Did I just make a big mistake?

[perrymedik]

Hi all,

I was just given two tanks today that leak. One is a 30g and has a leak in the coner and the other is a 29g and has a crack about 4-5 inches long running that runs this way (/|) in the corner.

On the 30g I took out the calk in the 3 angle of the corner about 4 inches each way with a straight razor. Rubbed it down, scrapped again untill I could see or remove nothing else. Then I cleaned throughly with Warm Soapy water. Then I let it air dry. I then used a product called Marine Contact Adhesive and Selant made by a company called GOOP, to re-bead all the edges.

On the 29g I used the same prduct with crack and applied a bead on both sides of the crack after cleaning and letting dry.

I am beginning to wonder if I might have done the wrong thing. Does anyone know anything about this product? It advertises itself as Clear/waterproof/paintable/flexible and stronger then glue. It comes out like silicon and is stringy and dries like silicon.

Should I let it dry and then test the tanks? or should I tear it out tomorrow and try to find the correct silicon? ([acronym:813e0717c6="By the way"]btw[/acronym:813e0717c6] Lowes here doesn't carry the GE Window and Door Silicon I but it does carry the Silicon II)

Any advice would be great! Thanks!!!!!

[dansemacabre]

The soap probably wasn't a good idea...soap + fish = bad. Make sure it's REALLY rinsed out, and that there's no residue from the soap. If you go to your [acronym:d5220ac174="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:d5220ac174], you can probably find aquarium silicone. If you buy silicone elsewhere, it'll need to be _at least_ 99.9% pure silicone. You don't want anything in there. The aquarium silicone I got is from petsmart, made by an aquarium company, and it is 100% silicone. I don't know anything about the GOOP stuff, so I'll let someone more knowledgable comment on that. Just, in the future, clean it with something that leaves no residue. [acronym:d5220ac174="Hope this helps (or) Happy to help"]HTH[/acronym:d5220ac174]!

[perrymedik]

thanks for the advise!

Anyone else have a few words of wisdome for me!!!???

[An t-iasg]

Hi and welcome!

I second the "no soap" advice! Rinse the tank very well! Never use household cleaners or soaps around or in the tanks or equipment. Here's an aquarium cleaner that I use to clean tanks when empty (like a QT tank) or the outside of the tank, or the hood glass: http://www.aquariumpharm.com/aqaqua.html Click on "safe and easy aquarium cleaner".

Here's another recent topic about silicone: http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=14575

You can get the aquarium cleaner at your [acronym:2052d40b7e="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:2052d40b7e] (I got mine at Petco), and I also saw a tube of All-Glass Aquarium brand silicone at another [acronym:2052d40b7e="Local Fish Store"]lfs[/acronym:2052d40b7e], Pet Supplies Plus.

[Smonkey15]

just a word of advice, i went to petsmart and paid $6.00 for a tube of aquarium silicone, then went to home depot immediatly after and found the exact same tube, same brand, made for aquariums, everything for like $2.50. i didn't check to see if they had the bigger ones for a caulk gun but i would recommend checking home depot first, or maybe lowes would have it.

[perrymedik]

so would you recomend that I restrip the corners and start again or just go over it with a good silicon?

[dansemacabre]

First off, we need to find out if the GOOP is harmful. I'll go research it for you, if I find anything I'll let you know. If the GOOP is not the good stuff, you need to scrape it all out. The silicone tends to not stick to stuff like that, and besides, if it is bad, you don't want it anywhere near your aquarium water! So, I'll go look for info on the GOOP you were talknig about before we do anything...if anyone out there already knows, help us out and post it. =] I'll be back!

[dansemacabre]

Ok, I can't find a lot of info on the GOOP you're talking about. Best I could do was a cruddy photo from the [acronym:40ae8631be="Home Depot"]HD[/acronym:40ae8631be] website. So, does it list the active ingredients? It looks very similar to the [acronym:40ae8631be="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:40ae8631be]-11 I was recommended by someone on these forums. Your goop says it's clear, waterproof, [acronym:40ae8631be="Ultra Violet"]uv[/acronym:40ae8631be] resistant, etc, etc. I would think that, being waterproof (especially saltwater proof) it would not leach chemicals into your tank. If you can get us a list of ingredients, or tell what any of the descriptions say, that may help. I'm no chemicals expert, but we've got a few that are pretty familiar. I don't know that it's harmful, so just post some info and maybe someone will know.

My [acronym:40ae8631be="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:40ae8631be]-11 is a two-part epoxy though. If your GOOP says it's an epoxy, it may be ok to use.

[perrymedik]

The only ingredients that it mentions are Toluene and Petroleum distillate. No other info exept for warngings of vapors so apply in well ventelated area.

[dansemacabre]

I'm not really sure...but when in doubt, I would scrape it all off and use the safe stuff. See if anyone else knows first, but if you come up with nothing, scrape all that stuff off and and go with the [acronym:f4bbc91973="Power compact fluorescent"]PC[/acronym:f4bbc91973]-11 (which is a HUGE pain, [acronym:f4bbc91973="By the way"]btw[/acronym:f4bbc91973]. It's very pastey and difficult to get where it belongs) or find some weld-on. There's another thread in the [acronym:f4bbc91973="Do it yourself"]DIY[/acronym:f4bbc91973] forum about a refugium... [edit] http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=15194 [/edit]... go to that thread, and reffnewb recommends the proper weld-on products.