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Tank silicone

leo2016lion

Seedling
Joined
16 Sep 2020
Messages
3
Location
Luton
I purchased a second hand tank off my neighbour for a reasonable price but on cleaning I noticed some off the silicone inside had come lose. It’s a juwel Rio 180.
Is this repairable or should I not even attempt to use this tank at all
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This is all just my opinion and partly guessing ;)

You can see a build up of algae and limescale behind the silicone line where it has come away from the glass which suggests water has been able to get behind it somewhere.
This is often seen with people using MagScrape type cleaners and the scraper attachment being pushed into the silicone so loosens it.
It's also possible that the silicone hadn't bonded to the glass properly in the first place or not so likely has broken down over time.

You often see minimal silicone aquariums but they are designed and assembled this way.

Personally I would not want to use the aquarium or attempt a repair, if that amount of water were to burst from the tank you would have quite a mess on your hands.

Repairing it is quite a shady topic and first off if this piece is like it then are any others?
 
Well, you could :) tho the cleaning job will be a pain in the neck... Obviously this tank isn't that clean...

The sealant in between the glass is for structural strength, the watertight seal will be the silicone bead in the corners. The issue is, silicone sealant hates dirt and grease, thus the glass surface needs to be spot on clean. If it isn't you will see an air bubble form under the silicone. Then you know it wasn't clean...

Thus, it's something you can't often see upfront, it might look clean, and it needs silicone to show you it actually was not. :rolleyes: Then it's too late... A bummer...

You need to cut all old silicone out of the corners and scratch any tiny bit from the glass, in some cases long term calcium staining can etch into glass and give it a slight stained milky wash that you can not get off, no matter how long you rub it. Also in scratches in the glass dirt can build up that is impossible to get out or to inspect for cleanness, after all, it shows as a white coloured scratch.

Anyway, after cleaning all old silicone perfectly out, degreasing with acetone is key... A finger print can be enough for silicone not to bond. Thus gloves are key as well.

So it's always trial and error... And being a tad lucky, if you like a gamble and do all the work, then Rock & Roll and hope for the best and it will stay good in the long run.
 
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Yeh everything got to be very clean in prep and unless your competent with using silicone , it has to be the correct one, its risky. Of course sometimes theres no option as check Filip Krupa journal to attempt a repair. Maybe your neighbour will refund you if payed a bit for it
 
What you also could try instead of silicone is an MS polymer sealant. Back in the day, it wasn't suitable for constantly submerged glass to glass connections, risk of laminating, but this has seemed to be improved quite a bit over time. And nowadays quite some MS polymer sealant brands are offered for aquarium/pond build and repair.

Aquaking MS sealant is one of them, but not sure if it's available in the UK.
https://en.all4plants.com/aquaking-ms-sealer-zwart-290ml/P6987

https://www.befr.ebay.be/itm/AQUA-K...-SEALANT-LINER-REPAIR-LEAK-SEAL-/162581876667

A polymer is a tad more forgiving and stronger than silicone regarding what it bonds to. :)

Not so long ago i did repair a leaking aquarium with a polymer sealant (Tec7). It had a tiny leak in a back corner close to the surface. I emptied the tank for 80% and did put an extra beat polymer over the silicone. It was an Ad hoc quick solution and experiment to see how long it will last. And that was 3 months ago and it's still OK. :thumbup: Seemingly this stuff relatively bonds enough to old silicone to make it waterproof again. 💪

But i have no personal experience with sealing an entire tank with this stuff as silicone replacement.
 
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Ok guys thanks for the input.....I only paid £20 for it and the stand aswell so not a lot lost....so the skip it will be as it’s not worth the risk.


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