Old aquarium renovation?

[BettaBabe]

I have what I believe to be a 29 (us) gallon aquarium that looks to be rather old.

I want to make sure that it will hold water and look good.

The seals look ragged and old. How can I remove this? With what do I replace it?

 

[drobbins27]

Just go over them with silicone

 

[Yenko]

Sorry, Drobbins, that's wrong. You need to COMPLETELY remove any old silicone and replace it. To test for leaks just fill it up, dry the outside and wait. If you want to do this outside, move an aquarium stand out to put it on; an uneven surface will crack the aquarium.

 

[jjsdad]

Yenko is right. You have to remove any of the old silicone that is loose. The new stuff will stick to that instead of the glass and could result in leaks.

 

[BettaBabe]

Thanks! I will remove the old seal but I was worried about what brand of silicon to use and how much?

 

[jjsdad]

You can use All-Glass silicone that you can probably find at your lfs or a less expensive choice is GE Silicone I that you can find at Home Depot or the like.

As far as how much...just get a good bead on the joint and then smooth it out with a wet finger. ( Make sure your finger is wet though cause it will be very sticky otherwise!!)

Wait 3 or 4 days, put in the water and wait a day or 2 to make sure there are no leaks and you're good to go.

HTH

 

[Yenko]

Always check the container of silicone; it will say if it's unsafe for an aquarium or not.

 

[BettaBabe]

y'ALL rock! Thanks!