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Repairing fish aquarium
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by Frawgg on January 26, 2006
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My 75 gal. fish aquarium is leaking. The culprit is a L-66 pleco that has grazed off the silicone along with the algae. I've read one article about repairing fish tanks, but when I ventured to several of my local vendors, I could only find silicone rated for 30 gal. aquariums? Another question I have is that silicone will not bind to silicone. So I'll have to remove the old silicone first but, the silicone is in one continous bead. Where do I/can I stop? Anyone who could help, it sure would be appreciated!
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RE: Repairing fish aquarium
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by BobH on January 26, 2006
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Get a few single edged razorblades and cut out everything you can get to on the inside. I would just buy a big tube or 2 of 100% silicon caulk and completely redo the inside with a nice thick layer. I would not mess with the seal between the pieces of glass.
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RE: Repairing fish aquarium
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by Cro on January 26, 2006
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Michael: As Bob stated, the best way to fix the tank is to cut out all of the silicone on the inside with a rasor blade, then dry the tank very well, and then re-do the entire inside seams so that you have one continuous bead of silicone.
The best product to use is Dow Corning Clear 100 % Silicone RTV Sealent (Not Caulk) which is hard to find, but can be found for sale beside the Corning Glass Tile in your local Lowes or possibly Home Depot. (Not in the Paint Department) A caulking tube of the stuff is about $9.00. It is superior, and well worth looking for.
My second choise would be the 100 % Silicone Clear GE Product that is sold as caulk in the paint department.
Do not buy the small squeeze tubes, buy the caulk type tubes and a cheap caulk gun. And when you buy the silicone caulk tube, gently squeeze it to make sure the silicone has not set up in the tube, which is a problem in some stores where the turn over is slow.
Apply the Silastic in one continuous bead, smoothing it into a curved shape with your finger as you go along, and use paper towells to clean up as you go. You can trim the excess easily a few hours later after the silicone is set, but not fully cured with a rasor blade.
As far as the 30 gallon size warning, do not worry about it. I have used the Dow product to construct custom Salt Water Aquariums of over 1000 gallon size, and never had a problem with leaks. I used to also purchase Leaker aquariums from a wholesaler in the 55 to 110 gallon size, and seal their leaks, and re-sale them for a nice profit, and never ran into a problem.
As I stated above, the tank Must be clean and Dry, or the silicone will not bond to the glass correctly. Also, please note that the Ascetic Acid fumes that the silicone gives off as the silicone cures are more heavy than air, so they will accumulate in the aquarium and slow down the drying. For this reason, you need to turn the tank on its side so the fumes can flow out, or direct a fan into the tank until the silicone is dry. Also, it is very important to use the silicone at temperatures near 70 degrees or warmer, if at all possible. Any colder, and it will sometimes not cure correctly.
Hope this helps some.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Repairing fish aquarium
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by Frawgg on January 27, 2006
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Hey John, Thanks a million! That's a bit more involved than what I thought it was going to be. I'll cure it for 72 hrs. to be on the safe side. You betcha' I'll be nervous when filling it back up! I don't want an instant indoor pond!
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