Resealing used 120 gal tak

TriDiver · 04/01/2015, 10:21 AM

I just inherited a 120 gal saltwater tank (pre-drilled with a sump) and plan to remove and replace all of the internal silicone seals before setting it up, since it hasn't been filled for a few years. This will be my first saltwater tanks but I already have 2 freshwater tanks with cichlids. Any advice is welcome.

My specific question is regarding the type of silicone that is best. Is it OK to just use silicone from the hardware store? The only thing I've seen is to avoid the mold free varieties.

Hitch08 · 04/01/2015, 10:38 AM

This is what I plan to use when I make my sump: http://www.thatpetplace.com/aquarium-sealant-10oz

RocketEngineer · 04/01/2015, 10:54 AM

STOP PLEASE. Just because a tank sat empty is no reason to risk ruining the tank when there is likely nothing wrong with it.

Check the silicone: Is it in good shape?

Do a leak check for several days.

If there is nothing wrong with it and it passes the leak test, there is no reason to replace the silicone.

Oh, and if it fails the leak test, it will likely need to be REBUILT, because a leak means the structural bond between the pains of glass has failed. That means disassembling the tank, cleaning the glass of all residue, and assembling the tank using the proper silicone ADHESIVE, not sealant. Momentive RTV-108 is the proper stuff and can be ordered online.

Please reconsider this course of action especially as there may be no need for it.

TriDiver · 04/01/2015, 11:14 AM

I didn't go into detail but the previous owner started to strip the silicone from one joint...I think it was because of staining... so at this point I'm not going to just repair the one area but rather do the whole tank.

TriDiver · 04/01/2015, 11:16 AM

Any idea how much I should order for a 120gal tank?

RocketEngineer · 04/01/2015, 12:01 PM

SO, you got someone else's mistake. I'm sorry to say it happens a lot in this hobby.

If you don't want to just replace the tank (my recommendation), you need to CAREFULLY remove all the interior silicone without cutting the silicone between the panes of glass. If you can do that, you will need to mask off the joints. You have 5 minutes to run all 8 beads, tool them to shape and pull the masking tape off. I'm thinking you need almost a full tube to do the job correctly so I would recommend two and having another person working the other half of the tank.

Good luck.

Dkuhlmann · 04/02/2015, 04:11 AM

I am 100% with RocketEngineer on this one. You would be much better off to sell that tank to someone with reptiles or mice etc.

In the long run lets say you "seal" it for now. The integrity of the actual bond of the sides to the bottom has been compromised in the place where the previous owner pulled out the silicone. This area is not going to last very long. So lets say you get this tank sealed for now. A year or two down the road the corners or seams on the side glass or somewhere else WILL LEAK. Then you are stuck finding another tank and breaking this one down in a hurry to save your livestock.

DON'T DO IT!!!!!

pelphrey · 04/02/2015, 10:09 AM

I bought a RR 90 gallon last May and had the previous owner fill it up, it held water. I brought it home and filled it in the garage, 4 days later 90 gallons of water on my garage floor. I used ASI aquarium silicone to reseal it, water tested and it leaked again. I took the entire tank apart and cleaned it, took an entire weekend. Put it back together using ASI silicone, did a horrible job with the silicone so I took it all back apart and cleaned it up. I never even attempted to put it back together, tried to list is locally and got nothing. I listed it on ebay and sold the tank, stand, weir, bulk heads and 2 tubes of ASI silicone got $46 dollars. The silicone is about $15 a tube. I paid $250 for the tank when I bought it. I lost big time! Not to mention I used 3 tubes of silicone trying to repair it myself. Long story short I won't buy another used tank, my time is worth more to me than scrapping tiny bits of silicone.

The guy that bought the tank on ebay has never put a tank together. But for $46 dollars its a win win for him. I supplied him with everything except for masking tape.

coralsnaked · 04/02/2015, 11:01 AM

Really guys resealing a tank is NOT rocket science...no pun intended...I have resealed too many tanks to recall and have a couple still running after years of trouble free service in my home. Resealing is just a matter of getting the glass very clean and free from existing silicon as silicon binds well only to glass and not old silicon. Its a matter of scraping and utilizing acetone until you think you have it all out and then doing it twice more. Once it is extremely clean it is about running a good bead of silicon down all the lines masked or not an doing a simple gloved finger run to flatten and smooth the bead. And yes you need to move quickly and have a friend to help if you are not experienced and have the confidence to move quickly as caulking only takes a few minutes to get tacky in the air. As far as silicon goes you can buy the expensive RTV-108 but its overkill for this type project. HD now sells aquarium silicon and good old GE I pure silicon is just fine. Why do we sell overkill to a new guy just trying to get his DIY on ? Really!

