Sealing my leaking tank, What with?????????

Hi, as i have said in previous discussions, i have just bought a 2 and a half foot tank. what i didnt know was that it leaks!!!!!!!! my dad said he will seal it for me, but he doesnt know what with!!! there is that white stuff that u can seal cracks in walls and skertting boards, should i use that or not??? Thanks guys, i know i can always count on you!!!!!!!!

Is this tank glass or acrylic? With a glass tank you need to use aquarium silicone which can be purchased pretty cheap at Wal-mart or Petsmart. You will need to remove all of the underlying silicone since the new stuff does not bond well to the old and it will start leaking again sooner than you want. If your new tank is acrylic, there is a product that is called Weld-on that works well. It is a type of solvent cement that dissolve the acrylic and bonds to it. It comes is several thickness from a watery one that seals using capillary action to some like weld-on 16 that is like Elmer's glue and is good for sealing imperfect joints. It is the only one I could find that was made specifically for acrylic. Most people that build their own tanks from acrylic use it. Some people use other types of solvent cements with decent results, but I worry about it being potentially toxic to fish. I know weld-on is safe.

If it's glass... you can also use just regular silicone... just make sure it doesn't say Mildew or Mold resistant. Those kinds have unfriendly chemicals in them.

The Weld-On is mean... just so you know. Use it in a well ventilated area, and if you can't find it readily available, as your local sign shop or neon shop. They'll have it. Also... try very hard not to let it touch your skin. It's difficult to get off, and very irritating to the skin. Of course, I'm very fair skinned and everything irritates my skin... LOL!

Make sure you get all the old stuff out, like Meg said. Use a razor blade to get it all off... then clean with rubbing alcohol to get all the residue left over off. Don't dig down into the joints... that's not necessary, just get the stuff on the glass.

Good luck! I just bought a new one since one of mine started leaking... Now I have to seal the old tank.

Later.

Its a glass tank. My dad is a builder and hes already got some white silicone which he seals the gap between the bath and the wall and things like that, is that stuff ok?? do i have to get rid of ALL the stuff thats already there???

Please don't use bathtub sealer on your aquarium. It will kill the fish. One way to make it a bit easier to scrape off the old silicone is to get one of those plastic holders for single edge razor blades. I didn't use one the time I resealed an old aquarium, and my fingers were sore for a week. Also don't forget to read the instructions on the silicone sealer tube. It needs to cure for a while before you add water.

What do i do it with then??? Its just ordinary white silicone which he seals things at work with, he seals things like: the crack between the wall and the skerting boards and baths and the wall. Is that stuff ok???

Like Angela said, tile and tub sealer has chemicals which kill mold, etc. It's nice for its intended purpose, but it will kill fish. Please take another look at Angela's posting above.

When the tank came, it already had old clear silicone on it, but it was all peeling off, so can i put clear silicone on without it killing my fish???

Yes, clear silicone is good. Just make sure to get rid of the old pealing stuff first. It has likely gone beyond its usable life and needs replaced. The new silicone will not bond to it. If you are still confused about what to use, go to the pet store and get the stuff that says it is for aquariums. That way you can have peace of mind that it is safe for your fishies. The other stuff may be cheaper though. If anyone knows of a specific brand name that is safe that may be a big help(for me too).

I'll look next time I go to Lowe's to give you a brand name.

Just as long as it doesn't say MILDEW or MOLD RESISTANT. That's the fish killer stuff.

Seriously, if you're unsure... Go get the Aquarium specific sealant at the LFS.

Also... YES you HAVE to get ALL the old silicone off first.

And... imagine this scenario... You only clean off one corner... you do it correctly... scrape with a razor blade, then clean with rubbing alcohol... then silicone/sealant it... then wait the time before you fill it with water... and GUESS WHAT!?!? ANOTHER corner leaks... Save yourself the time and reseal the whole aquarium...

Yeah... it sucks... but just do it. Or... buy a new aquarium, and give that one to a friend that does reptiles...

Yeah, Im all clear now. ive asked my dad and its just called Clear Silicone. Thats what the stuff was that was already in there, but it was full of algae and peeling off!! so me and dad scraped it all off. now he just has to get his hands on his brothers clear silicone and seal it all up again!!! Will that stuff definately be ok?? Its just called CLEAR SILICONE, that what he said it was called when i asked him. no brand or anything, is that stuff ok???

If it has a list of ingredients, make sure it's nothing but pure silicone with no additives to kill mold, fungus, etc. If it were my aquarium and I was not absolutely sure about the sealer, I would go to the pet store and buy something labeled "Aquarium Sealer." Over here you can buy it in clear or black. It sticks to your fingers and smells like vinegar. It costs about 5 or 6 US dollars; would that be 3 quid in the UK?

Yeah thats about right. I know its only 3 quid, but im not exactly a money tree, put it that way!!!!! Im trying to save all the money i can really, its just extra cost, getting there, then buying it, getting home. So this stuff is ok?? What ingreidients should i look out for that are the fish killers, I know about Mildew and Mold resistance (thanks to angela!!!), is there any other fish-killer ingredients???

I don't know of any others, but not knowing is also not very informative. After the new aquarium is all sealed, cured and cycled you could experinment with some snails if you have the kind that are difficult to get rid of.

So if I seal my tank with CLEAR SILICONE, leave it to dry, then cycle it, then if all goes well, add fish, the silicone wont kill the fish????

It should be OK, but I haven't read the label or anything so I would not want to make promises. Your dad will probably know if the silicone has any toxins. Clear silicone does sound pretty harmless, and in your situation you may just have to take a small chance. Have you considered building your own stand for the aquarium? If you have access to some common lumber and tools, you can build a good one.

thats not a bad idea actually!!! i was going to use a small coffee table to put on it, and thats the only thing thats long enough!!!LOL!! But i wouldnt be sure if a stand that i made myself would take the weight of the tank filed up with water. . . and i wouldnt want it to collapse, that would break stand and tank and kill the fish. . .. I think i'll just stick to the coffee table LOL!!!!

Are you sure the coffee table is strong enough? You can make a very strong stand with 2 b y 4 lumber, and if you want to do some sanding and finishing, the thing will even look good.

Ahhh. . . Come to think of it, the coffee table is probably not strong enough, well, what else am i gonna do then???

If I were there it would be fun to help you build a stand. As an alternative, since im in one of the far western colonies, I'll try to coach if you want.

thanks, but no thanks. I will sort it out, i will let you know how the BN react!!

i use a end table for my 7 gallon fry tank thats filled all the way up right now (the table is a box shape so it wont fall over and its deffenitly strong enough)

What do you mean by an end table??

An "end table" as we call them... is a small coffee table. One usually sits at each end of the couch or sofa...

I once kept an aquarium on an old end table that was built to be very strong. It could even be used as a bench to sit on. Some coffee tables and end tables, though, have splayed legs and are built out of thin pressboard with little or no bracing. Not good for aquariums. If you calculate the weight of the water, gravel, aquarium, and accessories you may be surprised at the heavy load you're asking the stand to support.

In fact, those free aquariums that were given to me by a friend came with stands. The bow front has a very attractively designed commercial stand, but it looks so flimsy that I've decided to build one, a double decker to hold both aquariums.

Well i dont really know if this one was built to be as strong as the one john has!! i will have to look out for one