How to silicone seal a tank right (1 Viewer)

[aqua-nut]

I'm building a second tank for home this week. It's an 17x17x17 inch cube.

I have already put a silicone bead on all five pieces making the tank floor and walls and its set up nicely for a few days.

Last night I scraped off most of the residue around the inside and outside where it oozed out so I can put a final bead of silicone around the inside to seal it up. Here are my questions, which I'd appreciate some input from someone who's as experienced as a tank maker:

Question 1: Was scraping off the excess the right thing to do?

Question 2: If it was ok, what should I use to get the filmy residue off the glass to insure the bead I need to run inside has a clean adherant surface? Alcohol?

Any input an experience tank builder can offer is appreciated!

 

[Guest]

I'm not an expert, but I'm not a rookie either. On RC a guy who worked at Dow went down to the silicone department and asked a bunch of questions. To answer yours, they said that silicone will adhere to old silicone just as well as glass. I redid the silicone on a tank I used for my ecofilter. Just cut out the ooze stuff, put on latex gloves(easy clean up since your going to get silicone on your fingers) and clean the surface with vinagar or alochol. Then put a new bead of silicone on it.
To get nice lines, use masking tape on each side of the silicone. smooth it down with your finger, then remove the tape while the silicone is still wet.
here is my filter

 

[aqua-nut]

Thanks for the reassurance I'm not doing anything so wrong I'll battle leaks until I tear it down and do it all at once!

BTW, your ecosystem sump looks very nice... alot like the one I made out of my old 55 I had for 10 years before I upgraded to the 150 I have now... will you have ecosystem mud under the prop area? From what Keith over at AD taught me, you need a fairly large area for the mud and calurpa to grow if you want solid nutrient export.

I do like your idea of a prop area though... I just might try that myself by putting a bit of plastic in the left side of the refugium area. Will you put lighting above it that turns on and off, or do the frags have to stay under 24/7 lighting like most ecosystems do?

 

[Guest]

Yes both sections will have mud but I'm only growing caulerpa in the second chamber to keep it from growing all over the frags. I'm putting 4 24w T5's on it, but I think I'm going to put 2 or 3 of them on a timer to let the frags rest.

Question for you: how did you glue/hold the glass to make the cube and what size(thickness) did you use?

 

[Guest]

If your tank works I am in the market for a 24" cube to replace my current tank.

BTW I have no problem growing grape and feather calerupa bare bottom.

 

[aqua-nut]

Mrlimpet:

I used 1/4 inch glass. I also was given the black base and top frames for the tank from Keith when I bought the cube's stand and integrated top. So the measurements and creating the tank itself has not been difficult thus far. I'm going fairly slowly with the tank though... it was a pain to clean the filmly residue off the glass so I could apply the second bead of silicone to the insides.

Tcarlson:

I'd suggest finding the black frame pieces for a 24 inch cube before you decide to build a tank yourself... it will save you on glass costs. A non-framed tank that is 24x24x24 should probably have 3/8 inch glass, wouldn't you think?

The glass for my 18 inch cube, plus four extra pieces of 4 inch wide glass for the ecosystem was 81.00 with tax. The buzz I got from the silicone work was free

 

[Guest]

Anyone have a email address for Universal? I think I'll get a professional quote first. When I factor in the bumps, bruises, beers, abrasions and frustrations of my kind of DIY work I might pay 20% more for someone else to do it.

 

[aqua-nut]

I don't think Universal sells to individuals direct. You'd have to order it through a LFS or get someone to make it for you...

which would certainly not be me! One's enough!

 

[Guest]

FYI holes

FYI edge of holes drilled in glass should be drilled a distance from a corner equal to the diameter of the hole.

Tom, City Pets resealed my 125G via Universal Glass Co in Channelview who also replaced panels as necessary & added a (dreaded) center brace.

Lee