I have a 55 gal tank that i bought and now has a small leak. i am trying to avoid buying a new tank and replacing my hardwood floors which have been ruined by this stupid thing. so, my question would be: How do you reseal an aquarium with silicone? how long does it take to dry? and how do i be sure this won't happen again?
2007-12-05 14:57:48 · 11 answers · asked by jenn t 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
the aquarium cannot be returned as i didn't buy it at a store.
2007-12-05 15:24:12 · update #1
Get the silicone from a pet store or aquarium store. The others will all have strong ammonia and that will harm your fish. The easiest way is to either use your finger or a popsicle stick and smooth the silicone into the space where the two glass pannels meet. It's best to do it up the entire side unless you are 100 % positive of where the leak is. Let the tank air dry for at least 24 hours. NEVER do this with fish in the tank, even if the leak is higher up. After the silicone dries, clean up the edges with a razor blade, but be careful not to cut yourself or to reopen the hole you fixed. If you feel unsure about any step, it's best to take the aquarium to a petstore (or aquarium place) they do this kinda thing all the time and will have it fixed up in no time. (The good thing about this is.. if you mess up, clean it and try again.)
2007-12-05 15:14:20 · answer #1 · answered by Amy G 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
You can not spot fix a leak you need to reseal the whole tank as new silicon will not stick to the old therefor at the ends of the fix where the new meets old the water works its way in-between the old and new silicone and will leak again, you have to get all the silicone off the inside of the tank and then clean the inside of the tank with rubbing alcohol then apply the new silicone it must be 100% silicone and Aquarium safe stated on the tube also it should not have any mold resistant in it either as it will kill your fish
2014-02-24 10:55:37 · answer #2 · answered by Frankie 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If You Got It At Walmart Check And See If It IS The Filter, After About A Hour OF Filling That Sucker Up(Cut Milk jug) I Noticed A Leak, But Found It WAs my Filter. It HAd Holes Punched Out That Wasent Suposed To Be, So I Used Some Plactic Melted It Over The Holes, If It Is Your Tank In The Box Should Be A Number You Can Call And They Send A New Tank But You Pay Shipping.
2007-12-05 15:20:23 · answer #3 · answered by Pistol_Packin_Neva_Slackin 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
You need a special silicone that is for aquariums... so get it at a pet store or it will kill your fish. It will have instructions. I think it dries in less than a day or two before you can add water.
You need to really clean the glass, including scraping with a razor blade and alcohol. The tube of silicone will give you everything that you need. Probably would be best to go to an aquarium store if you live in a large enough town, or get it on eBay.
2007-12-05 15:01:48 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
What I usually do is use scotch tape and silicone thing from fish stores...funny NOT!
It actually worked for me one time. When I saw a leak I immediately put scotch tape to block it, and it worked.
Well the scotch tape was holding the water off I put the silicone on. Easy as that for me!
2007-12-05 15:14:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
i would take it to someone who knows how to do it the right way rather than doing it yourself.
Or, ..call your local pet store...or where you got it, ...there is usually someone there, who is willing to come out to the house...to help people with big tank issues....and you can tip them...or whatever.
good luck.
..also...i dont know if theres fish in it or not, ...or water or whatever...but ...if you dont want to fill this "stupid" thing with water again, why not make it into a terrarium?
2007-12-05 15:01:52 · answer #6 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can get silicone at the hardware store. If you know where the leak is you can just spot seal it. You can also run a small bead around the existing seals for added protection. It is very simple to do. Read the dry time on the sealer label. Normally it takes a few hours to dry but 24 hours to completly cure.
2007-12-05 15:02:07 · answer #7 · answered by jimmethun@sbcglobal.net 2 · 1⤊ 5⤋
yor use silicone you can buy at ahrdware store it comes in clear. spread it with you finger on the inside of the tank with your finger wipe off excess let dry for 24 hours done
2007-12-05 15:02:01 · answer #8 · answered by cory_brown40 1 · 0⤊ 4⤋
You buy the things you plug up apove ground pools with and put it on it, worked 4 me!: )
2007-12-05 15:00:17 · answer #9 · answered by Julia T 1 · 1⤊ 7⤋
make sure you empty it first.
;-)
jimmy
2007-12-05 15:30:55 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