Repairng an old tank

[yhbae]

I just purchased an old used 15g tank and it appears that the silicon seals are pretty old. I haven't tried to peel them off but I'm not sure if I want to use it as is...

Has anyone successfully removed existing seals and re-applied a new coat without any leaks? Am I asking for trouble?

 

[Tolak]

I just got off the phone with a gentleman who has a 60 gal tank for sale that has been sitting for a few years. He said that you can fill the aquarium with warm water while it's sitting over the floor drain in the basement and many times the warmth will soften the sealant and seal any leaks. If this doesn't work, he said to seal right over the old seal, creating a double seal.

I've never met this man, but he is a lifetime member of a local aquarium club here in Chicago, having been a member since the mid 60's. He's into collecting older tanks like old Jewels and raising ciclids, the tank he is selling is too small (?) for him to use.

 

[MizPlaya692003]

I THINK YOUR ASKING FOR TROUBLE. I DONT THINK THERE IS NO WAY TO REAPIR IT. I WOULD JUST GO BUY ANOTHER TANK. THAT WAY YOU CAN PLAY IT SAFE. CAUSE THE OLD TANK YOU GOT NOW WILL LEAK !!!!

GOOD LUCK !

P.S WHENEVER I ADD A TOPIC ABOUT MY OWN FISH PLEASE TRY TO HELP ME SEEING THAT I TRYED TO HELP YOU.

 

[MAM]

using a razorblade you should be able to remove the old sealant. be careful though, too much pressure and you'll do what we did, and break a pane of the glass (ugh!!). be sure you get ALL the sealant off before you apply the new. new sealant doesn't stick well to old usually. getting it to apply and look nice is tricky though. for a tank that small, you might just be better off getting anew one, which is what i ended up doing after my attempts to repair a 10. ( i'm saving the glass from it should i ever need to replace a pane in the future or something though)

 

[reefboy2002]

u can reaseal tanks like the above post just peel off with stanley blade
should peel of easy also whe u got it of just give the old areas were the seal
was a good wipe with viniger and a kitchen towel after that will take any grease
off that wil stop ur new silicone sticking dry out after for a coupl of days and apply a nice gentle bead of silicone lick ur finger and and just gently run down the silicone saw it gets the rounded effect and this will also help to push it in the gaps
leave it to dry for 48 to 62 hours and then u can test it out by filling with water give it a good clean out with water and it done


cheers ritchie

 

[yhbae]

I've used a blade to remove as much old silicone as I could and applied a new layer. I let it dry for over 3 days and filled it up with water.

It's been over 3 weeks now and I don't see a single drop of water around the tank, so I'm assuming it worked!

Thanks for the suggestions, guys....