I hope this is normal

[jcarlilesiu]

Some of you know that this past christmas my girlfriend got me a 56 gallon column tank. Progressivly over the last 5 months, one of the seals on the corner has been breaking off in small chunks. Its the real thin part at the most edge of the sealant. Im just curious if this is normal. There are a couple of pictures below however arn't the best quality and my bala thinks im going to pet him everytime i walk up to the tank. I have a warranty with perfecto, just curious if this is something to worry about.

 

[TomK2]

Are you scraping this silicone when you clean the glass? My oceanic is nearing 10 years old, and there is only minor roughing of the edges of the silicone.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Um... not excessivly, sometimes i try to get the algae off the glass close to the corner and my little scratchy scrubber does rub on it a little bit. Also my mag float rubs it when in use at times. The odd part is, this is the only corner doing it

 

[tropicfishman]

I'd put your fish in a spare 10 or 29 gallon with the water from the tank and filter, even some of the gravel and decorations, then I'd buy some aquarium sealent and redo that corner and any otherplace that needs it, that could cuase a nasty leak in no time!!! aquarium sealent is safely dryed after about 48 hours and gains its optimal holding force after 7 days

 

[jcarlilesiu]

So even though its only 5 months old, i shouldn't contact the manufacturer?

 

[tropicfishman]

you could, seems like a big hassle though, they'd want you to send them the tank if its under warranty or they wouldn't cover it at all, you could try though, good luck lol

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Just an update... Perfecto is replacing the tank. Im a little upset about this because I just got the tank established really well. All my plants are rooted and growing very well, and now I am going to have to tear the whole tank down to replace it. No good

 

[Menagerie]

I'm glad to hear the tank is being replaced--but what a hassle! I would not have recommended resealing it yourself--it's a hassle and to do it properly, all the old silicone would have had to come out. Your plants will bounce back once the tank is switched over.

 

[Thebluyak]

what happens if you just put the new silicone overtop the old just as a re-assure patch?

 

[freefour]

It would be just that a "patch" . If you want to fix it do it right the first time instead now and again when the patch fails. You already would have it down might as well take that extra step.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Being that the tank is only 5 months old, i definately want to do it right. I paid alot for this set up and I don't want to short cut it.

As far as my plants go, those are what make me the most worried. The fish will be fine, and ornaments are no big deal, im more worried about the plants. They just recently began coming in real strong and propogating. I don't want to go though the whole algae in an unestablished aquarium again, I just got through that.

Thanks for your support, you are right what a hassle! but at least they are taking care of it for me.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Is it peeling all the way to the corner itself? If not, you could take an exactoknife and cut it from where it has pulled loose, back to the outer edge of the sealant (like a u-shaped cut), and remove it. That way it may keep it from pulling away closer and closer to the edge.

 

[DeFeKt]

good on you for getting it replaced.
thats what can happen when the tank gets filled before the glue has had a chance to cure properly.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

No it hasn't pulled away all the way to the corner, but it progressivly keeps getting worse. Not to mention, it isn't an isolated incident, its chewed up all the way down one side. Im going to pick up the replacement next wednesday, along with some big plastic tubs, its going to be a ton of work to tear it down and than replace everything and refill it. Maybe its for the better though. I neglected to put laterite under my substrate before, so I can do that now, as well as relocated a couple of plants that I don't really like their current location. Not to mention I don't have to worry about trying to reseal this tank in a couple of years when its out of warranty.