How to tell if seals are still good on tank

[braaap]

Reef Saavy is allowed to redo tanks because they are the best tank builder out there.

Advising some guy on a forum that he should cut the seems of his tank because they are ragged and that resealing them is a good idea because Reef Saavy can do it seems ridiculous.

That makes zero sense.

It’s not a hard project. It’s hard to make it look GOOD. Anyone can seal glass together with proper prep. If you prep properly it will hold. Just might not look good. Because what is peeling on his is ONLY cosmetic. It does nothing for strength or keeping water in.

 

[MrPike]

They want to encourage a new purchase mainly. I was friends with the Ristows who owned all glass aquarium’s and the process is quite simple and they even had factory seconds from reseal work
I think there a few who have attested to a successful job in resealing and some simply don’t have funds to acquire a new tank and stand

I get that, and I did not just call a company and ask if they could reseal my tank. In that situation I get they would be motivated to say “just buy a new one”.

These are conversations where they had no skin in the game and the general consensus is silicone does not attach as well a 2nd time to glass that has been previously siliconed. These are personal correspondence with Planet and DSA.

 

[GARRIGA]

Why risk it? Shop around for someone skilled and willing to reseal on site. I've actually considered buying my own glass and having that done. Moving large tanks too stressful.

 

[BristleWormHater]

You cannot reseal a tank despite all the “wisdom” in this thread. Once the silicone has bonded to the glass, you cannot slap more silicone over the top and have it do anything useful. Any shop that offers is a shop that I wouldn’t return to. Those seems look fine to me, put it in your garage and fill it with freshwater to make sure there isn’t a leak somewhere you can’t see.

Yes you can. You have to strip out the original silicone and reconnect the panels with new silcone. I don't get what part of reseal you thought meant slap more silicone on and call it a day.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Back in the day it was believed that the silicone filled the microscopic pores of the glass and was impossible to clean. I saw a supposed magnified image of it once when someone was trying to prove it.

That said I’ve seen tons of properly resealed tanks and they look just as good and likely have the exact same failure rate as anything else. It’s all in the prep.

I love that so much lol, "hey bro look my glass has pores".

 

[Dbichler]

That makes zero sense.

It’s not a hard project. It’s hard to make it look GOOD. Anyone can seal glass together with proper prep. If you prep properly it will hold. Just might not look good. Because what is peeling on his is ONLY cosmetic. It does nothing for strength or keeping water in.

It’s actually a very simple job if you can read a tape measure and can lay masking tape exactly even on your measurements it comes out perfect. I would argue it’s easier than testing for phosphate with most test kits.

 

[braaap]

It’s actually a very simple job if you can read a tape measure and can lay masking tape exactly even on your measurements it comes out perfect. I would argue it’s easier than testing for phosphate with most test kits.

Most people can’t read a tape measure. Lol

 

[MrPike]

Yes you can. You have to strip out the original silicone and reconnect the panels with new silcone. I don't get what part of reseal you thought meant slap more silicone on and call it a day.

I get that comprehension may not be your thing. That’s fine, let me explain it. When you cut silicone out of a seam, you then need to place new silicone where the old silicone was. Right on top.

Why even bother having a tank manufacturer make a tank at all if resealing is such a piece of cake that anyone can do it? Why not order glass from a glass shop and slap some masking tape and silicone in the joint. Bam, done. What could go wrong?

Tank builders use spacers to keep the glass far enough apart to get the correct amount of silicone in the seam, braces to hold the panes steady while curing, the correct silicone, and allow it to cure the correct amount of time based on which silicone they use. I don’t know the exact process, I’m not a tank builder. But neither are you and advising someone to cut open their factory seams because they look ragged and gob some silicone and masking tape on 5 panes of glass sounds like terrible advice.

 

[BristleWormHater]

I get that comprehension may not be your thing. That’s fine, let me explain it. When you cut silicone out of a seam, you then need to place new silicone where the old silicone was. Right on top.

Why even bother having a tank manufacturer make a tank at all if resealing is such a piece of cake that anyone can do it? Why not order glass from a glass shop and slap some masking tape and silicone in the joint. Bam, done. What could go wrong?

Tank builders use spacers to keep the glass far enough apart to get the correct amount of silicone in the seam, braces to hold the panes steady while curing, the correct silicone, and allow it to cure the correct amount of time based on which silicone they use. I don’t know the exact process, I’m not a tank builder. But neither are you and advising someone to cut open their factory seams because they look ragged and gob some silicone and masking tape on 5 panes of glass sounds like terrible advice.

I didn't tell them to do it themselves, I told them to find a custom tank shop to do it.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Op just had a simple question about the silicone, and the whole thread has just turned into this

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I get that comprehension may not be your thing. That’s fine, let me explain it. When you cut silicone out of a seam, you then need to place new silicone where the old silicone was. Right on top.

