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Repairing a minor leak


GTR73

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I want to repair a small leak on an old tank - what's the best method?

Recently I fixed a new tank successfully, I simply reapplied the Selleys stuff over the top of the manufacturer's silicon (after discussing with the maker over the phone) and that did the trick no problem.

However for this old tank I was thinking of first removing the original silicon entirely from all the inner corners, then reapply new silicon to those crevices.

Is this the best way?

What's the best tool/method to remove the old silicon?

Should I just use the Selleys Aquarium Safe Silicon or is there a more structurally safe brand to use?

Thanks.

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It is worth considering that a minor leak my be the prelude to a major failure of the silicon.....

I have tanks that I have repaired.....but I keep them where failure wont do any damage

I think it is dangerous to use solvents unless you intend to remove all the silicon....for repairs I'd suggest a stanley knife and a lot of scaping?

And it may be easier(and safer) to totally reglue the tank????

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I was thinking of carefully removing the inner bead (not any of the structural), with a Stanley Knife blade. I have isopropyl alcohol wipes to clean up any residue which will hopefully work.

Dunno if I will totally redo the whole tank - it's only a standard 2ft.

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I was thinking of carefully removing the inner bead (not any of the structural), with a Stanley Knife blade. I have isopropyl alcohol wipes to clean up any residue which will hopefully work.

Dunno if I will totally redo the whole tank - it's only a standard 2ft.

I have to preface this comment by saying I have never ever repaired a tank, and I don't personally know anyone who has. So please take this information with a huge grain of salt!

A chap in Newcastle (who owns the All About Fish, Amphibians and Reptiles LFS) stated in a response on the Newcastle Aquaholics cichlid forum:

I don't use V2 silicone I use a better type (tremco). (in my opinion). Give me a bell if you need any. I use this for all my tanks i build including the big ones.

HTH. Cheers

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I use the Parbury Parfix glass from Bunnings, it is a bit cheaper than the Selleys & goes off faster. It says not for aquariums on it tho that is covering their buM from people building the tanks badly & blaming the silicone, cause everyone blames the silicone.

I've repaired tanks with it for years & they are still holding up no leaks, better than the original silicone the tank manufacturer used too.

Here is a guide to building tanks from scratch that might help you make decisions about repairing them --> http://www.austinglass.com.au/aquariums.html

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