Should I re-seal my aquarium?

[AnnieJ]

So my used 26 gallon has black sealant (is that what it's called?) on the sides to hold it all together. It looks like it has leaked in the past, since it is sealed in a few spots on the outside.

I filled it up with water, but I'm wondering if I should remove it and just re-seal the whole thing if there's a risk of the seal giving way since it looks fairly tattered. I figure it will be easier now with nothing in the tank than later when it has a whole aquatic community in it.

My dad was thinking to just seal it on the outside (since it's not leaking, so just for extra protection) but I'm not sure if that would actually do any good....

Thoughts?

(Yes, I'm kicking myself for not having noticed it before I put in all the water, but oh well...)

Photos:



These are the front ones... the back ones are not as bad, but I figure if I have to do 2/4, I might as well do 4/4 lol.

[Dangora]

In my opinion, re-sealing is not a good idea. The factories use a silicon-based seal that has to be applied very carefully. They can't leave a single air bubble or else it will start a leak. The seal dries very quickly so you have to work both accurately and fast. They also use humidifiers to set the seal even more.

I would suggest looking for a good method of patching or even get a different tank, but don't get rid of the factory seal. That's just my opinion, take it for what its worth.

[chagoi]

Keep it for a Q/T somewhere that a leak is not so bad.

A new tank is alot cheaper then a new floor & rug. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO WORRY ABOUT IT.

[Bl80]

I would Reseal. I have done many myself and its not that difficult with some patience. I use a chaulking gun and buy 100 percent silicone, window and doors type. NOT THE KITCHEN AND BATHROOM, as this has mildew etc prohibitors. I take razorblades and remove all the current silicone. then I wipe down with some rubbing alchol and feel for anything I have left... I use q tips in alchol to get in the cracks. LET IT DRY 24 hours for best results, more if you notice any bit of moisture, THIS IS KEY.... I use painters tape and fo about 1/4 inch oneach side of the seal, folding over a tab to make it easier to remove. ( put ta[e on in reverse order as your seling will be, I always seal bottom to top) I then seal. put a nice steady bead, then with a lil pressure ( so silicone gets in crack) pull finger along seal, I use old towels to wipe excess, and I use latex gloves too, sry forgot that. I pull tape off each seal as I go, bc if you let it start to dry u can pull it out. pay special attention to where seals meet seals. let it sit for a minimum of 48 hours empty, then fill and let sit with water for week to make sure its not going to leak. mu last tank was a flat back hex, that was a pain but worth it! Good luck.

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

IMO whenever you question the tanks seals re do it. its easy theres many threads on the site and its better o do it now then when theres fish in there. plus the floor gets to stay dry

[AnnieJ]

I talked to my dad and we decided that we'll sell this tank and get another.

Thank you for the advice everyone! I really appreciate it... I have so many questions as a newbie and everyone here is always super-helpful

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

why dont you want to re seal? its cheap and fairely easy

[AnnieJ]

My dad is being inexplicably stubborn, so really.... I dunno ^__^;;

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

lol its really easy and alot cheaper than buying a new tank

[AnnieJ]

Well that's what I said, but ugh! I can't figure out what he's thinking because he can't/won't articulate it, lol.

I think he feels like we made a bad purchase because it's used and on top of it, we need to/should fix it before we use it. There's not actually anything wrong with that, but since we don't buy used things very often, I guess I can kind of understand his sentiment (even if I don't agree with it). In any case, it's not worth pressing the matter at the moment.

But hey, maybe the tank won't sell, and then we'll be stuck with it!

[mfdrookie516]

Moved to General Hardware/Equipment Discussion

[Bl80]

Ya cost of a tube of silicone is about 3 bucks.... And a lil time... IMO btr than loosing money selling it, even more the cost of a new one. But I'm cheap and look for the deals that's why I keep adding tanks.... Lol

[Retired_AF]

I can understand his point of view. If you haven't done something like this before and realize that a mistake can cause a huge problem, then go for the easy solution. I would keep the other tank and try to reseal it as well. Then, if it passed the leak test as mentioned above, you could either use it as a quarantine tank or to start another tank. Or, you could get him to start one and we could have a new aquarist!

[kc2ped]

That picture reminds me of what tanks looked like in the old days when they had painted steel frames (not even stainless) that always rusted out around the top edge where the water got on them
They were sealed with black tar and if you left them empty for any appreciable period of time the tar would dry out, crack, and flake out of the inside corners and around the edges of the frame on the outside
Then the tank would start to leak
In those days we didn't have silicone so you bought a can of black tar and tried to fill the gaps with a putty knife
It wasn't pretty, nor were you after playing with that tar

Yeah, I'm an old fart