Second hand tank and silicone

[AJ356]

Hi, I normally get my tanks brand new, but the size I want is out of my reach financially as a new tank.
It's not a big tank, but a specific size along the lines of 36x12x12 inch, or as the Americans would say a "long tank"

I've seen a 40x15x15 inch on Facebook

I haven't seen the tank yet in person to check the quality. Seller doesn't know how old the tank is.

My question, as the tank has been empty and dry for a few months according to the seller, shall I take the opportunity now to "re seal" with silicone?
The thing is, I've never done this before. As a novice, could I be creating more problems than I am trying to solve?
Or, can I really do no harm, and the worst outcome is I make the tank look less "professional" with messy sealant job?

Thanks

 

[GaryE]

It really is your call. With a few months dry, you may not need a reseal. A few years, yes.

How much of a craftsperson type are you? I'm a good 'rough things in' worker, and not the finest of finishers. So when I resilicone, that shows. It doesn't look like it does on youtube, but more like a kid has done the job. If you are like me, try to avoid the whole process of stripping out the old and resealing, because I can take an ugly old tank and make it look uglier. You know yourself.

I have a lot of second hand tanks, and none have leaked.

The other day, I was moving a 24 inch tank and noticed the tag put on my the manufacturer saying it was sealed by so and so in 2006. I know I have tanks quite a bit older than that one, and all are doing just fine. But I have my tanks in a purpose designed room over a cement floor in a garage. I fear leaks for the health of my fish, but not for my floors in the house.

 

[MattW]

If you do intend on resealing the aquarium, I would follow Tanner's guide from Serpa Design. I've siliconed about 3 tanks now and have a somewhat understanding of the method, but this video goes through everything I wasn't sure about.

 

[emeraldking]

I f I would get myself a second hand tank, I would always test it with water and see if the seals are still doing their job or not. In case, of leakage, I'll reseal them.

 

[Colin_T]

Good silicon will be firm but slightly squishy. It should have a semi transparent colour or might be blue if methylene Blue was used in the tank.

Bad silicon will be hard and brittle and usually cream or white.

Look at the silicon where it joins the glass. If there are any bubbles in the silicon it could be an issue. If the silicon is coming away from the glass it's an issue.

If you post pictures of the sides of the aquarium where the silicon is on the glass, we can check it for bubbles and colour.

 

[Back in the fold]

This is one of the simplest repairs that any aquarist can do himself . Get a new sharp razor blade and scrape off all the old stuff , clean the glass thoroughly with alcohol , let it dry and reseal with new silicone . Have more silicone on hand than you think you need because it takes more than you think . If you’ve ever done any caulking it’s the same thing . Simple .

 

[AJ356]

This is one of the simplest repairs that any aquarist can do himself . Get a new sharp razor blade and scrape off all the old stuff , clean the glass thoroughly with alcohol , let it dry and reseal with new silicone . Have more silicone on hand than you think you need because it takes more than you think . If you’ve ever done any caulking it’s the same thing . Simple .

Thanks everyone and the video looks brilliant.

Re the above, I was more thinking of putting new silicone over the old silicone, or is that just hugely lazy / foolish? Could doing that cause more harm than good?

I know it might make the tank look like a 5 year old has done it, but when I buy a tank, I generally accept I am going to be eventually selling it for very low money or giving it away, so am not bothered about potential resale value, just keeping my flooring dry and not having to stress the fish out by trying to repair a leaking tank down the road.

 

[MattW]

I think putting the new silicone over the old will compromise it and may be not so future proof. That’s what I’ve read, but I’m interested to see what others say.

 

[GaryE]

I have been told by many tank repairers that new silicone won't stick to old. So you would end up with a wide silicone seam with a weak centre where it was stuck to nothing.
If you take a razor blade or utility knife and remove most of the existing silicone, it really does a better job, and doesn't take a lot of time or swearing. It can be a bit less obvious as well.
You can impress people with your surgeon's skill, or just be a dude with a chainsaw...

I was costing out those IKEA tanks. The glass comes in a 20 gallon size. It's an interesting possible project., more or less to do it just to say to yourself you did.

 

[AJ356]

Thank you. Am glad I asked now. I'll probably just concentrate on finding a tank that looks like it already has good silicone and sealant. I don't think I am born to strip back existent sealant and re apply. I just wasn't made that way! The video was great though.

 

[Back in the fold]

No ! Do NOT put new silicone over the old . Ever !