Resealing a brand new aquarium

[madmark285]

You get what you pay for, I was a bit disappointed with my Aqueon  75 gallon tank which started to leak after 2 years. But I couldn't resist and bought another Aqueon  tank, the 40 gallon breeder which fits perfectly in a corner space of my fish room. The tank was $60. But there are alot of red flags concerning quality issues on this tank. In my area, not many options from LFS. 

So I been debating just resealing this tank before I even fill it. Opinions?

Edit: Question, If the silicon in the seams of the tank is bad, will resealing the corners even work?

Edited July 21, 2023 by madmark285
added stuff

[Robert Keeney]

I had two of these that leaked badly. One of them would have blown apart if it were not for the plastic frame.

 

[madmark285]

On 7/21/2023 at 7:41 AM, Robert Keeney said:

I had two of these that leaked badly. One of them would have blown apart if it were not for the plastic frame.

 

Thanks, I will put you down as a yes vote 🙂 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

I always pre-re-seal my larger Aqueons.  By this, I mean I seal under the inside and outside of the plastic frame.  Top and bottom.  Does this add a lot of extra structural integrity?  No, probably not.  Will it prevent leaks from earlier bad silicon?  No.  Have I ever had an Aqueon tank leak?  No.  But that could just be luck.  It does, irrationally, make me feel better though.

If you are worried about the seals, remember that new silicone doesn't stick well to dry silicone.  It means if you are going to do it, you kind of have to go all in, or leave yourself vulnerable to the seams between new and old.  Were I do make the decision to reseal a tank like this, I would cut down as much from the inside as I was able and then reseal with a thick application along all the seams.

Good luck!  Sorry to her about your previous 75!

 

[madmark285]

On 7/21/2023 at 8:18 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

If you are worried about the seals, remember that new silicone doesn't stick well to dry silicone. 

Hi Genus! Great idea on sealing the bottom/top of the tank around the frame. This may have prevented the leak on my 75 gallon tank, it is the bottom seal leaking.

The 40 gallon tank will have a sump filter and I did reseal an very old 20 gallon tank as a sump. I bought a 4" razor blade scraper and did my best on removing all the silicone. I reached the point  where there was a very slight discoloration on the glass but could not get rid of it.  I will do a water test on this tank before I reseal my other tanks.

Side note: I bought a Tidal 75 for the 40 gallon tank but on maintenance, sumps with filter socks are far superior. This sump will be built right with the socks on the first stage ((clean/dirty sides). I have all the parts, just need to put it all together. 

[Robert Keeney]

Years ago, when I was a lot poorer, all of my aquariums were bought used or free. Lots of them (most) were leakers. One had a hole through the bottom that had a rock dropped through it. I resealed them, replaced broken glass, and replaced the bottom of one. I have completely disassembled and reassembled an aquarium. None of these ever leaked.

Silicon bonds well to glass, but only if it is squeaky clean. If you will reseal these, be sure there is nothing on the glass. Even a fingerprint can cause an issue later.

 

[Goosedub]

If you are debating sealing a brand new tank, take it back and ask for a refund. You should not have to reseal a brand new tank. Sealing the outside will do nothing for leak protection. You would need to scrape off all the old silicone and re-caulk to provide a seal that would do anything but look bad. Not worth it IMO

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 7/21/2023 at 7:40 AM, madmark285 said:

sumps with filter socks are far superior. This sump will be built right with the socks on the first stage ((clean/dirty sides). I have all the parts, just need to put it all together.

I do like my socks.  Don't get me wrong.  And actually, I think of FW there are no downsides!  On my reef tank, the thing gets clogged to overflowing in like 3 days though.  Where does all the gunk in a marine tank come from?!  😛

I hope AIO tanks with rear sumps catch on more in FW.  Really I think only the Fluval Flex is being marketed as such though.  I will say that I wish I had done my sock adjacent to the input like in some of the Trigger System sumps (CR44 and the like), so the water flowed down and then had to come up over the sock(s).  My is a direct input design (partly because of space restraints) and it makes it just enough more of a pain to change the sock out that I do it less.  Plus, I need the flexibility of the fabric socks and can't use ceramic filter "socks" (like the Rocky Mountain Rapid Rinse Eco-Filters).  So, that's something to consider in your design anyhow.  I'm even thinking about how I could replace my current sump to deal with this.  And that's no small task!

[madmark285]

On 7/21/2023 at 10:11 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

 I will say that I wish I had done my sock adjacent to the input like in some of the Trigger System sumps (CR44 and the like), so the water flowed down and then had to come up over the sock(s). 

I been thinking about that issue. I own some routers so making Trigger System input is more complicated but doable for me, just pulling out the socks is a nice feature. On the other hand, 4" socks fit inside 4" thin wall PVC pipe (drain line pipe), just cut a piece of pipe and drill holes on the bottom and you have a direct input system sock holder. 

While I am switching to SeaChem Matrix, my filter sock section will still have the bio-macaroni in it. I have a 5 gallon bucket filled of the stuff, might as well use it as it is maintenance free bio media. But the socks need to be protect from the constantly moving bio-macaroni, the socks will not last long. So either way, I will be using the 4" thin wall pipe to protect the socks.

[madmark285]

On 7/21/2023 at 5:32 PM, Goosedub said:

If you are debating sealing a brand new tank, take it back and ask for a refund. You should not have to reseal a brand new tank. Sealing the outside will do nothing for leak protection. You would need to scrape off all the old silicone and re-caulk to provide a seal that would do anything but look bad. Not worth it IMO

To be clear, I have not tested my new 40 gallon tank for leaks. I thinking about the future, I don't want re-seal the tank after it has been set up.

Concern the "seal that would do anything but look bad." comment, that would not be true for me. I will use black silicone and tape all the side seams. This will give you perfectly straight lines. So resealing the tank will improve the tank's visual appeal. 

[Goosedub]

On 7/22/2023 at 5:30 AM, madmark285 said:

To be clear, I have not tested my new 40 gallon tank for leaks. I thinking about the future, I don't want re-seal the tank after it has been set up.

Concern the "seal that would do anything but look bad." comment, that would not be true for me. I will use black silicone and tape all the side seams. This will give you perfectly straight lines. So resealing the tank will improve the tank's visual appeal. 

My point was I. Order to do it correctly and so it will look good you will have to scrape off all the existing silicone and Reseal it. Seems like a lot of work for a brand new tank. 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 7/22/2023 at 5:22 AM, madmark285 said:

I been thinking about that issue.

I have zero doubt that is true for you!  😎

On 7/22/2023 at 5:22 AM, madmark285 said:

On the other hand, 4" socks fit inside 4" thin wall PVC pipe (drain line pipe), just cut a piece of pipe and drill holes on the bottom and you have a direct input system sock holder.

You are absolutely the PVC Guru!  I suspect, if for some reason, there was a situation where the world needed to get a computer chip on a PVC rather than silicone board - you'd be the man to save us all!!!  😄  In all seriousness, that sounds like something I might need to try if I do go the route of reworking my current sump.  There is just so little space in a 10 gallon tank once a heater, sock, return pump, and skimmer are in there.  Plus, I am currently trying out a fuge, so that takes up its own space. 

Are you going to setup a build thread for this tank, sump inclusive?