Resealing a glass tank

[_E_]

Who's tried it before and would you do it again? Any tips that made the process easier? I've got a leaky 75 gal RR that i'm considering turning into a sump.

 

[Schplitter]

Who's tried it before and would you do it again? Any tips that made the process easier? I've got a leaky 75 gal RR that i'm considering turning into a sump.

I did it's on a 135gal. It took a couple of days and some elbow grease but I got it done. Looked like new faster and only cost $20.00.

Take your time, make sure all of the old stuff is 110% gone. Clean, clean and when you are sure everything is gone clean one more time so the glass is perfect. Then reassemble.

 

[kegogut]

after you remove all the old caulk clean the glass with alcohol.

 

[jtrasap]

I've resealed quite a few tanks from 55 gallons all the way up to my 220. As has been mentioned; the cleaner the glass the better the silicone will seal/stick to the glass. Another thing I've found is to help make the corners look much cleaner run a strip of masking tape from bottom to top, about a half to three quarters of an inch out from the corner, then run your silicone up the corner but not too thick, smooth it with your finger, then carefully remove the tape while the silicone is still wet.

 

[u4ick]

You can use a heat gun for the top and bottom trim to get it to let go of the old silicone......otherwise it's easy to break getting it off there.

Also I would not use silicone purchased for hardware stores..... and if you're turning the tank into a sump, then get your baffle pieces cut to the proper size and make them a part of your re do process so that those panels will be a structural part of the sump and not just a divider.
This will greatly improve your chances of not having a "glass tank used as sump failure issues".

 

[_E_]

You can use a heat gun for the top and bottom trim to get it to let go of the old silicone......otherwise it's easy to break getting it off there.

Also I would not use silicone purchased for hardware stores..... and if you're turning the tank into a sump, then get your baffle pieces cut to the proper size and make them a part of your re do process so that those panels will be a structural part of the sump and not just a divider.
This will greatly improve your chances of not having a "glass tank used as sump failure issues".

I've been wondering about the trim. I tried to take apart an old 40 gal to see how tough it was and broke the trim. I'll give that a try.

 

[_E_]

What does everyone use to hold it together while it dries? Regular clamps?

 

[u4ick]

What does everyone use to hold it together while it dries? Regular clamps?

Can't really use a clamp as you need to maintain a bead of silicone between panels. This allows the glass pieces to move ever so slightly. Tank builders have several different tricks to do this......having a jig is one of them, or using very small spacers is another.

 

[kegogut]

What does everyone use to hold it together while it dries? Regular clamps?

Masking tape.

 

[_E_]

Masking tape.

Well now I just feel dumb. [emoji1]