Is this silicone seam ok?

[Domi]

Hello,

My custom aquariums seam seems to have some coraline/sand infiltrating the edge of the seam. Is this still normal or do I have to worry? The aquarium is two years old and the builder of the aquarium does not reply my e-mails.

Thanks in advance,
Dominik

 

[UncommonSense]

Hello,

My custom aquariums seam seems to have some coraline/sand infiltrating the edge of the seam. Is this still normal or do I have to worry? The aquarium is two years old and the builder of the aquarium does not reply my e-mails.

Thanks in advance,
Dominik

This doesn’t look particularly bad… I’m unfamiliar with these tanks, and it’s hard to say if there’s a cosmetic internal fillet of silicone prior to the structural glass:glass silicone seam or not from the photo above…

Best-case scenario is the tank has that cosmetic interior silicone, and it got nicked while cleaning at some point, allowing algae and sand to ingress!

Worst case scenario is a Red Sea-esque silicone failure in progress… to double check for that, I’d recommend shining a bright point source of light, like your phone’s flashlight at that seam from various angles, closely inspecting for any discoloration or anything abnormal aside from a consistent silicone!

 

[Domi]

This doesn’t look particularly bad… I’m unfamiliar with these tanks, and it’s hard to say if there’s a cosmetic internal fillet of silicone prior to the structural glass:glass silicone seam or not from the photo above…

Best-case scenario is the tank has that cosmetic interior silicone, and it got nicked while cleaning at some point, allowing algae and sand to ingress!

Worst case scenario is a Red Sea-esque silicone failure in progress… to double check for that, I’d recommend shining a bright point source of light, like your phone’s flashlight at that seam from various angles, closely inspecting for any discoloration or anything abnormal aside from a consistent silicone!

Thanks a lot for the feedback, I will check with a flashlight in the evening.
It is in fact a custom replacement tank that I got to replace a RedSea 525XL because I did not trust it. Hope not to be in the same situation again.
How do I know if there is cosmetic interior silicone?

 

[PPBlimpy]

Looks to me like it was nicked with a scrapper and stuff settled in it. Does not appear to be a seam failure but I would definitely keep an eye on it

 

[allof fish]

Thanks a lot for the feedback, I will check with a flashlight in the evening.
It is in fact a custom replacement tank that I got to replace a RedSea 525XL because I did not trust it. Hope not to be in the same situation again.
How do I know if there is cosmetic interior silicone?

If it’s a Red Sea I would not be concerned with the tank. Is that hdpe board on the glass? Red Sea tanks are actually well built. The problem are the stands, unless they fixed all the issues with the hanging panel. The poorly designed stands would put too much weight on the glass and seams that’s why they have failed in the past. If your stand is good and the panel isn’t hanging off I wouldn’t be too concerned

 

[UncommonSense]

How do I know if there is cosmetic interior silicone?

There will be silicone physically visible inside the aquarium at the bottom perimeter, and possibly vertical corners, not just what you see between the glass panes!

If it’s a Red Sea I would not be concerned with the tank. Is that hdpe board on the glass? Red Sea tanks are actually well built. The problem are the stands, unless they fixed all the issues with the hanging panel. The poorly designed stands would put too much weight on the glass and seams that’s why they have failed in the past. If your stand is good and the panel isn’t hanging off I wouldn’t be too concerned

This is precisely what Red Sea would love you to believe… they’d also like you to believe that they fixed it with stand upgrades over time…

In reality? It’s the silicone… I’ve taken apart and seen enough of these tanks to be confident of that…

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/red-sea-aquarium-autopsy-reefer-xl425-g1.1146139/

 

[Domi]

There will be silicone physically visible inside the aquarium at the bottom perimeter, and possibly vertical corners, not just what you see between the glass panes!


This is precisely what Red Sea would love you to believe… they’d also like you to believe that they fixed it with stand upgrades over time…

In reality? It’s the silicone… I’ve taken apart and seen enough of these tanks to be confident of that…

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/red-sea-aquarium-autopsy-reefer-xl425-g1.1146139/

Thanks, I checked and it has a silicone bead inside and I do not see anything going below the cosmetic silicone. So It looks like it is fine but will keep an eye on it regardless.