How to Reseal A Red Sea Reefer 300XL

[fishproblem]

Just picked up a Red Sea Reefer 300 XL for cheap because, of course, the front panel came unglued.

I'm going to reseal the tank with ASI Silicone, and I understand how vitally important it is that the glass is clean and no old silicone remains before the new silicone goes on. But there are a couple things I want to be sure of before I start.

Can I remove and reseal the front panel, or do I have to dismantle and rebuild the entire tank?

I've heard of spacers people have used to get a consistent space between the panels to inject silicone. What are they? Can I use tile spacers and pull them out as I inject the silicone?

(Also, I only bought the tank - I'm building a custom stand that will support the entire tank all the way around.)

 

[Ron Reefman]

Can I remove and reseal the front panel, or do I have to dismantle and rebuild the entire tank?

You should be able to do just the front glass if you are VERY careful where the front glass, side glass and bottom glass all meet. But having built 10 tanks of my own, I'd ask you, why not redo the entire tank? If the front seal failed, I'd have concerns about the rest of the tank, especially over time.

I've heard of spacers people have used to get a consistent space between the panels to inject silicone. What are they? Can I use tile spacers and pull them out as I inject the silicone?

I've never used the injection method. I lay a heavy bead of silicone along the thin edge of the glass and clamp it on using just enough force to get a clear bond with no gaps or bubbles. Just for info, I've built 10+ tanks from 10g frag tanks to 90g cubes and have yet to have a tank fail.

 

[Dburr1014]

Just picked up a Red Sea Reefer 300 XL for cheap because, of course, the front panel came unglued.

I'm going to reseal the tank with ASI Silicone, and I understand how vitally important it is that the glass is clean and no old silicone remains before the new silicone goes on. But there are a couple things I want to be sure of before I start.

Can I remove and reseal the front panel, or do I have to dismantle and rebuild the entire tank?

I've heard of spacers people have used to get a consistent space between the panels to inject silicone. What are they? Can I use tile spacers and pull them out as I inject the silicone?

(Also, I only bought the tank - I'm building a custom stand that will support the entire tank all the way around.)

Best way to reseal a redsea tank is to buy another brand.

Joking of coarse,but I had to do it.

 

[fishproblem]

Best way to reseal a redsea tank is to buy another brand.

Joking of coarse,but I had to do it.

My grandma always says, "more truth is told in jest"

 

[fishproblem]

@Ron Reefman , I definitely have been considering the value of redoing the whole thing. Especially because of the area of concern that you mentioned. In those corners, there's always going to be a tiny spot where silicone meets nothing but cured silicone, so that could be a serious weakness, right?

 

[brandon429]

but how can this home brewed v1 be trusted

it'd be different if this was your 12th seal job, to look back on

api is a pro company and they are averaging 3 yrs max on their v1s

I vote new tank, you want to trust it solidly on year 6

recommend waterbox cade et al

 

[Ron Reefman]

@Ron Reefman , I definitely have been considering the value of redoing the whole thing. Especially because of the area of concern that you mentioned. In those corners, there's always going to be a tiny spot where silicone meets nothing but cured silicone, so that could be a serious weakness, right?

Yes. Silicone does not adhere to itself very well at all. You might try a small dab of 3M 5200 adhesive at those two corners. It takes 24 hours to cure, so plenty of time to run your bead of new silicone while the 5200 is still fresh and put up your front glass. I use inexpensive corner clamps at the top to get things square. Be sure to protect the glass if the clamps have metal ends. I use big clamps about 1/3rd and 2/3rds

of the way down the glass. Do NOT squeeze the clamps too tight. It's fairly easy to squeeze out to much of the silicone. It's easy to scrape off all the excess silicone that may squeeze out.

 

[fishproblem]

Yes. Silicone does not adhere to itself very well at all. You might try a small dab of 3M 5200 adhesive at those two corners. It takes 24 hours to cure, so plenty of time to run your bead of new silicone while the 5200 is still fresh and put up your front glass. I use inexpensive corner clamps at the top to get things square. Be sure to protect the glass if the clamps have metal ends. I use big clamps about 1/3rd and 2/3rds

of the way down the glass. Do NOT squeeze the clamps too tight. It's fairly easy to squeeze out to much of the silicone. It's easy to scrape off all the excess silicone that may squeeze out.

Thank you so much for the insights and advice, I really appreciate it. Going to use all the advice you've given me!

 

[aggrofish]

Years ago I picked up a reefer 350 with a cracked sump and a bubble in the front seal. For the front panel I cut out the section with the bubble, cleaned, and reapplied silicone. For the front glass of the sump I took off the front glass, bought glass online, and siliconed a new panel on. I didn’t even have clamps. I think I put a towel over the glass and used a couple bricks to weigh it down. first time doing anything like that and my hack job has held fpr years although it’s probably time to replace it with a waterbox.

 

[mfinn]

Just picked up a Red Sea Reefer 300 XL for cheap because, of course, the front panel came unglued.

I'm going to reseal the tank with ASI Silicone, and I understand how vitally important it is that the glass is clean and no old silicone remains before the new silicone goes on. But there are a couple things I want to be sure of before I start.

Can I remove and reseal the front panel, or do I have to dismantle and rebuild the entire tank?

I've heard of spacers people have used to get a consistent space between the panels to inject silicone. What are they? Can I use tile spacers and pull them out as I inject the silicone?

(Also, I only bought the tank - I'm building a custom stand that will support the entire tank all the way around.)

