Resealing a Tank...

Ok so all the tank build on here inspired me to re-seal my 90 gallon that has been sitting around for a couple years after it started leaking. So this was the first time i have ever sealed a tank and as you would assumed i am very nervous to put my fish in it. I did it on Wednesday and have let it sit to dry until today. I just started filling it with water in my kitchen to see if it has any leaks. So far so good .

My question is should i let it sit overnight with water just to be safe? or go ahead and put it on the stand and get the fish in it. i am moving the water and fish from my 75 gallon to the 90.

this is some info i recieved by a fellow member......

What you need to have is a tube of clear GE II silicone, a razor blade or more, some kind of tool to shape the silicone bead, and masking tape. A wet/dry vac and a hose are helpful.

First, Measure the thickness of your existing silicone seam. Then press on it to get an idea of what it feels like fully cured.

Then you use the razor blade to remove the inner silicone. This doesn't need to be done perfectly. After the silicone is cut out there tends to be small pieces left in the tank. I run the hose with the tank standing on one end to wash it out. Then dry glass as well as possible. I use a wet/dry vac and a paper towel.
Then you layout your lines with masking tape. Each seam will need masking tape on 2 sides. You will be fine if you place the tape 1/4" from the corner/seams. You can measure the old silicone, if you want.

Then you lay your bead of silicone. *I suggest doing one face at a time* Because if you flip the tank, to get the other half, then gravity may cause the silicone to run. the bead does not need to fill in the space between the tape lines. When you shape/spread the silicone it will fill in. But, get the bead somewhat close to filling in that space. It is okay to make a small mess. it can easily be removed with a razor after the silicone has dried.

Then, you work the silicone. You can use a variety of tools. you can use and old spoon or anything with a rounded edge. I went ahead and purchased the little tool from lowes. It was like a rubber triangle attached to a plactic handle... really nothing special and a waste of money. i have seen a variety of tools none of which and better than an old wooden or metal spoon. you could use an old wooden nickel or whatever. you get the point. So, when shaping the silicone its good to barely scrape the surface of the silicone at first. just to get a feel for the stroke of motion. you will want to keep it steady and smooth. eventually, while applying more pressure to the silicone, you will be shoving the silicone into the seam to remove air bubbles. But try to just filing in the space between the tape lines. The excess silicone that is scraped may be reapplied and repeat the above process if you scraped too much or for someother reason you were unsatisfied with the result. Once the silicone has been applied to that side... immediately remove the masking tape. My first time, I forgot to remove the tape, the silicone dried and so I had to strip out all the silicone and redo it all again.

Remember to only silicone the seams that are laying flat on the bottom face. Do not silicone the vertical seams or opposite/adjacent faces until the first face has begun to dry and it is safe to flip the tank. That is to say that if you first do the 3 or 4 seams around the back face of the tank... wait to do the other 3 seams of the bottom face, front face, or trim.

I would say that after a good skin is formed on the seam that it is safe to flip the tank and begin sealing other seams. This could take a few hours. Once all the silicone is applied the tank should sit for atleast 48 hours to cure. many variables come to play in dry times. you can touch and press on the silicone to determine how dry it is. Compare it to what your old silicone felt like.
Once the tank is completely dry, scrape off the mess that you made. I had big ole blobs of silicone outside of my tape lines. Then be sure to give your tank another good rinse. And you are done.

thanks for the info but i already have sealed. i have been letting it cure for 3 days. and i was also told to use GE type ?1? I hope that was i supposed to use. anybody else?

It is GE silicone I. That is what I use. II has the mildew resistant stuff. I let mine cure for 3 days and then I let it sit with water for a week in my gargage. Other people let it sit for a day. I think that all depends on what you're comfortable with.

ok i should of asked before i filled it up in my kitchen. I don't think the fiance is going to be happy when she gets off work.

hey tango, what do you think about letting it sit? should i or just my fish?

yes i used ge type 1, the silicone has sat for 3 days to cure, and water has been in it for about an hour.

i think if you let if set for about a hour or so you should be good IMO

drudown66 wrote:

i think if you let if set for about a hour or so you should be good IMO

LOL! Like I said earlier, it all depends on what you're comfortable with. I think the standard answer for letting it cure is 2-3 days, but how long you should wait after filling it with water before setting it up is subjective. You'll get a one-hour answer and you'll get something like mine were I waited 5 days. LOL! If you're comfortable, trust the work you did and go for it.

It should be ready to go now. What are you putting in it?

oh i am just moving my Aul. Peacocks to it. I have them in a 75 now but i wanted to move them to this even tho i know its about the footprint i just wanted this so i can use my 75 for a salt tank.

what kind of Aul. Peacocks?,,,,Those are some of my fav africans

its a mixed male tank. I have around 15 peacocks and 3 haps. Off the top of my head:
3 (baenschi)
3 (eureka red)
1 blue chiwindi
1 blue orchid
1 albino eureka
1 albino rubescens
1 fire fish dragon blood
2 flametail
1 red top lwanda
1 flavescnet
1 yellow collar
1 boryeli mbenji
1 boryeli yellow fin
1 Otopharynx Lithobates (zimbawe rock)

I think that is it. lol

Nice.

I see one of your fav fish is the Golden Nugget Pleco. I was intrested in breeding those. I herd that nobody in the United States has successfully breed them.

oh yes i have one of those too.... yes i have heard that before too but supposely one of the guys from my LFS says he breeds them..... I have trouble believing it since he has never shown me proof.. I would be interested in your adventure on that. Let me know if you try it.

BTW...

Me and you were chatting the other day about me switching to sand... i was the one asking about obsidian sand. well i just switched my gravel from rock to the obsidian and moved all the fish to my 90 that i just sealed. Everything is going good, the fish seem to love the sand.

micahsutton wrote:

oh yes i have one of those too.... yes i have heard that before too but supposely one of the guys from my LFS says he breeds them..... I have trouble believing it since he has never shown me proof.. I would be interested in your adventure on that. Let me know if you try it.

Please dig further and let me know if he has proof. I would like to be the 1st ;0)

No prob i will try to get him to prove it, he might be telling the truth because i know he breeds angelicus, he showed me some pics of those.