Novagard silicone

[wendy9722]

Hi everyone,
I'm looking to get into a project of resealing my 55 gal and 100 gal fish aquariums. I bought Novagard silicone from Angel plus. I was wondering if anyone has used it before and what your results was? What all do I need to do the job as well would be helpful. I only plan on doing the insides. The 55 had hamsters in it and chewed the silicone away in the corners. The 100 gal is a older tank with pealing away silicone on the inside and I want to fix it before I have a pond in my livingroom. I also want to make sure that I have the space for the fish to be held in until it is fully set up again.

Thanks in advance!!!

[Jhhnn]

I've not used that brand, but if it came from Angels Plus, it's probably just fine. The biggest issue with resealing is to get the surfaces spotlessly clean of residual sealant and any sort of oil, even the oil from your finger prints. I did it like this, with a tank in pretty poor condition-

http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?86292-120-gallon-with-split-corner.&p=736068&viewfull=1#post736068

Yours isn't nearly so bad. Some people tape the corners, like this guy, although I don't think his technique is particularly good otherwise-

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Spinelli_Resealing_Aquarium.html

The 1/4" spacing he uses on a smaller tank should be more like 1/2" for larger tanks. I like these folding handles for razor blades-

http://compare.ebay.com/like/270577044202?ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&rvr_id=222293100713&crlp=1_263602_304662&UA=WVF%3F&GUID=4417e6ef1280a04372415061ffad3ad8&itemid=270577044202&ff4=263602_304662

Homecenters and hardware stores have the stuff you need, or should...

[RWD HERO]

Use Isopropyl Alcohol to clean the surface, rubbing alcohol has oils in it that will prohibit the silicone from bonding to the glass. With any chaulk/silicone job, you need to get 100% of the old material off of the surface and the surface needs to be 100% clean.

[wendy9722]

Thanks guys!!!!

[TURQ64]

I resealed 20 breeder flats this winter..I had better results with acetone for cleaning than alcohol..
3M blue painter's tape on both sides of each joint, pull the tape right after finger smoothing...That's standard for sealing anything, not just tanks..latex or vinyl gloves..

[John_Nicholson]

I have always just used silicone from the hardware store. As long as it is 100% silicone it is fine to use.

-john

[TURQ64]

You still need to watch for mold inhibitors, and some manufacturers aren't listing the ingredients..Besides, Marineland Aquarium sealer is cheaper than most construction grade stuff..JMO

[wendy9722]

You still need to watch for mold inhibitors, and some manufacturers aren't listing the ingredients..Besides, Marineland Aquarium sealer is cheaper than most construction grade stuff..JMO

what are mold inhibitors? it has on the tube-dimethyl siloxane, hydroxyl terminated, silica, amorphous, ethyltriactoxysilane, methyltriacetoxysilane. Are these ingredients safe? I already planned on tapeing it and using gloves. I'm sure it can get messy and I dont want my body oils to cause any problems with the seal.

[John_Nicholson]

If it says it is 100% silicone than it had better be 100% silicone........

-john

[Jhhnn]

what are mold inhibitors? it has on the tube-dimethyl siloxane, hydroxyl terminated, silica, amorphous, ethyltriactoxysilane, methyltriacetoxysilane. Are these ingredients safe? I already planned on tapeing it and using gloves. I'm sure it can get messy and I dont want my body oils to cause any problems with the seal.

I'd have confidence in the safety of silicone seal obtained from Angels Plus. Some other brands do have mold inhibitors, notably GE Silicone II. Here's the MSDS-

http://www.fabathome.org/wiki/uploads/5/56/Thermoset_Polymers_GE_Silicone_II_MSDS.pdf

The last 3 ingredients under the hazardous section are mold inhibitors...

If you're terribly concerned about the product you have, save it for something else and use DAP 08641 from the hardware store or home center. It meets FDA requirements as food grade-

http://www.4sealant.com/silicone/dap-08641-dow-corning-clear-silicone-sealant-10-1-ounce/

[Keith Perkins]

Al in another tank sealing thread said he talked to the folks at either GE or Dow and asked what the difference was between aquarium silicone and builders silicone. The answer was the curing agent. Aquarium silicone is designed to cure slower and therefore adheres better. As others have said, if it's aquarium silicone it doesn't have mold inhibitors in it and it should be great to use for your project.