Where are you located? If your anywhere close I’d be happy to lend a hand. I’ve resealed several tanks with no issues.
So my new 400g has a very slow leak somewhere in the bottom seam, but I don't have the means to reseal the entire tank, suggestions?
- Thread starter slimey_frog
- Start date
So I've discovered that the panels dont actually touch glass to glass when I've started stripping this. Is this internal seam going to cause me problems or will it be fine so long as my replacement bead is large enough to form that new triangle?
Glass should never touch glass. The seam you are seeing is actually what holds the panles together. Typical it will be about an 1/8th of an inch. The silicon you are stripping off is your actual seal. That is what technically holds the water in.
So I didn’t actually answer your question.
Yes the new triangle bead will be your seal. Keep in mind that the thicker it is (build up of silicon in the center of the bead, not the width) will take longer to cure. You will want to wait a minimum of 7 days before adding water. At the 7 day mark lightly press on the silicon, it should be firm and not squishy. If it’s still squishy wait another 7 days. If it is not then I’d advise fill the tank let it run for 24 hours drain rinse and refill and add your conditioner. In 12 to 24 hours test your water and then start your cycling.
This is exactly what I did for my tank and every fish was happy healthy and loving their new setup.
Yes the new triangle bead will be your seal. Keep in mind that the thicker it is (build up of silicon in the center of the bead, not the width) will take longer to cure. You will want to wait a minimum of 7 days before adding water. At the 7 day mark lightly press on the silicon, it should be firm and not squishy. If it’s still squishy wait another 7 days. If it is not then I’d advise fill the tank let it run for 24 hours drain rinse and refill and add your conditioner. In 12 to 24 hours test your water and then start your cycling.
This is exactly what I did for my tank and every fish was happy healthy and loving their new setup.
Yes, even in an all-glass tank, none of the glass panels are actually contacting each other. This tank is built differently; it is a metal frame with the panels glued individually to the frame, so the larger gap you discovered is not surprising You can and should remove as much silicone as possible but without damaging the thin layer that actually holds the glass to the frame. That layer would be pretty difficult for you to access in this tank so you're pretty safe.
The only catch here is that, since the gap along the seams is larger, the bead you apply will need to be large/wide enough to span the entire gap and bond securely to the glass on either side. It will also need to be thick enough to cover the gap all the way across and remain solid despite the fact that it is not actually adhering to the old silicone within that gap.
You are going to use several times as much silicone to do this job as you would if it were a standard all-glass tank where the new bead can be very small and thin. Buy lots; you simply cannot take the chance of running out midway. It must be done all at the same time or else all your work is useless and you would need to start again from scratch.
You should also probably accept that this won't be the sleek sexy little seam we typically expect to see in the corners of professionally-constructed all-glass tanks. But this tank can definitely be waterproof again. Make it so!
The only catch here is that, since the gap along the seams is larger, the bead you apply will need to be large/wide enough to span the entire gap and bond securely to the glass on either side. It will also need to be thick enough to cover the gap all the way across and remain solid despite the fact that it is not actually adhering to the old silicone within that gap.
You are going to use several times as much silicone to do this job as you would if it were a standard all-glass tank where the new bead can be very small and thin. Buy lots; you simply cannot take the chance of running out midway. It must be done all at the same time or else all your work is useless and you would need to start again from scratch.
You should also probably accept that this won't be the sleek sexy little seam we typically expect to see in the corners of professionally-constructed all-glass tanks. But this tank can definitely be waterproof again. Make it so!
