Well I finally got around to resealing that 75 gallon elephant that's been living in our bedroom. My fingers are crossed that I did it right! It ended up taking almost 12 oz of silicon. I make a little angle trowel out of a piece of plastic that worked really great. When any of you have resealed a tank, do you fill it up all the way or go like 1/4 1/2 etc. Also, how do you check for the little leaks, or does the water weight help seal anything other than major issues? I didn't actually pull the glass apart, just the exposed seal. 48 hours to wait now!
Resealed tank, now fingers crossed!
- Thread starter frantz
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yeach... a bedroom that will smell like vinegar for a couple of days, I hate re sealing tanks
I've done the trowel thing before with an old credit card.
Taping worked for me well ( I'm sure a pro would have laughed their socks off seeing me do it)
I've done the trowel thing before with an old credit card.
Taping worked for me well ( I'm sure a pro would have laughed their socks off seeing me do it)
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You didn't pull the panes apart and reseal in between? What are you? A government worker??? LOL JK!
I would be pretty uncomfortable not doing the whole job. If there was a leak before, somehow it made it past the silicone holding the two panes together...
I would be pretty uncomfortable not doing the whole job. If there was a leak before, somehow it made it past the silicone holding the two panes together...
I know see point. I honestly don't know the history of the tank, perhaps I should have taken it all the way down. I'm gonna give it a shot now and see. If it's bad then I'll start over from scratch. Since we both have colds, the vinegar small is not so bad (-=
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It will probably be fine, but I'd still keep a close eye on it.
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I could not agree more. The correct way in repairing such a leaky tank is to strip, clean, and re silicone.
Not to add worry to this equation, buit the 75 gallon tank is not the cost issue to worry about. Its the damage to your home that 75 gallons of saltwater will done if it escapes. That can easily add up into the tens of thousands. If it were me, I'd opt for a complete repair, or even better yet, buy a new tank. 75 are relatively inexpensive. In the grand scheme.
Well it's an apartment, I figure that's what renters insurance is for. No one lives below us so I won't have to feel guilty about ruining someone else's Christmas. If it leaks I'll sell it the a herper. If I come into some money over xmas, maybe I'll do that anyway.
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So if someone pull apart the panes, what is the proper way to re seal?
Someone once told me to strap and clamp everything together and use a chaulking gun to "press" the silicone between the panes.
I would have thought it would be better to put down a thick bead and then set the pane on to it
Which do people think would work better?
Someone once told me to strap and clamp everything together and use a chaulking gun to "press" the silicone between the panes.
I would have thought it would be better to put down a thick bead and then set the pane on to it
Which do people think would work better?
To tag off Sewer urchins question. Do they make a sort of plastic gauge like they do for automotive purposes, that would crush to a set thickness? I'd imagine you don't actually want the glass truly against each other, so there much be an ideal depth for the sealant, but perhaps its just whatever it squishes to soft?
Every tank I've pulled apart to reseal has had small plastic squares near the corners that kept the panes apart. If you look carefully at the seams you will see them on every tank. They aren't very thick. You don't want to squeeze all the silicone out. The last tank I resealed I made replacement spacers out of some plastic packaging (the stuff to prevent theft that you almost kill yourself with opening). The idea is to keep a thin layer between the panes for maximum surface coverage and strength.
well she held water for 3 days with no signs of leaks! I'm going to start filling her up with RODI and begin the cycle. It's officially my girlfriends tank (not sure why, she didn't buy it), so by her birthday in march we'll be fully ready to go, she wants some black clowns.
