Should I reinforce this silicone?

Narideth

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So, Petco had their 3 gallon rimless cube Aqueon tanks on sale for 50% off, and that was just a deal I could not pass up. The problem is, that there's a 1/3 maybe 1/4 lean in the reviews for the tanks leaking, and not immediately but over a short period of time 1-6 months.

Now this is just a 3 gallon. I haven't tested it at all - it's still in the box even. I have a fresh tube of clear silicone sealant and I'm wondering if it would accomplish anything to create a secondary seal over the original silicone.

Now I know silicone doesn't bond to silicone - I'm talking about extending the seal to create a new glass to glass bond that goes over the original seal. The purpose of this would be just as a layer of insurance/protection against leaks, particularly around the bottom which will end up covered with substrate so you won't see it anyway. Since I haven't tested it and the reviews claim the leaks ended up happening after the tanks had been set up for a while, even if it held water now, it might not shortly into the future, which means I can't even return it at that point.

These reviews are for ALL of the rimless tanks in their assorted sizes, and they go up in size to 60 gallons, and I actually own the 14 gallon cube - it's been up for 2 years without any issues so far (knock on ALL of the wood). There's no way to tell what sizes are prone to leaking.

End question: Would adding a second layer of silicone cause any harm to the tank, assuming I test it and it holds water to begin with. (I'm not playing the game of patching a leak I know exists)
 
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Narideth

Narideth

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It won't harm the tank but it probably won't help you if the main silicone seals fail.

Hrm. I didn't quite realize what a gamble the quality of these tanks were to begin with, but 3 gallons is such a small amount. Barely 25lbs of pressure. Suppose it's just a gamble either way but it feels like a small one all around. I may do the 2nd seal for relative peace of mind.
 

blaxsun

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Hrm. I didn't quite realize what a gamble the quality of these tanks were to begin with, but 3 gallons is such a small amount. Barely 25lbs of pressure. Suppose it's just a gamble either way but it feels like a small one all around. I may do the 2nd seal for relative peace of mind.
Now you know why they're 50% off... (they won't leak 50% of the time, lol!)
 
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Narideth

Narideth

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Now you know why they're 50% off... (they won't leak 50% of the time, lol!)
lol! It's less than 50% chance of leaking, but still pretty high all things considered. How wild that Aqueon would produce such terrible tanks.
 

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