Is it worth it?

[LyraGuppi]

Pardon the graininess, my hand, and the towel.
I’m descaling and cleaning the 20 gallon tall for my two bettas (divided tank, not together!), but I noticed something odd in the seals. It looks like the silicon is receding? I can pull up the silicon with my fingernail almost anywhere I want. There’s slight dampness underneath it, I’m guessing there was a inconsistency or leak somewhere that messed the surrounding areas up. The actual seal where the two glass panes touch is unharmed, but it’s a little worrying. There were water bubbles under the silicon, all around the tank, not just on the tank floor.
I have silicone left over from when I resealed the 55 gallon, but I… sort of hate resealing. Should I just use this as an excuse to finally switch over to a 20 gallon long, or just go ahead and reseal?
20 gallon longs run from 20 USD to 40 USD, with $20 being when petco has their dollar-per-gallon sales. Along with that, I'd have to buy a new lid, which might be 40-60 dollars, not including plants and what not.
The tank was built in December 2013, and has been switched around about three or four times.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

I've rebuilt and resealed a 55....not so much fun at all! Being as how it's only a 20....I think I would buy a new one. But, I would probably go bigger! Like a 40 breeder....more fish!! Lol. Though the bettas would probably love the long divided better than the high. But, I guess you have to ask yourself....do you want to spend more of your time fixing and less money, or spend more money for new that would take less time? Lol.

 

[LyraGuppi]

I resealed a 55 too! Fumes and silicon everywhere, not a great time
I heard that petco is starting their Dollar-per-Gallon sale on Oct. 7th, I may go ahead and get the 20g long. Maybe I'll just set the 20g tall aside for now, and reseal it when I need it.
I wish I could get a larger tank, but I don't have the time or money to maintain one.

 

[AbbeysDad]

Resealing a tank is an easy process when done correctly. The key is to remove every bit of the existing silicone seal WITHOUT penetrating where the glass panes meet. Then clean well with acetone or isopropyl alcohol. Then seal with 100% clear silicone, carefully smoothed with a finger. Some like to tape for a cleaner edge, but I've never found this to be necessary if you're careful with the silicone and the finger.
As for the new tank, the $1/gallon deal can't be beat - they make their money on the heaters, filters, etc....that often go with the tanks.
As for a glass canope, you could go DIY and save a lot. There are YouTube video's on how to do this by carefully measuring and have glass cut at your local glass shop or big box store. There is also an inexpensive vinyl outside corner molding that can be used so one pane easily slides over the other.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

I actually had to do it twice. Lol. The first time I took it completely apart. My dad was helping me. I had the silicone and the gun thingy already. Had everything nice and taped. Well...the gun malfunctioned and the silicone started to dry as he went to get another gun to use. Tried to finish it but once cured it did not look good. So I had to scrape it off and reseal it again. I did not tape it and used too much silicone but it held water for the four hours I was able to test it! Lol. Haven't gotten it set up yet.

Anyway, I would definitely do the dollar per gallon sale. I don't have a Petco near me sadly. Just petsmart and they don't do that often. But, you can also look on Drs Foster and Smith. They have two different glass hoods that aren't all that expensive. Just make sure you measure the tank to get the correct size. I had to return the ones for the 55 and get the other because it was just a hair too big! Lol.

 

[FroFro]

I actually had to do it twice. Lol. The first time I took it completely apart. My dad was helping me. I had the silicone and the gun thingy already. Had everything nice and taped. Well...the gun malfunctioned and the silicone started to dry as he went to get another gun to use. Tried to finish it but once cured it did not look good. So I had to scrape it off and reseal it again. I did not tape it and used too much silicone but it held water for the four hours I was able to test it! Lol. Haven't gotten it set up yet.

Anyway, I would definitely do the dollar per gallon sale. I don't have a Petco near me sadly. Just petsmart and they don't do that often. But, you can also look on Drs Foster and Smith. They have two different glass hoods that aren't all that expensive. Just make sure you measure the tank to get the correct size. I had to return the ones for the 55 and get the other because it was just a hair too big! Lol.

I think petco website honors the dollar per gallon sale price online. I could be wrong but its worth checking out if you really want the deal.

 

[FroFro]

I think it would be worth resealing and getting a new tank if you really want one. You never know when you might need (or want) to set up a random tank somewhere else in the house. It'd save you money in the future to have a freshly resealed 20 gallon that you can just grab from storage.

 

[LyraGuppi]

Resealing a tank is an easy process when done correctly. The key is to remove every bit of the existing silicone seal WITHOUT penetrating where the glass panes meet. Then clean well with acetone or isopropyl alcohol. Then seal with 100% clear silicone, carefully smoothed with a finger. Some like to tape for a cleaner edge, but I've never found this to be necessary if you're careful with the silicone and the finger.
As for the new tank, the $1/gallon deal can't be beat - they make their money on the heaters, filters, etc....that often go with the tanks.
As for a glass canope, you could go DIY and save a lot. There are YouTube video's on how to do this by carefully measuring and have glass cut at your local glass shop or big box store. There is also an inexpensive vinyl outside corner molding that can be used so one pane easily slides over the other.

Thanks for the link!

I actually had to do it twice. Lol. The first time I took it completely apart. My dad was helping me. I had the silicone and the gun thingy already. Had everything nice and taped. Well...the gun malfunctioned and the silicone started to dry as he went to get another gun to use. Tried to finish it but once cured it did not look good. So I had to scrape it off and reseal it again. I did not tape it and used too much silicone but it held water for the four hours I was able to test it! Lol. Haven't gotten it set up yet.
Anyway, I would definitely do the dollar per gallon sale. I don't have a Petco near me sadly. Just petsmart and they don't do that often. But, you can also look on Drs Foster and Smith. They have two different glass hoods that aren't all that expensive. Just make sure you measure the tank to get the correct size. I had to return the ones for the 55 and get the other because it was just a hair too big! Lol.

Wow! At least it held water in the end, that sounds like a pain o:

I think it would be worth resealing and getting a new tank if you really want one. You never know when you might need (or want) to set up a random tank somewhere else in the house. It'd save you money in the future to have a freshly resealed 20 gallon that you can just grab from storage.

That's true. I think I'll go ahead and get the 20g long when its on sale, and reseal the 20g tall for future use. Thanks guys