aquarium silicone issue...

[Bluemonster107]

Problem.... Turtles needed a bigger home I say....Expand the tank size I say... it will be fun I say.... cant find anything local... look on craigs list I say....
"Huston... we have a problem"..... so I should have figured there had to be some sort of leak or spill when the corner of the tank had calcification .... should have filled it half way to check first... yeah.. hind sight....
anyway.... I have located water 'seeping' from a small area on the front right aquarium vertical edge.
I obviously need to drain the water, dry, scrape, clean and re-silicone.... however... I see a few conflicting views on the web and reaching out to see if anyone has recommendation here.....
Some of the views say to NOT DISTURB the vertical seam between the glass pane and only remove the inner silicone ON the glass/corner edge ONLY.
however... then I see some say to run a flat razor through the glass pane seam and when silicone the edge... push into that seam and then continue to run a bead on top?
Oh boy....
My plan at this point is to just remove the vertical silicone on the inside and leave the actual 'seam' (glass edge to glass edge) alone on that one leak.... and then also seal all four OUTTER edges with the Flex Seal Liquid -Clear.
Chime in please!! anyone with suggestions or experience greatly appreciated!!

 

[Yvonne G]

The commercial for Flex Seal says you can even use it on containers full of water. But if it were me, I'd dry it all out and re-do the interior seam.

 

[Bluemonster107]

The commercial for Flex Seal says you can even use it on containers full of water. But if it were me, I'd dry it all out and re-do the interior seam.

yea... the flex seal 'liquid' is safe for pond use when fully cured... however... they still don't recommend it fully immersed constantly...I don't get that.. haha... but I wasn't intending to use it on the inside... just to reinforce the outside... like a big cocoon ... in addition to reseal the inside silicone edge.

 

[wellington]

I would only do the inside seam. The leak is coming from the inside. No reason to do the outside.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Completely dry it either in the sun or with a hair dryer. Clean all the surfaces with a razor blade and alcohol. And then reseal the inside bead with aquarium silicone.
let it cure overnight. Done.
.

 

[Markw84]

Completely dry it either in the sun or with a hair dryer. Clean all the surfaces with a razor blade and alcohol. And then reseal the inside bead with aquarium silicone.
let it cure overnight. Done.
.

Agree completely with @ZEROPILOT , except I would let I cure a few days to really set the silicone and off gas completely as part of the setting process. Be sure you are using 100% silicone, not mold resistant, etc. Normally Silicone One. Better still order some Aquarium sealer silicone. When I set my large pond windows, I prefer the stuff make to not just seal but adhere and has the strength to hold an aquarium together. I order it online in the large caulking gun tubes. It is made specifically for binding aquarium glass together, and uses a more benign chemical it sets with that is more fish=friendly in off-gassing.

 

[Bluemonster107]

thanks so much!!!!... yes... I only use 'Aquarium Silicone'.... I have other tropical fish aquariums that I need it for.... I have some trouble maker eels that like to take fake plants apart ... anyway....
I have been told you can use 100 percent silicone with no additive crap... but I still only use the one by DAP that says 'aquarium safe' on it
and is the consensus to clean area after scraping... with Alcohol? and not Acetone?

 

[Markw84]

I've used acetone. I think alcohol would be fine too

 

[Moozillion]

Problem.... Turtles needed a bigger home I say....Expand the tank size I say... it will be fun I say.... cant find anything local... look on craigs list I say....
"Huston... we have a problem"..... so I should have figured there had to be some sort of leak or spill when the corner of the tank had calcification .... should have filled it half way to check first... yeah.. hind sight....
anyway.... I have located water 'seeping' from a small area on the front right aquarium vertical edge.
I obviously need to drain the water, dry, scrape, clean and re-silicone.... however... I see a few conflicting views on the web and reaching out to see if anyone has recommendation here.....
Some of the views say to NOT DISTURB the vertical seam between the glass pane and only remove the inner silicone ON the glass/corner edge ONLY.
however... then I see some say to run a flat razor through the glass pane seam and when silicone the edge... push into that seam and then continue to run a bead on top?
Oh boy....
My plan at this point is to just remove the vertical silicone on the inside and leave the actual 'seam' (glass edge to glass edge) alone on that one leak.... and then also seal all four OUTTER edges with the Flex Seal Liquid -Clear.
Chime in please!! anyone with suggestions or experience greatly appreciated!!

Oh, WOW!!!! I have NO CLUE, but will be following this thread for sure....
GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

 

[Bluemonster107]

Oh, WOW!!!! I have NO CLUE, but will be following this thread for sure....
GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

haha... yes.. quite an adventure so far.... the fish are pissed and the turtles just wish I would leave them alone ..... when all I was trying to do was offer them a nice place ..... so far the water is all out ... fan on it drying the edges.... and then I notice (yeah... must have been blind when I brought it home)... the inside panes of ALL 4 corners silicone is virtually non-existent!!! ..... so I will be resiliconeing (if that is even a thing ) all four corner laterals.... nice!
I guess on a positive note is that the lack of silicone will make is easy to scrape off?!?!?! lol......
oh well.... it is what it is...

 

[Moozillion]

haha... yes.. quite an adventure so far.... the fish are pissed and the turtles just wish I would leave them alone ..... when all I was trying to do was offer them a nice place ..... so far the water is all out ... fan on it drying the edges.... and then I notice (yeah... must have been blind when I brought it home)... the inside panes of ALL 4 corners silicone is virtually non-existent!!! ..... so I will be resiliconeing (if that is even a thing ) all four corner laterals.... nice!
I guess on a positive note is that the lack of silicone will make is easy to scrape off?!?!?! lol......
oh well.... it is what it is...

WOW!!!! At least you located the problem!

 

[Bluemonster107]

and alas..... the silicone re-do on the 120g ... done! .... 3 days later... i only did the 4 laterals, not the bottom.... as i didn't want to touch what didn't seem to have anything wrong (lots of silicone already and a pretty good seal line)..... a pic of their new home attached. Their friends (the huge goldies) are not in just yet ... as they are a little more sensitive to an 'uncycled' tank than the turts (since they actually breathe the water )... but with a lot of the same filter media with good bacteria and existing rocks from the older tank.... should be good soon..... they are not too happy right now in a bucket

 

[Markw84]

Love the tank setup. I really like the full tank with the turtle top sitting on top of the tank so it can be totally filled with water. I've always done that with my tanks and think they are much nicer setups that way and give lots of room and viewing.

Great job!

 

[Bluemonster107]

Thanks markw84!! Yeah.. in addition filling with water and getting full tank use.... it also keeps me from having to look at a "hard water" line stain midway up on the glass
I also have a little waterfall on the backdrop, but its point of water entrance shifted to right over center brace when I moved over to the larger tank... so I will have to reconfigure that still.
And I just couldn't decide what kind of basking spot so one is a ceramic tile with plexi sides and the other is a sealed wood/linoleum piece with egg crate sides.... I am hoping they use both!!!!