I would take the tank apart and rebuild it from scratch.
I'm not familiar with ASI Silicone, but I have use Momentive 103 and 108 on multiple occasions. Never had an issue.
I have only put together about 10 tanks and the biggest was a 60 gallon tank. I never used any spacers, probably because of the smaller sizes I made.
My only leaker was with All Glass silicone on a 30 gallon tank.

 

[braaap]

Is thousands of dollars in water damage worth it? Eliminate the risk and take advantage if IMs current year end sale on tanks.

 

[brandon429]

I heard it was possible to have a kit plane to carry one person made from internet plans and built from home depot parts, it's guaranteed to fly. no previous piloting experience necessary, first attempt is assured success

 

[JovannyNewbie]

Yes. Silicone does not adhere to itself very well at all. You might try a small dab of 3M 5200 adhesive at those two corners. It takes 24 hours to cure, so plenty of time to run your bead of new silicone while the 5200 is still fresh and put up your front glass. I use inexpensive corner clamps at the top to get things square. Be sure to protect the glass if the clamps have metal ends. I use big clamps about 1/3rd and 2/3rds

of the way down the glass. Do NOT squeeze the clamps too tight. It's fairly easy to squeeze out to much of the silicone. It's easy to scrape off all the excess silicone that may squeeze out.

I'm new here, first time exploring saltwater aquariums. I found a free Red Sea Refer 300 XL, with the front panel leaking. I was reading this forum and wanted to know how well does 3M 5200 hold up using your technique. I would just like to re-silicone the front panel instead of tanking apart the tank and re-silicone the entire tank. Would save me a lot of time.

I was reading other forums and learned that the Momentive RTV103 Silicone is the best to re-silicone the tank. Would it be okay to use this with the 3M 5200 there the existing silicon exist?

Thank you for your time and help

 

[Ron Reefman]

I'm new here, first time exploring saltwater aquariums. I found a free Red Sea Refer 300 XL, with the front panel leaking. I was reading this forum and wanted to know how well does 3M 5200 hold up using your technique. I would just like to re-silicone the front panel instead of tanking apart the tank and re-silicone the entire tank. Would save me a lot of time.

I was reading other forums and learned that the Momentive RTV103 Silicone is the best to re-silicone the tank. Would it be okay to use this with the 3M 5200 there the existing silicon exist?

Thank you for your time and help

I've never tried to fix a leaking tank without completely taking it apart. And cleaning off the old silicone is SUPER critical for a good seal on the rebuild. I was just suggesting a dab of 3M 5200 at the apex corners where there is already silicone between the side glass and the bottom glass. The rest of the new front should get silicone. I think 3M 5200 should bond to the silicone (both old and new) and glass better than old silicone to new silicone.

But that's just my opinion. If i were you, I'd take 3 small pieces of glass and do a test. It would take time, but that's WAY better than having a big tank start to leak in the future.

 

[mfinn]

I would just like to re-silicone the front panel instead of tanking apart the tank and re-silicone the entire tank. Would save me a lot of time.

I was reading other forums and learned that the Momentive RTV103 Silicone is the best to re-silicone the tank. Would it be okay to use this with the 3M 5200 there the existing silicon exist?

Thank you for your time and help

There are so many threads about failures and people relating their experiences.
Seems like the failures far out number the successful. And at what point is it a success? 6 months, 1 year, 2 years? Or how long do you expect it to last?
I tried it once years ago and it failed within a couple months.
About 10 years ago I had a 240 that started leaking and gave it away. I told the person who wanted it, said they had a "experienced" guy to reseal it ( without taking it apart).
About 5 months later I got a call early one Sunday morning from the person asking me what they should do because the newly resealed tank now had a 6" long gap in a bottom seam that was pouring out water.
How much time and money would you save if it failed a few months down the road when it's full?

 

[JovannyNewbie]

Thank you guys for the suggestions. I know it will be a risk re-silicone the tank but I just don't have enough funds to purchase a new rimless tank. I'm willing to take the risk and effort to take apart the entire tank and re-silicone in to have a stronger seal. The tank will be setup in the garage so there should be no damage to the home. Worst case scenario the tank leaks again, I would have to settle using a 40 gallon breeder tank

Anyway I will do updates in the future if the tanks is holding up or is leaks again

 

[Ziggy17]

Any updates?

 

[JovannyNewbie]

Any updates?

Sorry I didn't respond earlier I don't go on here often. So when I was removing the silicone in the front panel it was taking too long so I decided to use 3M 5200 in the corner where the old silicone would meet the new silicone. I only resilicone the front panel and left it dry for 6 days. My silicone work was not the best. I filled it with water after and I ran a power head to move the water around. To this day it still is holding water and not leaking.
I still haven't started the tank because I'm trying to get equipment for cheap not looking to spend a lot right now. Looking for a light and skimmer. Any recommendations?

 

[Ziggy17]

Good on you for giving it a go, and successfully. There’s no secret sauce for sealing a tank like some may think. Clean the surfaces, bond the surfaces. That’s all they do at the manufacturer.
For a skimmer…. If you can pick up a used bubble magus, grab one. I have a 3.5 on my 300XL and it does a wonderful job. And they are workhorses as well.
As for lights, I have 2 AI Hydra 16s and they work just fine. Because I don’t have a spa tank, I run them at 55%. I picked both up for $150….

 

[JovannyNewbie]

Thank you, I was looking into getting AI Hydra 16s or 32s for this tank (Red Sea Refer 300 XL). Would I go for 2, Hydra 16s or 1, Hydra 32s? One AI Hydra 32s wouldn't completely cover the whole take or should I get a second one. I still don't have a plan for this tank but I do want some coral and some anemone for sure.