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Tank Repair


trozacky

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Ok, I keep going back and forth. I think Ive decided to keep my 115 Gallon Tank and get it repaired. I already talked to Shane at Fishy Busniess and he said the design on my aquarium was weird and he really didnt want to repair it( He already fixed two others like it this month they were a nightmare). I just really dont want to start over and try to sell a leaking aquarium. Also the measurements on this abnormal tank fit perfectly in my living room. (53" long) So Im looking to find someone whom fixes large tanks. If anyone knows of anyone please let me know. I live in Taylor so the closer the better or if someone comes to the house even better. Thanks

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No heres a link to my ad here on ARC.

http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/17610-115-gallon-tank-and-stand-with-all-equipment/

Its a standard rectangle tank.

Im just worried about it leaking again. I talked to a guy from Austin Ocean and he quoted me 150. Does anyone have any experience in resealing large tanks? I really like the tank but after 30-40 gallons of saltwater on my floor im a little gun shy. Am i being silly or are the things hard to reseal?

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is it cracked? or just leaks in the seams? if its just the seams just reseal your self. its not hard to do. its just 100% waterproof silicone w/o the mold agent. and will only cost about 30 bucks. ive resealed one before and it was easy. time consuming but easy.

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is it cracked? or just leaks in the seams? if its just the seams just reseal your self. its not hard to do. its just 100% waterproof silicone w/o the mold agent. and will only cost about 30 bucks. ive resealed one before and it was easy. time consuming but easy.

Then set it up in the garage for a week or two to make sure it doesn't leak.

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Its not cracked. Its leaking from the rear bottom seal. It held water for about 24hrs and then when I got home it was leaking and leaking bad. It was not a slow little leak it was a trickle of water. I drained it to the sand and the water in the sand even puddled up on the floor the next morning.

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pull all the sand out. use a wetvac to make sure you get it all. clean the tank with 1 part alcohol to 2 parts water. move the tank to a flat surface (this is important! dont want the tank to shift) cut all the silicone out use a razor blade and holder of some sort cause it will take a while. then get ALL the cut silicone out and off the tank so your sealing from glass to glass not to silicone. then use 100% alcohol to clean the glass. then use blue tape to make your silicone lines for the seams. clean glass for seams again, then use a calking gun and get to laying down the caulk. small beads not big. then dip your finger in alcohol and smooth the seams. remove tape after its smoothed remove any access caulk with a rag and alcohol let sit for 48-72 hrs then leak test. if it were me doing it. id cut the overflow out and then put it back after the bottom is dryed and sealed. but thats pretty much it.

Matt

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oh should tell you. if your planing to re seal the entire tank. do it in steps. bottom and right side or bottom and left side seams and so on. this will keep the tank some what structurally sound why you work on it. other wise it will shift.

Matt

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If we were talking about a huge, one-of-a-kind tank, I'd say try and fix it. But is a 115g tank really worth the effort and expense, not to mention the lack of peace of mind?

If it were me, I'd sell the set-up as a reptile display and put the cash toward a new tank.

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I like the tank becasue of the dimesnions. Its the biggest tank I can fit in this area. Id have to go to a 75 gallon to make it fit.

Prof can fix it or set you up with another tank. Last time I was out there he had a bunch of used tanks of various sizes.

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ok, so ill make it easier n you if you wanna do it, I will give you a tube of silicone to do it with for $6. I bought a case of it when i built my tank. Not to bash Matt but if it were me i would cut all the silicone outta the inside (not the seams between the glass) except for the one that is leaking. There is a u-tube video showing how to reseal. Then tape everything off and go to town, silicone doesnt seal against its self very well if its done in sections. Its realy not that big a deal. If you have access to welding wire u can push it thru the seam that is leaking to cut out the old stuff, sometimes the seam is to tight and u just have to work at it. If you realy want the tank then it will be worth it.

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That's what I ment. Not inbetween the glass. Just get it down to glass on the seams. Don't pull anything apart. That's would be bad for someone that doesn't know what there doing. Lol just as much as you can in the seams on the inside of the tank.

Matt

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I think it's worth it 100% a days work and 30 bucks is a hell of a lot cheaper than 250 for a new tank or even 150 to have Someone else reseal it. It's the size you want, the canopy and stand are made for it. It's a plus all the way around.

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no need to apologizes im glad you said that, after reading my post it wasn't to clear. but your rite it isnt a hard fix but you and i are kind of diy kinda people (as you can tell from our new tank builds) so for us we would just do it and get it done. i watched that youtube video and its really explanatory. i myself like to do stuff like that. gives you the feeling of accomplishment when its done. not only that but helps to go even more in depth in this hobby.

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Thanks for throwing my name out there on this one but I really don't like to reseal tanks. I can, and will, do it but there is no guarantee and I would charge you way too much.

The biggest problem resealing a glass tank is that silicone does not stick to silicone. So you have to remove ALL of the old silicone to get a good bond. This is impossible without completely disassembling the tank. The fix that has been discussed in this thread will work but there are to many possible fail points for me to guarantee a resealed tank.

I have done partial reseals on my own tanks and will do them again but I know the risk and I am prepared for a failure in my house.

FYI: mineral spirits will remove cured silicone.

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oh should tell you. if your planing to re seal the entire tank. do it in steps. bottom and right side or bottom and left side seams and so on. this will keep the tank some what structurally sound why you work on it. other wise it will shift.

Matt

If he only removes the inside seal, the silicone that holds the glass panes together will keep it from shifting. I have resealed many tanks, 10-150 gallons, and it is imperative that you do it all at once to get a good seal and adhesion after removing and cleaning out the old silicone.

Once you have completely removed the old silicone, use laquer thinner to do a final cleaning, as it does not leave a residue. Your leak test, and final cleaning will remove anything else.

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If you don't mind grey GE's RTV 167 is several times stronger than the generic clear stuff and if you don't want to actually cut the tank apart to redo the seals (something I wouldn't do anyway, new is cheaper) but want to reinforce the joints you can use glass rod.

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