Seal Question

[nomadicreefer]

Hey all so cleaning up the tank and everything points to this just being minerals, salt creep hard water. The tank wa setup before no issues prior to me having it now. Flashlight test didn’t show any glaring gaps or noticeable issues. Interior seems smooth, but figured I’d ask!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@Troylee

 

[That Crusso Kid]

Hey all so cleaning up the tank and everything points to this just being minerals, salt creep hard water. The tank wa setup before no issues prior to me having it now. Flashlight test didn’t show any glaring gaps or noticeable issues. Interior seems smooth, but figured I’d ask!

I, personally, don't know if I would trust that reseal. Mostly because it's something that would keep me up at night. Well, up more than I am already up because I do not sleep much. Anyways, I have done quite a few reseals and, if you're handy and don't know how, it is not complicated but can be a little time consuming.

@Gumbies R Us is right by tagging my friend, @Troylee

I will also tag @UncommonSense as he has been redoing tanks recently and can help out too.

 

[nomadicreefer]

Hey all! It’s not a reseal this tank I got used from the LFS. The seam looks okay other than the thin line for deposits but figured I’d get another opinion

 

[UncommonSense]

Hey all! It’s not a reseal this tank I got used from the LFS. The seam looks okay other than the thin line for deposits but figured I’d get another opinion

This tank was definitely “resealed” by a prior owner, albeit poorly… the factory silicone is black, then there’s a film of clear silicone inside the tank over at least one vertical seam!

It’s worth noting that this sort of silicone application is purely cosmetic, and doesn’t improve structural glass:glass silicone seal strength appreciably…

— The structural seams look decent enough in every photo except the second one… that has me concerned… though, the focus, and photo angle make it challenging to tell for sure!

Would it be possible to get a few more photos of that second photo seam? Also, how thick is the glass?

 

[nomadicreefer]

Don’t know the thickness of the glass. However it’s braced on both sides and the middle and has trim on top and bottom.

It’s smooth on the inside, can’t peel anything with my fingernail and I don’t feel any lumps or voids. No leak when I use flashlight so I’m stumped.

 

[nomadicreefer]

Don’t know the thickness of the glass. However it’s braced on both sides and the middle and has trim on top and bottom.

It’s smooth on the inside, can’t peel anything with my fingernail and I don’t feel any lumps or voids. No leak when I use flashlight so I’m stumped.

 

[nomadicreefer]

 

[UncommonSense]

Don’t know the thickness of the glass

You can usually measure the front pane thickness by finding the edge of the pane in the front left or right corners!

However it’s braced on both sides and the middle and has trim on top and bottom.

Do the glass top braces appear to be factory installed? Or possibly added later? (A photo of a brace to tank silicone joint on one would help determine that)

It’s smooth on the inside, can’t peel anything with my fingernail and I don’t feel any lumps or voids.

You typically won’t feel the voids that matter, as they’ll be between the glass panes!

No leak when I use flashlight so I’m stumped.

The flashlight trick is used to look for irregular greyish areas within the black silicone; spotting for voids in black silicone by looking for an area where more light can pass through it!

— I don’t see anything alarming in your updated photos, but black silicone does a great job of hiding defects!

— I’d recommend just going over each seam from a few angles with a bright point source light like your phone’s flashlight… hunting for any unusual cloudy grey area within the glass:glass structural seams!

— if you cannot find anything suspicious, it’s worth filling up/leak testing outside, and doing the flashlight test again with tank full and all the silicone seams under load! (The silicone stretches out when water weight pushes on the glass panes)

— barring any ugly secrets being spotted during the leak test, I’d say this one’s still good to go!

 

[nomadicreefer]

Don’t know the thickness of the glass

You can usually measure the front pane thickness by finding the edge of the pane in the front left or right corners!

However it’s braced on both sides and the middle and has trim on top and bottom.

Do the glass top braces appear to be factory installed? Or possibly added later? (A photo of a brace to tank silicone joint on one would help determine that)

It’s smooth on the inside, can’t peel anything with my fingernail and I don’t feel any lumps or voids.

You typically won’t feel the voids that matter, as they’ll be between the glass panes!

No leak when I use flashlight so I’m stumped.

The flashlight trick is used to look for irregular greyish areas within the black silicone; spotting for voids in black silicone by looking for an area where more light can pass through it!

— I don’t see anything alarming in your updated photos, but black silicone does a great job of hiding defects!

— I’d recommend just going over each seam from a few angles with a bright point source light like your phone’s flashlight… hunting for any unusual cloudy grey area within the glass:glass structural seams!

— if you cannot find anything suspicious, it’s worth filling up/leak testing outside, and doing the flashlight test again with tank full and all the silicone seams under load! (The silicone stretches out when water weight pushes on the glass panes)

— barring any ugly secrets being spotted during the leak test, I’d say this one’s still good to go!

Thank you! I also have the LFS coming to do the fill on it and a maintenance check. They know at if any water even starts to seep from there it’s not going to be a good day for them.

 

[UncommonSense]

Thank you! I also have the LFS coming to do the fill on it and a maintenance check. They know at if any water even starts to seep from there it’s not going to be a good day for them.

Just be sure you’ve got the stand all leveled out nicely before filling!

It technically doesn’t need to be level, it just needs to be consistently flat across wherever it sits… (plane)

The problems arise when you have one high or low spot, or two in diagonally opposed corners! — the tank is then forced to try to twist by the water weight, peeling itself apart at the seams! (Don’t ask me how I know!)

 

[nomadicreefer]

The tank is level, stand level, I was obsessed with that. I’m going to have a camera on the tank 24/7 in case I’m not home etc.

I plan on also getting leak detectors just in case

 

[Troylee]

Uncommon nailed it.