TriDiver · 04/03/2015, 06:50 AM

Budget is a concern and I prefer DIY to dropping huge bucks at this point. I'm just getting into the saltwater side but have always wanted to. I know starting with 120g is a big jump but a friend was moving and didn't want to relocate the tank so it was a great opportunity to get my feet wet (hopefully not literally).

I plan to start with fairly inexpensive Damsels and some live rock and sand to get a hang of the differences in water chemistry and testing before I sink any serious money into livestock, coral and equipment, so any DIY advice or sites would be appreciated. One of the local stores has been really helpful so far but more information is always better.

dkeller_nc · 04/03/2015, 11:57 AM

What RocketEngineer is telling you is very good advice. A new RR 120g is going to cost you about $600 at a LFS. And while $600 is nothing to sneeze at, it's still a fairly small amount of the total investment, even for a fish-only 120g.

What you'll want to consider is what 120g of saltwater may do to your furnishings/house or your relationship with your landlord if you rent. If you're setting up on a concrete floor in a basement or garage, probably no big deal. 2nd floor in a house might be a bigger deal - 120g of saltwater can do a lot of damage.

coralsnaked · 04/03/2015, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkeller_nc

What RocketEngineer is telling you is very good advice. A new RR 120g is going to cost you about $600 at a LFS. And while $600 is nothing to sneeze at, it's still a fairly small amount of the total investment, even for a fish-only 120g.

What you'll want to consider is what 120g of saltwater may do to your furnishings/house or your relationship with your landlord if you rent. If you're setting up on a concrete floor in a basement or garage, probably no big deal. 2nd floor in a house might be a bigger deal - 120g of saltwater can do a lot of damage.

I've seen brand new tanks blow the bottoms and soak the house as well, ^^it happens. TriDiver I would invite you to contact the Marineland engineering department and ask about resealing one of their tanks. They will tell you they do not recommend removing silicon from between the glass panels, but removing silicon from inside the tanks to the seam line is OK. Here is a nice DIY YouTube I approve
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3nNJ0PRhB0

04/01/2015, 10:21 AM	#1
TriDiver Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 4	Resealing used 120 gal tak I just inherited a 120 gal saltwater tank (pre-drilled with a sump) and plan to remove and replace all of the internal silicone seals before setting it up, since it hasn't been filled for a few years. This will be my first saltwater tanks but I already have 2 freshwater tanks with cichlids. Any advice is welcome. My specific question is regarding the type of silicone that is best. Is it OK to just use silicone from the hardware store? The only thing I've seen is to avoid the mold free varieties.

04/01/2015, 10:38 AM	#2
Hitch08 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Philly Suburbs Posts: 665	This is what I plan to use when I make my sump: http://www.thatpetplace.com/aquarium-sealant-10oz __________________ 120g tank with 40g breeder sump. SVS-30 LifeReef Skimmer. EcoTech Radion Pros.

04/01/2015, 10:54 AM	#3
RocketEngineer Space is big. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Maryland Eastern Shore Posts: 3,226	STOP PLEASE. Just because a tank sat empty is no reason to risk ruining the tank when there is likely nothing wrong with it. Check the silicone: Is it in good shape? Do a leak check for several days. If there is nothing wrong with it and it passes the leak test, there is no reason to replace the silicone. Oh, and if it fails the leak test, it will likely need to be REBUILT, because a leak means the structural bond between the pains of glass has failed. That means disassembling the tank, cleaning the glass of all residue, and assembling the tank using the proper silicone ADHESIVE, not sealant. Momentive RTV-108 is the proper stuff and can be ordered online. Please reconsider this course of action especially as there may be no need for it. __________________ -RocketEngineer "Knowledge is what you get when you read the directions, experience is what you get when you don't." - Unknown Current Tank Info: None Currently

04/01/2015, 12:01 PM	#6
RocketEngineer Space is big. Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Maryland Eastern Shore Posts: 3,226	SO, you got someone else's mistake. I'm sorry to say it happens a lot in this hobby. If you don't want to just replace the tank (my recommendation), you need to CAREFULLY remove all the interior silicone without cutting the silicone between the panes of glass. If you can do that, you will need to mask off the joints. You have 5 minutes to run all 8 beads, tool them to shape and pull the masking tape off. I'm thinking you need almost a full tube to do the job correctly so I would recommend two and having another person working the other half of the tank. Good luck. __________________ -RocketEngineer "Knowledge is what you get when you read the directions, experience is what you get when you don't." - Unknown Current Tank Info: None Currently

