Which silicone to use? ??????

[earhtmother]

I need to reseal the bottom seams of my 55g as I seem to have developed a leak - I was sure I had written down which silicone was aquarium approved but I'll be ****ed if I can find the note now. I am in Canada if that makea a difference. I picked up the only one I could find that DIDN'T say mildew resistant on the off chance that was it but am jot ising ut til I can get confirmation as none of the tubes mentioned aquarium use/non-use at all although I am sure some used to

On a side note do I have try and scrape out the old silicone or can I just apply the new over top?

 

[IHaveAquariums]

I believe it's ok to use as long as it has no mildew additives... Not 100% sure though, can you add a picture of it? And no you don't need to scrape the old seal off, just apply it, spread it, and let it dry. Should fix the leak right up

 

[King Fisher]

Not up to speed on silicones for tanks. I would scrape it personally not only because I'm anal but also because if it's uneven and you get an air pocket the silicone will lose it's seal around it. I've siliconed plenty of things and found this to be true and imagine it works the same on glass or acrylic tanks.

 

[King Fisher]

Also when you silicone the corner seam make a thick bead then take a thick paper towel, get it wet then spread the silicone with it. Use light pressure when doing this. Should give you a nice smooth seam. If you already know this or a better way I apologize in advance.

 

[coralbandit]

My understanding is silicone does not stick to itself ?
I could be wrong I have never sealed a tank...
But I would remove caulk inside the tank but not between the glass...
GE silicone #1 I believe is the good stuff.. No fungicides .

 

[Funken_A]

GE silicone #1 I believe is the good stuff.. No fungicides .

This is what you use.. BUT as mentioned you need ot get the glass very clean. Not sure what is best to use to clean up old silicone but there are micro-pores in the glass that needs to be cleaned to get the best REseal of silicone.

GE SIlicone 1 is very aquarium safe, you need ot figure out the best way to clean the old silicone off before re-applying

 

[earhtmother]

Anyone here have any ideas on this? I rehomed the fish to a 35 and a few of my other tanks hut that 35 really is too small for my taste so would like to get the 55g up & running again ASAP. In the "old" days I would have just wiped it down, resealed & run with it but now I *try* to "do it right"

 

[IHaveAquariums]

I've had to reseal my 36g, I used GE 1, didn't scrape the old seal off, just spread it nice and good on top of the original, cleaned up the edging, let it harden, and haven't had any problems since

 

[coralbandit]

If you go over old just make sure you get a good amount on the glass[1/4 -1/2 inch] on each side of old..
I think most scrape with razor all the caulk out [besides that in between glass] and thoroughly wipe down the area to be caulked with alcohol.. No residue can remain.Glass needs to be clean.
Tape about 1/2 inch from where glass meets on both sides so the caulk will be neat.
Caulk ,smooth and then peel the tape while silicone is still not cured.
I would let a tank cure for AT LEAST a week [I would wait a month myself] although many seem to fill and test two days later...
In my many years this is what I understand...
I would not caulk a tank or keep a tank not factory caulked unless the caulker was a pro..Just me.
I caulk for a living [roofer] where it is not as important and never trust any of it...

 

[earhtmother]

I am not a fan of using recaulked tanks

 

[earhtmother]

**** stiff fingers/hands & apparently highly sensitive touch screen
As I was trying to say, not a fan of recaulked seams but right now $$ dictate repairing as opposed to replacing at least for a few months (or an awesome deal comes up) figured I would let it cure 10 days or so since I only get 2 days off weekly and that will be Wed/Thurs this week so that leaves next week or the week after for switch over.