Those with black silicone please chime in.

[firemedix911]

I hate the look of algae on silicone. Black silicone does not show algae like white does. Again this is all from my impression. I've never had a tank with black silicone. Are there any drawbacks to this? Am I correct in this assumption.?

 

[rovster]

One drawback. You have to be ultra careful when scraping the glass. If you ding it it's VERY noticeable. Ask me how I know

 

[nick12881]

Agreed with rov. But the upside definitely outweighs

 

[firemedix911]

Thanks Rovster. Boy am I glad you are always around. Lol. So here's my problem. My tank is ready(way earlier than expected) and all is as expect but one issue. They used white instead of black silicone. I have two options. A discount on the price of the tank and take delivery next week or wait another 6-10 weeks for a new tank to be built. I'm seriously considering just taking the discount. Will black silicone warrant a possibly 8 weeks wait? Or am I putting too much emphasis on some petty detail like black silicone?
If it nicks as easy or it is as noticeable as you say then it might be wise to take the discount.

 

[mlivvy]

Is it a rimless tank? I prefer white if it's rimless. IMO it looks better. If it's just a standard tank i'd take the tank now + the discount.

Rovster's right its very noticeable if you scrape it but its almost impossible not to. I tried just avoiding the glue all together but the black looks horrible when it builds up.

 

[firemedix911]

MLivy thanks a lot for the input. It's not rimless. It'll have stand and canopy wich are white both. You can see my build three here in this group forum. I have pics up of the stand. If that helps any.

 

[doggydoc]

Those with black silicone please chime in.

Take the discount. But on the other hand...my tanks have always have black silicone and IT LOOKS AMAZING.

 

[firemedix911]

Take the discount. But on the other hand...my tanks have always have black silicone and IT LOOKS AMAZING.

See you are not helping. Lmao. Nah. Thanks for the input. I have only had experience with clear silicone. I figure there's solution to all this. Just a little bit more of work when it comes to maintenance. Pay close attention to the seems and the algae. No other way around it.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

Did they actually use white silicone or clear? My tank was built incorrectly with clear and I had them re-do it and just waited. I ordered black and didn't mind waiting for it to be done right. That said, I don't have a white stand or canopy. If you do, clear might look cleaner?

 

[firemedix911]

Yeah clear silicone is what I meant. My bad. And yes white stand and canopy here. Now they've been gr8 and have offered solutions. So I have no complaints about the builders. I'm just gonna go check the tank out in person and make a decision.

 

[knukles55]

Now you see the problem with seeing the tank now in person is gonna make you fall in love and wish you brought a u haul with you to take it home regardless if it has black or clear Silicone lol

 

[brians4671]

My concern would be if they were going to try to cut it apart and redo it I don't know if I would like that idea if that's the case gonna have to fine tooth comb it.

 

[rovster]

It's your call. FWIW if I ever have another tank built I will use black again. Looks slick. Next time I'll just be more careful lol. I know Felix (reef savvy) if the tank is big enough will silicone a strip of glass in the corners to protect the "look". He showed me when I picked up my tank. At first I was a but turned off by it but after thinking about it I might consider that if I ever go big!

 

[firemedix911]

Thanks for all the input guys. They builder have been gr8 and they are offering building the tank from scratch all over if indeed I don't want the clear silicone. Order new glass etc. so that's not an issue. The wait would be but either way I haven't gotten to do anything on the sump, wires etc yet so the wait wouldn't be that bad. And yes going to see the tank can be tricky. Lol. But at this point I've learned to be objective and patient with this hobby. If I wanna have the tank look one way I can't compromise. It'd take a significant discount to make me go with the clear silicone tank.

 

[Ludwigia73]

If they are custom builders and THEY screwed up, they should not be making you wait 8 weeks for a new tank, it doesn't take anywhere near that long to make a tank. They are putting you at the end of the list again. 2 weeks, maybe 3 tops, and that's still making you wait too long. You're the customer, you paid them, they screwed up. Not saying make them dance, but get what you paid for. You're going to live with this tank for a few years at least, think about all the times you'll look at your "settled upon" tank and think, I just should have waited.

They need to put you at the front of the list, knock it out, and get you taken care of. I've been in customer service a LONG time, going on 25 years, and the customer in front of you who's given you money and you made a promise to comes first. Period.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

If they are custom builders and THEY screwed up, they should not be making you wait 8 weeks for a new tank, it doesn't take anywhere near that long to make a tank. They are putting you at the end of the list again. 2 weeks, maybe 3 tops, and that's still making you wait too long. You're the customer, you paid them, they screwed up. Not saying make them dance, but get what you paid for. You're going to live with this tank for a few years at least, think about all the times you'll look at your "settled upon" tank and think, I just should have waited.

They need to put you at the front of the list, knock it out, and get you taken care of. I've been in customer service a LONG time, going on 25 years, and the customer in front of you who's given you money and you made a promise to comes first. Period.

I agree with Ludwigia. When I found out that my builder used clear (LFS called and told me), I requested it be re-done with Black and it only took about 2-3 weeks. That said, they did request that I keep water out of it for another couple weeks to allow the silicone to fully cure. But I knew it was going to take me a while to build it all out so that wasn't a problem.

 

[firemedix911]

Thanks fellas. I have a decision to make. I'll go talk to the builder on Saturday and see what comes off it.

 

[Ludwigia73]

So part of the time they're quoting can be for curing the silicone? I didn't think it took that long to cure, only a few days... By all means correct me if I'm wrong... I'll take back some of what I said.