Question on film on back of Aquarium and replacing silicone

iloveswfish · Oct 25, 2014

i have two things i am trying to do on this aquarium i just got.

1. there is a film where there was some coraline algae that i scrapped off and i a having alot of problems getting it off. i have tried vinegar and hot water and tooth paste neither has worked.

2. not sure how old the tank is but i just watched a video on you tube about changing the silicone and it does not look like it is too hard to do, if anyone has done it can you tell me how hard it is, i have plenty of time to be able to take my time, it looks like you scrape it off and then use masking take to tape off where the silicone is gong to go. then you let it dry for 48 hrs and water test it.

please let me know if you have any tricks for the two thngs i am trying to do.

leptang · Oct 26, 2014

Silicone doesn't stick well to silicone, the space between the glass is silicone that is a super strong type and the silicone you apply will not bond well to that strip. The glass needs to be clean spotless then with alcohol to remove any oils that maybe on the glass. Thats about all I know about it, I have never resealed a tank so I couldn't say if its safe or not.

But one thing I do know is just scrubbing coralline with vinegar will be time consuming. But on the other hand you could add 2 gallons of vinegar to 30 gallons of freshwater and fully submerge all the coralline algae for an hour then scrub it off still submerged in the vinegar water, much easier to do allowing the acid to break down the minerals on a time frame.

143MPCo · Oct 26, 2014

I had the same issues with a 180g I got used, I think I might have even seen the same video as you did, and posted to RC requesting tips and tricks to get it done right. Received nothing but comments on how it can't be done, or you should blow it apart and re-silicone the whole tank, in the end I just went for it and you can see the results on my Fish Tank Room build here.

Keep in mind that what you are replacing is NOT a "structural component" the silicone between the panels is the structural component, but you also want to protect that as much as you can so I would follow the video and you will be fine. I used RTV100 Series - Momentive this is an adhesive and a sealant, you will need to work fast as it forms a skin quickly.

143MPCo · Oct 26, 2014

Wanted to add an additional note, if the tank leaks in its "as is" state, the above will NOT work and you should consider blowing it apart and re-silicone the entire thing. Reason is that a leak would be an indication of a structural failure and require a full tank reseal.