Why even bother having a tank manufacturer make a tank at all if resealing is such a piece of cake that anyone can do it? Why not order glass from a glass shop and slap some masking tape and silicone in the joint. Bam, done. What could go wrong?

Tank builders use spacers to keep the glass far enough apart to get the correct amount of silicone in the seam, braces to hold the panes steady while curing, the correct silicone, and allow it to cure the correct amount of time based on which silicone they use. I don’t know the exact process, I’m not a tank builder. But neither are you and advising someone to cut open their factory seams because they look ragged and gob some silicone and masking tape on 5 panes of glass sounds like terrible advice.

Ok smarty pants, we are all taking about the seal not the seam .

"Seals are what keep the water from leaking. SEAMS are the "protective layer" that hold the glass panels together. The seams are located in between the panels of glass where they meet. The seams main purpose is not meant to keep water out. They might for a little amount of time but that's not what they're there for and they will eventually bust. The SEALs purpose is to keep the water in the tank, but it's not meant to hold the glass panels together. From the pictures the SEAL obviously needs to be redone. If OP fills them with water they will eventually bust, then the SEAMS won't be able to keep the water in for long if at all before the tank starts leaking. I can't tell the condition of the SEAMS so I can't say if those need to be redone. I can only see that the SEALS are peeling and severely damaged and those need to be re-done. OP needs to scrape all the silicone from the SEAL off, clean it and reapply silicone. Hope that makes sense "


Not cutting the tank apart.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I get that comprehension may not be your thing. That’s fine, let me explain it. When you cut silicone out of a seam, you then need to place new silicone where the old silicone was. Right on top.

Why even bother having a tank manufacturer make a tank at all if resealing is such a piece of cake that anyone can do it? Why not order glass from a glass shop and slap some masking tape and silicone in the joint. Bam, done. What could go wrong?

Tank builders use spacers to keep the glass far enough apart to get the correct amount of silicone in the seam, braces to hold the panes steady while curing, the correct silicone, and allow it to cure the correct amount of time based on which silicone they use. I don’t know the exact process, I’m not a tank builder. But neither are you and advising someone to cut open their factory seams because they look ragged and gob some silicone and masking tape on 5 panes of glass sounds like terrible advice.

Just to start, I am not trying to argue but instead add to the discussion.

Most professional tank manufacturers say that the silicone lasts roughly 10-15 years. Some tanks can easily last 20 to 30+ years before the silicone starts breaking down. You can only achieve this if the tank was level, and properly cared for. OP says that their tank is 10+ years old and used, so how do we know it was properly cared for? We don't. We can clearly see damage to the silicone, so we can tell that it wasn't properly taken care of, even if the damage to the silicone is just cosmetic. What's the point to fill it up if it only has a year or two left? Why not fix the tank now, then enjoy the tank for another 20+ years? OP could easily find cheap used tanks to practice on as long as they're okay with holding off their 60g build.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Just to start, I am not trying to argue but instead add to the discussion.

Most professional tank manufacturers say that the silicone lasts roughly 10-15 years. Some tanks can easily last 20 to 30+ years before the silicone starts breaking down. You can only achieve this if the tank was level, and properly cared for. OP says that their tank is 10+ years old and used, so how do we know it was properly cared for? We don't. We can clearly see damage to the silicone, so we can tell that it wasn't properly taken care of, even if the damage to the silicone is just cosmetic. What's the point to fill it up if it only has a year or two left? Why not fix the tank now, then enjoy the tank for another 20+ years? OP could easily find cheap used tanks to practice on as long as they're okay with holding off their 60g build.

You helped explain the seam vs seal very well. Thank you

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

You helped explain the seam vs seal very well. Thank you

Thank you. Some people on this thread aren't knowledgeable in this topic, for example those who think seams and seals are the same thing.

 

[mh0ward]

Thank you. Some people on this thread aren't knowledgeable in this topic, for example those who think seams and seals are the same thing.

Just out of curiosity, how long do you think I have before my seams blow… my tank apparently didnt have any “seals” from the factory.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Just out of curiosity, how long do you think I have before my seams blow… my tank apparently didnt have any “seals” from the factory.

Can you take pictures of your tank like the first post in this thread?

 

[Jimbo327]

Tank seam life expectancy all depends on how the tank is constructed, thickness of glass, and how the tank is run.

The pressure that the seams need to hold is a big factor. If your tank is uneven, that will put more pressure on one side of tank, and shorten seam life. Euro-braced tanks are much stronger and supportive, and thicker glass reduces deflection…all relieves pressure from seams. Etc etc.