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Keither 
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 Topic: Rebuilding a 55 glass tank
Posted: March 10 2004 at 3:21pm |
Has anyone had experience rebuilding a tank? I have an old 55 Gallon with bottom tempered and thinck-sided glass that has a small leak on one corner where the seal is coming undone. The other 3 are clean.
IS it worth the time stripping it out and re-siliconing it whole thing--even the glass joints? I would rebuild the frame in oak or something classy, but is it worth my time? Silicone is cheap  , and tanks are not  .
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Keither
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Carl
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Posted: March 10 2004 at 3:44pm |
IMO, it depends on how much your time is worth to you and what your experience level is. Just as Pistonfister about repairing tanks. 
Personally, I think that it's worth the money to get one with overflows, etc.
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In Syracuse
"I believe that forgiving them is God's function. Our job is simply to arrange the meeting." - Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf
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Summertop
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Posted: March 10 2004 at 4:08pm |
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My brother tried to re-silicone a 55 gallon tank. He didn't realize that the old silicone leaves a film that MUST be removed. the new silicone didn't adhere strong enough because of the old film. The seams came apart and drained the entire tank in seconds. So be careful....
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Shawn Winterbottom
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jfinch
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Posted: March 10 2004 at 4:21pm |
I've never done it, but if someone were to give me 5 very large sheets of thick glass I know I would try .
If you do, be sure to clean the glass very good as Shawn mentions. Also take note on the glass edges, they don't actually touch. There is a thin 1/32" to 1/16" film of silicone. Try to duplicate that. Search for a post by my somewhere here on how to get factory perfect siliconed corners too. I use GE Door and Window silicone 1 for all my aquatic needs.
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coreyk
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Posted: March 10 2004 at 4:44pm |
 Summertop wrote:
My brother tried to re-silicone a 55 gallon tank. He didn't realize that the old silicone leaves a film that MUST be removed. the new silicone didn't adhere strong enough because of the old film. The seams came apart and drained the entire tank in seconds. So be careful.... |
how long did it take before that happened? i just re-sealed a 50g, but i only water tested it for a week. 
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Keither
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Posted: March 10 2004 at 5:26pm |
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Is mechanical means the only way of removing the silicon from the joints?
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Keither
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Posted: March 10 2004 at 6:02pm |
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Jfinch-- where do you get "I use GE Door and Window silicone 1" I'd be interested in tracking some down.
Thanx
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kd7hfw
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Posted: March 10 2004 at 6:47pm |
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I used to work at True Value Hardware in West Valley. They carried GE Door and Window silicone 1 when I was there. Most hardware stores should have it
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Skyetone
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Posted: March 10 2004 at 9:16pm |
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i do all my glass tanks> easy i could do it for you for a few bucks>
one hundred percent sylicone and a strait razorblade to remove all the leftover film>
i did a thirty gallon in about two hours for my sump then dried overnight
i have done about five tanks including my two eighty gallon
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I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it.
Magna
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jfinch
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Posted: March 10 2004 at 10:19pm |
where do you get "I use GE Door and Window silicone 1" I'd be interested in tracking some down.
Home depot, Lowes, Ace (as mentioned), almost any hardware store. The Silicone II product contains fungicides so I would not suggest it. I would probably use any 100% silicone that does not contain a fungicide, the GE product is just the most common.
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Skyetone
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Posted: March 11 2004 at 7:19am |
I used ge1 and ge2 one time and they didn't bond together. I thought that was weird. I ran out of 1 about half way through a 75 gallon and I had some 2 so I continued with that, and it leaked right at that seam break.
Jfinch.... What do you mean fungicide? How would that help in normal aplications? Has anyone figured out if the bathroom 100% is the same as door and glass 100%?
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I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it.
Magna
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jfinch
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Posted: March 11 2004 at 7:35am |
Fungicide does not help. You don't want a fungicide in your tank. GE II contains fungicide because it's meant to be used in the bathroom where mold is an issue. GE I is for door and windows and does not contain fungicide.
Fungicides kill fungus' and other micro/protozoan life, something you don't want to happen in your tank.
Edited by jfinch
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Summertop
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Posted: March 11 2004 at 3:28pm |
coreyk wrote:
Summertop wrote:
My brother tried to re-silicone a 55 gallon tank. He didn't realize that the old silicone leaves a film that MUST be removed. the new silicone didn't adhere strong enough because of the old film. The seams came apart and drained the entire tank in seconds. So be careful.... |
how long did it take before that happened? i just re-sealed a 50g, but i only water tested it for a week.
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If I recall correctly, about 10 days.
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Shawn Winterbottom
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Skyetone
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Posted: March 11 2004 at 5:59pm |
jfinch wrote:
Fungicide does not help. You don't want a fungicide in your tank. GE II contains fungicide because it's meant to be used in the bathroom where mold is an issue. GE I is for door and windows and does not contain fungicide.
Fungicides kill fungus' and other micro/protozoan life, something you don't want to happen in your tank.
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That make alot of scence. I never thought of that. But 2 is also door and window, so would it have the fungiside in it? Or JUST the bathroom stuff?
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I will just give my warning that your system will flood, bulbs will burn out, and things will take continuous maintenance... get over it.
Magna
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