How to Reseal A Red Sea Reefer 300XL

[MnFish1]

but how can this home brewed v1 be trusted

it'd be different if this was your 12th seal job, to look back on

api is a pro company and they are averaging 3 yrs max on their v1s

I vote new tank, you want to trust it solidly on year 6

recommend waterbox cade et al

API? I think they are talking about RedSea?

 

[Ziggy17]

I have a 300XL as well. One Hydra 16 is really all you need, it will just be on high. There may be some darker spots but some corals prefer the lower light. You can always add another later on down the road…

 

[mrtallbear86]

Sorry I didn't respond earlier I don't go on here often. So when I was removing the silicone in the front panel it was taking too long so I decided to use 3M 5200 in the corner where the old silicone would meet the new silicone. I only resilicone the front panel and left it dry for 6 days. My silicone work was not the best. I filled it with water after and I ran a power head to move the water around. To this day it still is holding water and not leaking.
I still haven't started the tank because I'm trying to get equipment for cheap not looking to spend a lot right now. Looking for a light and skimmer. Any recommendations?

How heavy did you put it on? Did you get any pictures of the reseal?
I am about to do the same thing, I came across a 525xl for free and I’m putting I’m putting in the work to try to repair

 

[JovannyNewbie]

How heavy did you put it on? Did you get any pictures of the reseal?
I am about to do the same thing, I came across a 525xl for free and I’m putting I’m putting in the work to try to repair

Sorry for the late response. I didn't take any pictures of me resealing the tank only the ones I posted above, the finished project. I did 1/8 inch thickness of silicone along the front panel and spread it along the sides. I kinda regret not taking more time and laying down tape along the edged to make a straight line of silicone. I was just excited to have my first saltwater tank and get it setup.

It has been 2 months since I setup the tank, it is still running and haven't noticed anything wrong with the silicone. Hope everything turns out great and take your time with it

 

[mrtallbear86]

Thanks man, I ripped out the front seal today, I’m going to rebuild it. I will post updates. Heck, I might even do a build thread. Thanks for getting back and sharing the info! Happy forth man!

 

[Cousteau666]

Just picked up a Red Sea Reefer 300 XL for cheap because, of course, the front panel came unglued.

I'm going to reseal the tank with ASI Silicone, and I understand how vitally important it is that the glass is clean and no old silicone remains before the new silicone goes on. But there are a couple things I want to be sure of before I start.

Can I remove and reseal the front panel, or do I have to dismantle and rebuild the entire tank?

I've heard of spacers people have used to get a consistent space between the panels to inject silicone. What are they? Can I use tile spacers and pull them out as I inject the silicone?

(Also, I only bought the tank - I'm building a custom stand that will support the entire tank all the way around.)

If it were me I would take it apart and reseal the whole thing. At home I've also used ASI many times and trust it. At work we've sealed some massive panes with 795 a while back that are still tip top. But seriously you don't want a small defect in a corner to leak and have to start over. Perhaps just make sure you only have to do it once.