Aquarium seams

[Jvega214]

Hi all,

I purchased a used 90g setup recently and wanted to get some opinions on the seams. Before I broke it down I looked and didn’t see any bubbles but I did notice the cuts I guess from scraping during cleaning throughout the years. The inner seals (between the glass) seem perfect. Should I worry about the “cuts” on the edges of the silicone or is that more cosmetic? It’s a Planet Aquarium which I hear good things about when it comes to craftsmanship. Also, the tank is 3-4 years old.

 

[Jrain904]

I would be nervous about it personally. Good luck

 

[Jvega214]

I would be nervous about it personally. Good luck

I’m nervous but I’ve seen some say as long as the seam between the glass is good it should fine. Decisions lol

 

[Jekyl]

@Joe Glass Cages may help shed some light. Always helpful to bring in an expert.

 

[Jvega214]

@Joe Glass Cages may help shed some light. Always helpful to bring in an expert.

Nice, thanks for that tag!

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

Nice, thanks for that tag!

@Jvega214 Planet makes excellent tanks, agreed.

this is a used tank and its really hard to tell what it has been through prior to you getting it. from the pictures, it doesn't look well maintained. The seams in the pictures dont look good. some of the cuts look deep. Hard to truly offer good advice with a few pictures though. I would error on the side of caution and the way you feel about it. Caution says to address the issue. The way you feel about it.... doesnt seem that you feel that good about it. Not sure if that helps. Feel free to call if you would like to talk through what you see. maybe facetime or something.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

At the end of the day, it'll never be easier to reseal it than it is now.

I wouldn't be able to sleep well, waiting for that to come undone

 

[DCR]

Re-sealing does not improve the structural integrity of the tank. The load is all carried by the silicone between the glass. At best all it does is protect the silicone between the glass if that is even necessary. High end tanks will not even have a seam. If the silicone between the glass is good without any bubbles, and the tank is built with a high quality silicone which I am pretty sure Planet uses, it should be fine. I have Oceanic tanks (which I understand were the same builders as Planet) that are 35 years old and have never been resealed.

If the silicone is bad, then you need to break apart all the panels and rebuild the tank. I think it is unlikely that you will do a better job than what you already have. If you want to reseal for cosmetic reasons, then it won't hurt anything.

 

[Jvega214]

@Jvega214 Planet makes excellent tanks, agreed.

this is a used tank and its really hard to tell what it has been through prior to you getting it. from the pictures, it doesn't look well maintained. The seams in the pictures dont look good. some of the cuts look deep. Hard to truly offer good advice with a few pictures though. I would error on the side of caution and the way you feel about it. Caution says to address the issue. The way you feel about it.... doesnt seem that you feel that good about it. Not sure if that helps. Feel free to call if you would like to talk through what you see. maybe facetime or something.

Awesome response, I appreciate your input! To be honest I think the camera/flash makes it look worse than it actually looks in person. I cleaned it up a little today and honestly feel more comfortable than I did yesterday after I tore it down. The inner seam (between the glass edges) seems to be untouched. What makes it look bad is the silicone lining that protects the inner silicone, looks like someone had too much fun cleaning the glass. I live in the central time zone, if you’re available and don’t mind maybe we can get a quick FaceTime call in if you’d like to take a look. I know at the end of the day it’s my decision, but it doesn’t hurt to get opinions especially from pros!

 

[Jvega214]

Re-sealing does not improve the structural integrity of the tank. The load is all carried by the silicone between the glass. At best all it does is protect the silicone between the glass if that is even necessary. High end tanks will not even have a seam. If the silicone between the glass is good without any bubbles, and the tank is built with a high quality silicone which I am pretty sure Planet uses, it should be fine. I have Oceanic tanks (which I understand were the same builders as Planet) that are 35 years old and have never been resealed.

If the silicone is bad, then you need to break apart all the panels and rebuild the tank. I think it is unlikely that you will do a better job than what you already have. If you want to reseal for cosmetic reasons, then it won't hurt anything.

The inner seal seems to be fully intact. Are the outer seams (the ones nipped/ripped) there to protect the inner seal between glass? If so, I think it has served its purpose.

 

[DCR]

The inner seal seems to be fully intact. Are the outer seams (the ones nipped/ripped) there to protect the inner seal between glass? If so, I think it has served its purpose.

That is all the outer seam can do. To avoid a failure, you want to make sure your stand is fully supporting the outer edge of the tank with no gaps. You should not be able to slide a thick sheet of paper or thin card stock between the stand and the tank before filling with water. I am convinced that most tank failures are the result of inadequate support that causes bending of the glass bottom and puts too much stress on the silicone rather than bad silicone seams. I generally like to put a piece of foam board with a sheet of plywood over it between the tank and the stand to eliminate most any issue with my DIY stands not being perfectly flat.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

If your going to fix the seams, Cut the bad caulking back, clean with denatured alcohol, tape some straight lines and reseal with rtv silicone. Push in and Smooth the caulking over, Pop a cold one, pound it, then pull the tape and let dry for a few days to a week.

 

[Jvega214]

That is all the outer seam can do. To avoid a failure, you want to make sure your stand is fully supporting the outer edge of the tank with no gaps. You should not be able to slide a thick sheet of paper or thin card stock between the stand and the tank before filling with water. I am convinced that most tank failures are the result of inadequate support that causes bending of the glass bottom and puts too much stress on the silicone rather than bad silicone seams. I generally like to put a piece of foam board with a sheet of plywood over it between the tank and the stand to eliminate most any issue with my DIY stands not being perfectly flat.

I'm glad you brought that up as that was going to be my next question. I was reading the Planet website and it says to shim between the stand and floor to make it level. I did notice that I was able to slide a cardstock paper in the middle between the floor and the stand and also between the stand and the tank. As it sits now (empty) only about 6-8" is completely supported on each edge. Shimming between the stand and floor should be enough, right? What foam board do you use? I wouldn't mind purchasing some so I can put between the stand and tank just as extra support.

 

[DCR]

The stand needs to be contacting the floor in the areas were the vertical supports are located (the corners and usually a middle support). I just use the 1/2" or 3/4" (I forget which but it is the thinnest) exterior insulation board you can get at Lowes or Home Depot.

 

[Jvega214]

The stand needs to be contacting the floor in the areas were the vertical supports are located (the corners and usually a middle support). I just use the 1/2" or 3/4" (I forget which but it is the thinnest) exterior insulation board you can get at Lowes or Home Depot.

Here’s a sketch of what is fully supported (can’t even slide a thin piece of paper in highlighted areas). The circled areas have a very minimal gap both between the floor and stand and also between stand and tank. Hopefully that makes sense.

Is that safe enough?

 

[DCR]

If there is a vertical support between the doors, I would try to shim it below that support so that there is contact with the floor below the support. Back side as well

 

[Tamberav]

Some high end tanks don’t even have that inside silicone (for a cleaner look). It wouldn’t worry me. All that matters is the silicone between the panels.

 

[Jvega214]

If there is a vertical support between the doors, I would try to shim it below that support so that there is contact with the floor below the support. Back side as well

Thanks man, I appreciate your help! I bought composite shims from Home Depot yesterday and will be shimming the door panel support as well as the back. I read shims every 4" so I'll be doing that. Thanks again

 

[Jvega214]

Some high end tanks don’t even have that inside silicone (for a cleaner look). It wouldn’t worry me. All that matters is the silicone between the panels.

That's what I'm thinking. Once I fill it I will look carefully for bubbles between the panels, but I don't remember seeing any when I picked it up

 

[PopDBE]

@Jvega214 Can you share pictures of your shim layout please? Thanks