catastrophe on easter

[mikey_p]

As i m drinking my coffee this morning I'm checking my tank out its a 210g just started it up the other day so was checking everything out then I hear a pop n out goes the bottom seal I cut off pumps n grabbed a hose n started draining what I could outside but that barely helped as my house flooded quickly so now on to reasealing it pulled bottom glass off (was very easy) n inspected rest of seems and decided that to avoid another disaster I'ma pull all glass n redo whole tank...

before water was added

Now my question is having a bigger overflow better or not mine are 11x11 but I'm thinking of cutting them smaller any info appreciated

 

[mikey_p]

also does any one know were i could get some new frames for this beast from or if i could even make them myself tank is 84x24

 

[Humblefish]

Don't take this the wrong way but ... Are you familiar with how to reseal a tank? It's not as easy as it sounds.

 

[glb]

Don't take this the wrong way but ... Are you familiar with how to reseal a tank? It's not as easy as it sounds.

Agreed with the same sentiment. We'd hate to see you have another disaster! Did you build the tank originally? I've never reassembled a tank but I'd be wary of fixing it myself if I didn't know why it broke in the first place.

 

[bboyvital]

sounds like a cool project. id also double check the stand to make sure it is completely level.

 

[mikey_p]

well its a old tank and the previous owner left it outside in the sun for years so im sure thats why it broke...and me and a buddy resealed his half circle tank the other week we pulled the bottom off and redid it no problems there i also have a buddy of mine giving me a hand with doing this he has done a few of them so it should go ok splitting the last piece tommorow and cleaning it up good i will keep updates

 

[redfishbluefish]

Sounds pretty ambitious! At least use the right silicone....an RTV silicone.

 

[mikey_p]

well i got the tank for free so i figure why not give it a shot and what kind of rtv silicone should i use i was gonna use ge I silicone 100% thats what we used on my buddy tank n it worked

 

[redfishbluefish]

GE Silicone I is great as a caulk while the RTV silicone also has an adhesive quality. You will want either RTV 103 (black) or RTV 108 (translucent), dependent on the look you want. There might be other RTV's that would work, but these are the two that I've familiar with.

 

[Vanmo92]

well i got the tank for free so i figure why not give it a shot and what kind of rtv silicone should i use i was gonna use ge I silicone 100% thats what we used on my buddy tank n it worked

Your house is deffinitly build differntly than mine. If nearly 200g's of saltwater went into my floor I'd be reconsidering my choice of hobby, not looking to do it all again. Haha more realistically I'd be looking for a new house where I can get away with that!!

 

[mikey_p]

well it happened in living room and it has tile floors and ground floor so i just pushed it outside and shop vaced it up

 

[mikey_p]

Just a little update tore whole tank apart n put all glass back together n sealed it tested it for a few days with no leaks so went ahead n filled her back up

so far so good gonna wait a few weeks n do some water changes then start adding fish n corals gonna add my live rock tommorow

 

[saltyphish]

I have never heard of using RTV silicone, is it reef safe? I know the GE 1 Silicone is and a lot of people recommend using it to build aquariums. Not saying your wrong. I am about to build my own tank and would like to know why you think that. Thanks.

GE Silicone I is great as a caulk while the RTV silicone also has an adhesive quality. You will want either RTV 103 (black) or RTV 108 (translucent), dependent on the look you want. There might be other RTV's that would work, but these are the two that I've familiar with.

 

[GKorals]

serious guts!! Looks freakin awesome though, can't wait to see what it looks like filled up

 

[mikey_p]

I used GE 1 clear silicone to rebuild the whole tank we contacted a tank builder in Miami n he reccomended that so that's what I used n it worked

 

[mikey_p]

Gkorals thanks I did black sand with it filled it with sea water since I am waiting for salt to come in next is to finish the ato

 

[redfishbluefish]

I have never heard of using RTV silicone, is it reef safe? I know the GE 1 Silicone is and a lot of people recommend using it to build aquariums. Not saying your wrong. I am about to build my own tank and would like to know why you think that. Thanks.

RTV is safe to use with aquariums. Long history, especially with large tanks.


Have people successfully built tanks with GE Silicone I.....Yes. Are there other silicones that have better adhesive properties.....Yes. I prefer these silicones for tank construction, while I use GE I exclusively for baffles in sumps.

 

[kchapmanjr]

I have first hand experience with RTV 103 (black). I completely broke down and resealed a 90 gallon with it two years ago with no problems. I will say this though... The stuff is no joke. When they say you have about 5 minutes to work it, they mean it. I literally had time to put my bead on and run my smoother over it and then it was set. Probably closer to 3 minutes set time. I would need a chisel and razor blade and about 4 hours to get it off if I were so inclined.