older tank question

[Kennetht]

I have a 135G that I'm going to be setting up as a reef in our new house. My question is, should I re-caulk the seams? The tank has a date of 1986 on it, and I believe it is a Perfecto tank. It didn't leak before I took it down to move it, as it was a freshwater community tank for over a year. I want to be safe, but I don't want the caulk to look too thick and tacky. Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.

[imsqueak]

If you are confident in cutting away the panes, cleaning and re-doing from scratch like the guy did with Charles' old tank, you should do that. If not, I dont know what advantage a new layer of silicone would serve. It's not going to add much strength to the bond of the panes. Now if there's some chunks of silicone taken out from prior misuse of razor blade maybe...

Murphy would hunt me down if I said anything about my tank so I wont.

[Kennetht]

I'm not that comfortable with taking it completely apart. The silicone looks good, I just wanted to ask for another opinion. I guess I'll just go with it, and it it leaks, etc....I'll just have to listen to the future wife. :D

[fishdoc11]

Fill it with tap water on a level stable surface(the stand would be good) and leave it for about a week. If it doesn't leak you are probably ok. That being said silicone was only made to last about 20 years back then so you are nearing the end of it's lifespan. If you do decide to have it resealed I know there is a man here who does it(Mickey at the Fish Bowl) and I would guess you could find someone in Ktown.
good luck, Chris

[Kennetht]

so basically...I need to strip the silicone and start over. It didn't leak before, as it hadn't been used in 8 years (the previous owner had it in his basement). I guess I need to find someone to reseal it then.

[Runner]

A compromise would be to strip the silicon out of the inside and not separate the panes of glass. This is relatively simple and can be done with a box cutter and a scraper and time. If the tank has been sitting empty and exposed to temp swings for 8 years, I would definitely do this then let it sit for a week full after it cures. This will add a little more strength and not be as unsightly as covering the existing silicone would be. I personally wouldn't break the panes apart unless there was visual deterioration or known leaks. But if that is what it takes to give you peace of mind, then do it.

[RCS]

New silicone won't adhere to old silicone in most cases, so simply re-sealing the inside won't really add any strength, though it may prevent leaks. Silicone tends to shrink and contract over time, especially when dry, so it may be best to simply strip the tank and redo it all from scratch.

[Kennetht]

Fred....are you talking about doing what Runner suggested? I could do that no problem, I'm just not wanting to seperate the panes, and remove the top and bottom trim. I guess I'm off to buy some Aquarium sealant. How many tubes would it take to do it?? 72" W X 18" D X 24" H Thanks in advance.

[Fishboy42]

If you are careful to scrape off the existing silicone, you can leave the tank "assembled" and simply re-seal it as Runner describes. As Fred notes though, it would be important to make sure the glass is clean so the new silicone will adhere to it. I've done this with smaller tanks and it has worked fine, but I don't know how it would work with larger ones...

[easttn]

I would replace. You do not want to find out later, believe me.

[awcurl]

My 240 was repaired similarly. Remove all silicone from all panels inside the tank. Polish the area where old silicone was removed with ultra fine steel wool to clean all remaining silicone residue from inside of tank, then wash the areas again using toluene and steel wool until all evidence of the old silicone has been removed. After thoroughly cleaning all seams, reseal the entire inside of the tank with aquarium grade silicone.

Or you can hire someone to do it for you like I did. If you want his contact info send me a pm and I'll send it to you.
:bum:

[Kennetht]

I got two tubes of All-Glass sealant from the LFS. I'm gonna scrape the old silicone off, and clean with acetone. Once I get it sealed up, I'll fill it with water, put some big powerheads in it, and run it for a couple of weeks outside to be sure it's ok. According to thekrib.com this has been done many times with tanks as large as 500G with no problems. I guess I gotta try sometime. If I was real brave, I'd drill it why I had it out, but I'm not that brave yet. Thanks for the help guys, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!