Thaiboxer
Aquarium Advice FINatic
How to Completely Reseal Your Glass Tank
(Kudos to gooyferret, I borrowed a lot of information from his posting on how to fix a leaky tank.)
Before you start – these directions only work on glass tanks! If your tank is acrylic, stop reading now!
What you will need:
1. Bottle or tube of 100% silicone, your able to pick these up either at your local HD, LFS, or your nearest Home Improvement Center. Make sure your silicone doesn’t have any antifungicides or other additives – they can kill your fish!
2. Razor Blades (caution very sharp). I also recommend getting one of those scrapers that makes the razor blades easier to hold and wield.
3. Bottle of Rubbing Alchohol and cotton swabs. (I used paper towels, will explain later)
4. Mineral Spirits (soap doesn’t work very well to clean your hands later!)
What to do:
- If the tank isn’t already empty and dry, empty it and let it dry! That said, use your razor blade to remove all of the old silicone from the bottom and corners. Try to get as much as you can out from in between the pieces of glass as well. At varying points, use a shop-vac to suck up the pieces of silicone you’ve carved away from the glass.
- When you think you’ve got it all and the tank is clean, use a cotton swab or paper towel with rubbing alcohol to clean the joints. I used a paper towel because you can “feel” the sticky spots on the glass where a little bit of silicone remains. Go around the tank 3-4 times cleaning off any remaining silicone with alcohol and a razor blade, letting it dry after each cleaning. When you are satisfied that all of the old silicone is gone, let the tank dry completely and go on to the next step.
- Now you are ready to apply your new coat of silicone. Before you start, get a small glass (shot glasses work great) about halfway full of rubbing alcohol. Silicone dries quickly so you’ll need to be very efficient, especially if you’re working on a large tank. Set your rubbing alcohol in the tank (I worked with the tank standing up), and cut the nozzle on your silicone tube. It helps to have extra paper towels handy at this point to wipe extra silicone off your fingers in between edges.
- Squeeze your silicone bead along an entire edge of the tank, and don’t be stingy! When you’ve finished applying the silicone to an edge, dip your finger in the rubbing alcohol and smooth the entire edge making sure there are no air bubbles. Wipe your hands (mostly) clean and move on to the next edge, covering them all in the same manner.
- When you’re finished, you should have a nice even bead where all of the pieces of glass join. Use mineral spirits and paper towels to get all the silicone off your hands, then follow up with soap. Let the tank dry for at least 24 hours, then apply a second coat if you feel it is necessary.
- Once the tank is sealed and has cured for more than 48 hours, use a razor blade to clean up any spills on your glass. The extra silicone should peel off of flat surfaces fairly easily… you’re probably an expert by now!
Hopefully this covers everything! Good luck on your project!
(Kudos to gooyferret, I borrowed a lot of information from his posting on how to fix a leaky tank.)
Before you start – these directions only work on glass tanks! If your tank is acrylic, stop reading now!
What you will need:
1. Bottle or tube of 100% silicone, your able to pick these up either at your local HD, LFS, or your nearest Home Improvement Center. Make sure your silicone doesn’t have any antifungicides or other additives – they can kill your fish!
2. Razor Blades (caution very sharp). I also recommend getting one of those scrapers that makes the razor blades easier to hold and wield.
3. Bottle of Rubbing Alchohol and cotton swabs. (I used paper towels, will explain later)
4. Mineral Spirits (soap doesn’t work very well to clean your hands later!)
What to do:
- If the tank isn’t already empty and dry, empty it and let it dry! That said, use your razor blade to remove all of the old silicone from the bottom and corners. Try to get as much as you can out from in between the pieces of glass as well. At varying points, use a shop-vac to suck up the pieces of silicone you’ve carved away from the glass.
- When you think you’ve got it all and the tank is clean, use a cotton swab or paper towel with rubbing alcohol to clean the joints. I used a paper towel because you can “feel” the sticky spots on the glass where a little bit of silicone remains. Go around the tank 3-4 times cleaning off any remaining silicone with alcohol and a razor blade, letting it dry after each cleaning. When you are satisfied that all of the old silicone is gone, let the tank dry completely and go on to the next step.
- Now you are ready to apply your new coat of silicone. Before you start, get a small glass (shot glasses work great) about halfway full of rubbing alcohol. Silicone dries quickly so you’ll need to be very efficient, especially if you’re working on a large tank. Set your rubbing alcohol in the tank (I worked with the tank standing up), and cut the nozzle on your silicone tube. It helps to have extra paper towels handy at this point to wipe extra silicone off your fingers in between edges.
- Squeeze your silicone bead along an entire edge of the tank, and don’t be stingy! When you’ve finished applying the silicone to an edge, dip your finger in the rubbing alcohol and smooth the entire edge making sure there are no air bubbles. Wipe your hands (mostly) clean and move on to the next edge, covering them all in the same manner.
- When you’re finished, you should have a nice even bead where all of the pieces of glass join. Use mineral spirits and paper towels to get all the silicone off your hands, then follow up with soap. Let the tank dry for at least 24 hours, then apply a second coat if you feel it is necessary.
- Once the tank is sealed and has cured for more than 48 hours, use a razor blade to clean up any spills on your glass. The extra silicone should peel off of flat surfaces fairly easily… you’re probably an expert by now!
Hopefully this covers everything! Good luck on your project!