Ok I replaced the panel yesterday. Now that I've done it I can share my experience. I installed a front and side panel on a 170 gallon glass aquarium. It was farley easy to do! I cut out the old peace, being very carful not to break or chip any other panels I want to keep. I cleaned all surfaces being sure to remove all the old silicone. I wiped all the surfaces that will come in contact with silicone down with rubbing alcohol. This will ensure a good bond between the glass. Everyone I have talked to says put the glass in before you glue! That's not good practice! You MUST put glue on the surface that you will be setting the new glass on first! Use alot of glue at this point! When you set the new glass in place, you want to see the glue ooz out on both sides of the glass! The oozing will push out any air bubbles that may get trapped in between the glass. Now, what a good set looks like from the edge, will have no air bubbles trapped between the glass! If air bubbles are present, it could be a weak spot in the seal! 1 or 2 very small air bubbles may be ok, but you never know! Now this step is optional. Wait 24 hours and carve out all the oozed out silicone, and resesl the entire aquarium.you've gone as far as replacing a panel, you might as well resesl the whole tank while your at it just yo be sure of no leaks. Use these simple steps and your panel replacement should turn out great and have no leaks to ever worry about! I hope I covered everything! If I missed anything I will post it later. I hope this helps everyone!
