Algae And Silicone

[Themuleous]

Has anyone else ever noticed algae eroding the tank silicone? Ive been watching mine for a few months and there are some places that are definately coming loose and that have algae on them, just wondering if it could be 'eating' it away? I don't clean the algae in those areas so it cant be me damaging the silicone. The tank is probably around 10-15 years old and has been a fish tank for about 3 years.

Any idaes would be great. Thanks all

Sam

PS - if you can pursuade me its a disaster waiting to happen then I can strip the tank down, chuck in some laterite and convert it to a 'Jimboo style' easy planted tank? No the tanks fine really it is....

 

[RYO]

Oh no !!!! you better strip it quick ,the algae reacts with the silicone and forms a derivative of Semtex . When the ph reaches between 6-8.4 it can cause a primary chain reaction resulting in a linear explosion.
Honest

 

[jimbooo]

he he.. your just looking for an excuse to pull it apart. go for it, we all umm and ahh for weeks about striping a tank down but in the end it only takes a free saturday or sunday and it's done. well maybe both if your like me. go on rip it apart i dare you...

buy a box of laterite, some fresh 3mm gravel and get playing you know you want to.

on the silicone front i know what you mean, i have a stubborn patch of BBA in the corner of my rekord60 eating very slightly into the silicone. nothing major but when i run a magnafloat along it i can see the edge of the silicone is very slightly frayed rather then fluch with the glass. only 1 or 2 mm but still i see your point.

the tank was bought a week or so before i joined up, i cant see my joining date from this "typing reply" screen but you can work it out. it's not exactly old in tank terms.

 

[Themuleous]

The trouble is if I strip it down Ill have to get a new tank adn there is no way Ill get away with that! But it is very tempting...