04/02/2015, 11:01 AM	#9
coralsnaked Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Austin / Port Aransas, TX Posts: 1,479	Really guys resealing a tank is NOT rocket science...no pun intended...I have resealed too many tanks to recall and have a couple still running after years of trouble free service in my home. Resealing is just a matter of getting the glass very clean and free from existing silicon as silicon binds well only to glass and not old silicon. Its a matter of scraping and utilizing acetone until you think you have it all out and then doing it twice more. Once it is extremely clean it is about running a good bead of silicon down all the lines masked or not an doing a simple gloved finger run to flatten and smooth the bead. And yes you need to move quickly and have a friend to help if you are not experienced and have the confidence to move quickly as caulking only takes a few minutes to get tacky in the air. As far as silicon goes you can buy the expensive RTV-108 but its overkill for this type project. HD now sells aquarium silicon and good old GE I pure silicon is just fine. Why do we sell overkill to a new guy just trying to get his DIY on ? Really! __________________ Merry Skerry Current Tank Info: 1 G Nano jellyfish to 1200 G Bull Nose FOWLR featuring large Holacanthus and Pomacanthus

04/01/2015, 11:14 AM	#4
TriDiver Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 4	I didn't go into detail but the previous owner started to strip the silicone from one joint...I think it was because of staining... so at this point I'm not going to just repair the one area but rather do the whole tank.

04/01/2015, 11:16 AM	#5
TriDiver Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 4	Any idea how much I should order for a 120gal tank?

04/02/2015, 04:11 AM	#7
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	I am 100% with RocketEngineer on this one. You would be much better off to sell that tank to someone with reptiles or mice etc. In the long run lets say you "seal" it for now. The integrity of the actual bond of the sides to the bottom has been compromised in the place where the previous owner pulled out the silicone. This area is not going to last very long. So lets say you get this tank sealed for now. A year or two down the road the corners or seams on the side glass or somewhere else WILL LEAK. Then you are stuck finding another tank and breaking this one down in a hurry to save your livestock. DON'T DO IT!!!!!

04/02/2015, 10:09 AM	#8
pelphrey Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Kentucky Posts: 463	I bought a RR 90 gallon last May and had the previous owner fill it up, it held water. I brought it home and filled it in the garage, 4 days later 90 gallons of water on my garage floor. I used ASI aquarium silicone to reseal it, water tested and it leaked again. I took the entire tank apart and cleaned it, took an entire weekend. Put it back together using ASI silicone, did a horrible job with the silicone so I took it all back apart and cleaned it up. I never even attempted to put it back together, tried to list is locally and got nothing. I listed it on ebay and sold the tank, stand, weir, bulk heads and 2 tubes of ASI silicone got $46 dollars. The silicone is about $15 a tube. I paid $250 for the tank when I bought it. I lost big time! Not to mention I used 3 tubes of silicone trying to repair it myself. Long story short I won't buy another used tank, my time is worth more to me than scrapping tiny bits of silicone. The guy that bought the tank on ebay has never put a tank together. But for $46 dollars its a win win for him. I supplied him with everything except for masking tape.

04/03/2015, 06:50 AM	#10
TriDiver Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 4	Thanks Coral Budget is a concern and I prefer DIY to dropping huge bucks at this point. I'm just getting into the saltwater side but have always wanted to. I know starting with 120g is a big jump but a friend was moving and didn't want to relocate the tank so it was a great opportunity to get my feet wet (hopefully not literally). I plan to start with fairly inexpensive Damsels and some live rock and sand to get a hang of the differences in water chemistry and testing before I sink any serious money into livestock, coral and equipment, so any DIY advice or sites would be appreciated. One of the local stores has been really helpful so far but more information is always better.

04/03/2015, 11:57 AM	#11
dkeller_nc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Central NC Posts: 5,062	What RocketEngineer is telling you is very good advice. A new RR 120g is going to cost you about $600 at a LFS. And while $600 is nothing to sneeze at, it's still a fairly small amount of the total investment, even for a fish-only 120g. What you'll want to consider is what 120g of saltwater may do to your furnishings/house or your relationship with your landlord if you rent. If you're setting up on a concrete floor in a basement or garage, probably no big deal. 2nd floor in a house might be a bigger deal - 120g of saltwater can do a *lot* of damage.