk for practice, and some cardboard boxes and caulk inside the boxes as if they were tanks, until you can lay a nice even bead in full contact with boths sides.


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## CICHnes (Jan 30, 2009)

Here's how I did it:

1. Apply silicone to the vertical sides first and press it in.

2. Apply silicone to the bottom edges next and press it in. (Make sure you overlap the silicone as you reach the bottom of the vertical where it meets in the corner)

* Try to apply an even bead of silicone when you apply it and put an even amount of pressure when you're pressing it in. Make sure your finger is moistened with saliva. As you press it in, you will start to notice excess silicone coming off, use a paper towel moistened with rubbing alcohol to remove it from your finger and conitnue.

** If you're not sure about how much pressure to put, you can get a tool at Home Depot that can do it for you.

*** Try to work as fast as possible as the silicone starts to cure, it gets harder to work with and it becomes tackier and thats how you get it looking real messy when you try to fix things.

Hoped that helped. :thumb:


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

CICHnes said:


> Here's how I did it:
> 
> 1. Apply silicone to the vertical sides first and press it in.
> 
> ...


This is a great list of bad habits to refer back to. Saliva, fingers, paper, doing the beads in steps instead of continuously, all things that produce leaks and bad looking jobs.


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## IDEAS-NG (Oct 23, 2008)

Hi redm18
Not a bad try for your first time.
The tool from Home Depot helps. You can also tape the edges to get a consistant bead, also make a smaller hole in the tube. But I agree with CICHnes, work fast before it skins over.


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## CICHnes (Jan 30, 2009)

Mcdaphnia said:


> CICHnes said:
> 
> 
> > Here's how I did it:
> ...


Yeah, you're right I guess since I did those exact steps and the tank is still running leak free, I guess you were there when I did it and you're coming over to check on the tank periodically to be able to make that comment. Next time let me know when you're coming over so I can at least offer you a drink or something.


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## redm18 (Feb 1, 2004)

Thank you all for your replies. I think I am going to try to redo it. I don't look forward to ripping out all of the silicon again but I would like to get the job done right. I am sorry if this thread has caused a bit of a fight between CICHnes and Mcdaphnia. I feel like Mcdaphnia may have been a bit out of line. I agree from my research that I probably should wear gloves and use water instead of salvia but honestly is there a problem with using paper towels to wipe your hands of and I have to idea how you would not do each seal one at a time. I think when I try again I will get a few boxes and practice first and try and lay a more even bead of silicone. I will also look for a tool to. Any way thanks for all of your help and please give me any other suggestions you have.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

I was a bit abrupt since there were some good points, like not going back and reworking silicone that has been placed, but there were just too many bad habits in the steps given, including applying the beads in a pattern that requires going back and reworking silicone more than necessary. Silicone is able to forgive a lot, and I had to unlearn some of these same bad habits to make a stronger safer tank, but not the saliva one. And definitely not water either. You want the tank and the bead dry and clean. As to getting uncured silicone off your skin, paper towels will work but keep them out of the tank so you don't get paper fuzz in the silicone. One of the best things for getting silicone off your skin is very cheap toilet paper. The best is a terry cloth bath towel. It had better be an old one since it will never be the same after this. You can't lay the bead in a single line, but the verticals are usually shorter than the bottom beads, so you can go across and up, across and up, to shorten the time you left that bottom corner. Red Devil makes a good silicone/caulk smoothing tool. Spoons also work. Use the back of the tip, much better than fingers. There are times when there is more than one right way to do things, and others when there is not. I think this is more in the best, acceptable, worst category than in simple right and wrong. Except for spitting.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Have to agree with Mcdaphnia on this. Smoothing the fillet should be done in one step, and you definitely don't want paper bits in the tank.


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## kornphlake (Feb 12, 2004)

The last tank I resealed involved masking tape, a plastic spoon and some paper towels to clean my fingers and the spoon. If you use tape be sure to get it off as quickly as you can, the silicone will skin over and pull up with the tape if you aren't quick enough, it's probably worth getting some of the low tack painter's tape and only use light pressure to stick it to the glass so that it will come off with as little effort as possible.

One other trick I learned is to smooth the seams from top to bottom, it's easier to get smooth corners at the bottom that way, the bottom seam presumably will be covered with gravel so if it looks a little ugly it's not as big a deal.


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## redm18 (Feb 1, 2004)

So I redid it I don't think it looks perfect but I think it is better. It is still a little uneven but I think I have silicon contact on every side of glass. 








































Do you guys think this looks like it will work?


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## mepeterser2451 (Mar 23, 2007)

it looks good, but thats what i said about the 4 times i resealed my one tank. then when i finally got it right, i drilled it only to find out it was tempered and it exploded. i didn't even get to test fill it the last time, haha. basically, what really matters is how you prepared the surface. made sure it was clean. only way to check now is to test with a fill.


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## Nutty4Mbunas (Mar 27, 2008)

I just did mine and Im in the curing time frame right now...Let me give you a tip I was given in here.. once you have cleaned the glass with alcohol to make sure you remove all the old silicone...take some of that blue painters tape and apply it to have a nice clean edge on both side of the glass once you have laid down your silicone take a spoon and use it to push the silicone and give you that nice finished look...once you have done that side, gently pull the tape away and you will have a nice finished edge and a curve between the glass. Don't wait cause then you will lift and make a mess...remove tape asap

Too bad I ran out of sillycone :lol: and may have to do one side all over again!  I asked hubby to do this for me and he said no way since I can be a perfectionist pita. =D>


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## Nutty4Mbunas (Mar 27, 2008)

I just did mine and Im in the curing time frame right now...Let me give you a tip I was given in here.. once you have cleaned the glass with alcohol to make sure you remove all the old silicone...take some of that blue painters tape and apply it to have a nice clean edge on both side of the glass once you have laid down your silicone take a spoon and use it to push the silicone and give you that nice finished look...once you have done that side, gently pull the tape away and you will have a nice finished edge and a curve between the glass. Don't wait cause then you will lift and make a mess...remove tape asap

Too bad I ran out of sillycone :lol: and may have to do one side all over again!  I asked hubby to do this for me and he said no way since I can be a perfectionist pita. =D>


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