Anyone experienced in resealing aquariums?

[Daven]

Hi guys. I have an older 75 gallon tank with 1/2" glass and no center brace that i got for cheap. It leaked a bit, only from the side seams that i could see, so i was going to reseal the secondary seal (not taking apart the glass). When i was scraping away the old silicone i noticed that the tank does not seem to be entirely square. On the bottom seams on the left and right side (shorter peices for the depth, not the longer "length" sides), it starts with the glass touching and angles slightly away from the side panel causing a gap that gets to be maybe 3/32" once it hits the other side. On both ends of the tank. I took out the tape measure again and there is a 1/4" difference from measuring the opposite corners.

The gap is filled with silicone, so im not sure if its been like that the entire time or if each piece is supposed to be touching glass to glass. Junk it? Or is this somewhat normal?

 

[Reefer James]

There's some pretty sturdy silicone. I'd fill it with UV catalyzed fiberglass then cover in silicone.

 

[Daven]

There's some pretty sturdy silicone. I'd fill it with UV catalyzed fiberglass then cover in silicone.

Thanks for the insight. Im not familiar with fiberglass, where could i usually get some and how is it applied?

I took a picture incase my explanation wasnt the easiest to follow. Hard to see, but if you look on the vertical seam near the bottom is where the gap is the most. The guy i purchased it from had it filled as a turtle tank (not to the top) and i had it holding water pretty good with it only seeming to leak once it got 3" or so from the top. So it might seal ok once i finish up and silicone it, but i worry about structural integrity since its alot of water if it ever failed lol Also in the pic are those two round marks which id assume is a previous crack fix? lol

 

[Daven]

Any other opinions? Im not in a rush, i just want a little assurance that the tank isnt going to fall apart lol

 

[wildroseofky]

Resealing an aquarium is not that hard. You could even cut out the side with the gap and re glue. Buy some 100% clear silicone and some painters tape, sharp razor blades, and acetone (aka nail polish remover). Cut and scrape off all old silicone because the new will not stick to the old. Clean all edges with acetone. If you take the gapped side off add silicone to edges and stick back together. Use tape to hold edges together and let dry for 48 hours. Reveal other corners. Run tape down each corner about 1/4 of an inch from each edge. This keeps corner sills straight. Let dry and check for leaks.

There are a ton of videos on YouTube that show how to re sill a tank