# Resealing one edge of tank



## vincel892 (May 23, 2012)

Just attempted to reseal my 200 gallon this past weekend. I scraped off the old silicon on all edges, cleaned with alcohol, taped it with masking tape, applied silicone, and smoothed the edges with my finger. however, Since the tank was so big, I probably waited too long to smooth out the silicone bead on the front edge of my aquarium. so it's pretty ugly to look at. I was just wondering whether it would be okay for me to cut out/re-silicone the front edge only without having to redo the whole thing. 

Thanks


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## fishyfishy (Apr 21, 2011)

I don't see why not. As far as I know there should be no issue cutting out and resealing just one edge. Just be sure to test the seal before getting it all setup again to make sure its holding water.


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## vincel892 (May 23, 2012)

I thought so too. But after doing some further research, there are people saying that old silicone does not stick to new silicone very well. So cutting the silicone off one edge would create two weak points that could potentially leak. Anyone else have insight into this ? 

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## carl (Feb 11, 2010)

Did you reseal the tank to stop a leak or just to make it pretty, if it's just for looks just cut it out and redo it because the inside bead doesn't stop leaks, if you have any questions you can call me, I have repaired hundreds of tanks 4164609922


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## vincel892 (May 23, 2012)

carl said:


> Did you reseal the tank to stop a leak or just to make it pretty, if it's just for looks just cut it out and redo it because the inside bead doesn't stop leaks, if you have any questions you can call me, I have repaired hundreds of tanks 4164609922


The reason I resealed was mainly because the tank is old and I was rescaping anyways. Making it look pretty was also part of it. That's interesting because I always thought the inside bead prevented leaks while the silicone between the panes of glass only held the aquarium together.

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## carl (Feb 11, 2010)

The silicone between the glass is to hold it together and make it waterproof, the inside bead is for pretty, there was a tank manufacturer years ago that didn't do the inside bead


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## vincel892 (May 23, 2012)

carl said:


> The silicone between the glass is to hold it together and make it waterproof, the inside bead is for pretty, there was a tank manufacturer years ago that didn't do the inside bead


That is interesting. In that case, I should have no problem redoing the front. Thanks !

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## nanoreefwanabe (Nov 4, 2016)

The inside bead's primary function is not for pretty.... it is prevent the structural bead from ever getting wet... contrary to popular belief, ALL silicone breaks down under water contact...so the inner bead needs to be solid and continuous to prevent water from ever reaching the the structural bond... it is your tank your house (without a specific binder, will not be covered under tank leaks) but in my house there is no way I would have 200g of water rushing out on to the floor over 50$ worth of silicone...i would personally remove the entire inner bead, being extremely careful not to hit the structural bread... clean endlessly with razor blades and acetone and replace with a new uniform continuous bead... allow to cure for a full week or longer before refilling... having a hacked together infer bead will allow water to penetrate through to the structural bead which will in time lead to failure...too much water to screw around with in my opinion.


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## carl (Feb 11, 2010)

Silicone is inert and will not dissolve in water, it was invented for the space program


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## nanoreefwanabe (Nov 4, 2016)

ALL silicone is degraded by water... not much water in space


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## carl (Feb 11, 2010)

I tried googling water dissolves silicone and water degrades silicone and google didn't know anything about it. GE did say this about silicone

Waterproof: Silicone is impervious to water, meaning water can't penetrate it and will never break it down. Once cured, it does not change or degrade?no shrinking, hardening, cracking, or crumbling. Also water in the form of ice is extremely common in space


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

I would agree with Carl her. Silicone sealer is designed to be an all weather caulk that will last 35 to 50 years, without changes. There are tanks being made right now without an inner seal.This is for appearance sake, since rimless tanks look better without it.
In this particular case where the silicone is new, it is highly probable that the new silicone will adhere to the fresh silicone recently applied. Having said that, my preference would be to remove the entire bead and redo.


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