0 for 3 on tank resealing

First, I've read every single thread on the forum about resealing tanks and then some. I've removed every bit of old silicone so you can't feel a thing when sliding your finger over the area's to be re-silicone. Wiped down every surface with alcohol and let air dry. So I tried to seal an old 72, twice, before giving up and getting a new one and giving away the first one to a friend to make a snake tank out of it. The second one sprung a leak a while back and I thought I'd give it another try. Applied a very generous amount of GE silicone one to all the inside joints and let the tank sit and cure for a month! Just filled it up over the weekend and the $0@ is leaking slowly from somewhere.

I'm considering talking the tank completely apart and starting from scratch, but given my luck with the first 3 attempts kind of thinking that might just be throwing good time after bad. Getting those glass pieces back together tightly can't be an easy task. New suggestions are welcome, but I'm mostly venting.

I have fixed small slow leaks with sand. I just added sand to the water and stirred it up. In a day or so I had no leaks. Remember, I did not charge you for this information.

Ron

It once took me 3 tries before I fixed a 120. The third time when I removed the leaking side panel I was very very careful. I put silicone on the edges of the glass, clamped it, checked it with a square and then put the silicone along the seams. It only needs 24 hrs to dry but I gave it 48. This was many months ago and it's still holding water just fine.

I've redone many tanks in the past. I got cocky and didn't take the time and care I should have with this one. It is wise to be meticulous.

This is why I'd just rather put the money in and buy a new tank LOL

Easy to say if you have money.

True, often cases I don't. However could always sell the leaking tank as a reptile cage to supplement a new one. I just don't trust a DIY reseal with chances of water damage, personally speaking of course. That is one area where I'm not as handy as others.

I'm with you on the venting Keith...
Just last year my 112g was leaking and decided to take on the challenge to re-seal. Took every step possible as you did and when fully cured I tested it and it leaked.:mad:
When I was calm and found the time one week later I stripped it again and found a wet spot every time I put pressure on the bottom glass pane. What was happening is there was water trapped not visual by eye that had not air dried between outer glass and plastic glass brace trim.
Before I silicone the entire tank again I made sure to all water was sucked out using a power vacuum. Then I concentrated mainly on this one section and applied very small amount between glass edge where it may have been cut when I removed old silicone and then clamped to set overnight. The following day I cleaned repaired area carefully this time and re-did the entire tank. :D
Today approx. one year later...it's holding water and no sign of leaking.

...Ralph

The thing to remember is that if the glass was cut correctly anybody who tries and does a good through job should be able to get it to stick together without leaking.

I actually got two 120's free from my LFS that arrived with a cracked side glass. The company didn't want them back. The first one I repaired about two years ago and it's fine. The second was the one I had to try 3 times on. It sat in the middle of my fish room floor for 10 months before I got up the fortitude to try it a third time. I found out the hard way that just because I'd done this many times before and even broken down a 100 to nothing but panes of glass and rebuilt it, that if I do a slip shod work I will get the results I deserve.

I'm all for saving money, but depending where the tank is located, I'd be more likely to replace it after a few failed attempts. The cost of a tank may seem high, but the cost of repairs to your home could prove more costly if it were to leak again at an unpredictable time. Then there's the stress factor, I'd always be worrying about when disaster would strike. I had some water damage a little over 2 years ago and it cost me about 2500.00 out of pocket to replace flooring and it wasn't that much water involved :(

I have a fish room where a flood is no big deal. If I had my tanks in the house I know I'd feel differently. It was a bit of a shock when I walked into the fish room a month or so ago and found that a breaker had tripped, a side seam had split and the glass center brace along with the light I had on top of it had fallen into the tank and my Discus juvies were swimming around in 30 gallons of water rather that 100. Yes, I now have a 14 year old 100 gallon to repair. I'm not looking forward to it, but I know that if I'm careful I can do it as well as the factory it came from. My silicone work isn't as tidy as the factory but I can live with that.

Wish I could say I had a fish room where a flood was no big deal -- you're lucky. Good luck with the repair :)

All my tanks are in the basement now with concrete floors, but recently this one hasn't been on its stand but on my counter top. That has some very nice cabinets underneath it that I try to dry quickly when I do something stupid like overflow a tank. If I have to replace this tank again I think I'm going to put a new top on the stand and replace it with a 75. I'm beginning to think the bow front tanks spring leaks faster than the rectangular ones, either that or I just haven't had much luck.

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Originally Posted by CozyKeith

First, I've read every single thread on the forum about resealing tanks and then some. I've removed every bit of old silicone so you can't feel a thing when sliding your finger over the area's to be re-silicone. Wiped down every surface with alcohol and let air dry.

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Hi Keith,

I have the same tank and I purchased it off Craigslist after most of the silicone had been chewed up by an 8 year old girl's rats. I removed all of the silicone like you did, with a single edge razor blade, then also scrubbed the inside edges with alcohol. It was recommended that I use this; http://www.zoro.com/momentive-rtv-si...A&gclsrc=aw.ds over the GE I (I have black silicone on my tank). I didn't get a close enough look at your resealing job, but did you use a tool, or your finger, to spread the silicone into the edges? I masked the edges with tape to get straight edge and used the entire tube on the inside edges of the tank.

Before you give this second tank away, I'd be more than happy to come down and assist. I can smell the fumes already.....

Craig

p.s. Petco has their $1 gallon up to 55 gallons, starting Sunday.

Sorry to hear of the 'leaky' stresses you're experiencing Keith.

Years ago, I had a 140 gal marine tank spring a leak overnite - next morning approx. 100 gals of that salt water were on my den's 400 sq. ft. of hardwood flooring, which of course I had to replace !
My bad for putting it in that room I guess.

No real lesson learned, except since then I've had a couple of small tanks (both 10 gals) leak, and I sure didn't even think about trying to re-seal them - just junked them & bought new ones.
I think I'd have done the same if they were 75 gals. lol

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Originally Posted by CraigJ

Hi Keith,

I have the same tank and I purchased it off Craigslist after most of the silicone had been chewed up by an 8 year old girl's rats. I removed all of the silicone like you did, with a single edge razor blade, then also scrubbed the inside edges with alcohol. It was recommended that I use this; http://www.zoro.com/momentive-rtv-si...A&gclsrc=aw.ds over the GE I (I have black silicone on my tank). I didn't get a close enough look at your resealing job, but did you use a tool, or your finger, to spread the silicone into the edges? I masked the edges with tape to get straight edge and used the entire tube on the inside edges of the tank.

Before you give this second tank away, I'd be more than happy to come down and assist. I can smell the fumes already.....

Craig

p.s. Petco has their $1 gallon up to 55 gallons, starting Sunday.

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I used my finger to spread the silicone Craig, and obviously from what you saw the quantity that I used was plenty. I'm more than ready for a hands on second opinion to getting a tank sealed right. The sledge hammer sitting in the corner of the garage has been catching my eye every time I've walked by it the past few days. :mad:

So does anyone else have an opinion on whether bow front tanks fail more often???