# Diy aquarium re seal advice wanted!



## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

Hi everyone!

I just purchased a used 55 gallon setup for an exceptionally low price. The aquarium is 10 years old and I would like to re seal it before I put it back in service. 

I did some research and it seems simple enough to replace the silicone. From what I gather all I need is clear chemical free silicone, razor to remove the old silicone, rubbing alcohol to clean the seems, masking tape to give nice straight silicone beed and paper towels for clean up.
Can anyone give me some advice before I proceed with the project? Perhaps suggestions for technic or recommend products?


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

read the few replies I made on this post for some info.

If you want to go with an easy to find silicone, get GE silicone I, kitchen, bath and plumbing, its the one with red on it. Do not get silicone II as it has extra things in it.

My top choice if you can find it is GE scs1200


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## Darkblade48 (Jan 28, 2008)

pyrrolin said:


> read the few replies I made on this post for some info.
> 
> If you want to go with an easy to find silicone, get GE silicone I, kitchen, bath and plumbing, its the one with red on it. Do not get silicone II as it has extra things in it.
> 
> My top choice if you can find it is GE scs1200


I thought GE Silicone I was the blue tube.

To me, the one for kitchen, bath and plumbing might have mildew inhibitors added in.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Have to agree with Darkblade here. Do not use the one in the red tube that says "Kitchen and Bath" or "Tub and Tile" . If you use GE I, get the one that says "Windows and Doors", in the blue on white tube. Other alternatives are the house brands from Rona or Home Hardware. They both say aquarium safe on the tube, and are usually a little cheaper. The Home Hardware one even comes in a 3 pack for $10.
As mentioned already, anything that says it is for bath or tile is likely to have mildewcides in them ( the GE I does).


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

Yeah thanks guys.. It would be a bad idea to use anything for kitchen or bath because I am pretty sure they will have mold and mildew inhibitors. That's one of the first things mentioned in the tutorials I found online. Thanks for mentioning the house brands will say they are aquarium safe. That should make it a lot easier to find a suitable silicone.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Before you do a reseal, perhaps you should look it over closely and see if it needs it. Ten years is not old for a tank.


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## fish_luva (Nov 24, 2009)

BillD said:


> Before you do a reseal, perhaps you should look it over closely and see if it needs it. Ten years is not old for a tank.


##### BILL, is correct,, i have tanks easily over 15 years and no issues.



pyrrolin said:


> read the few replies I made on this post for some info.
> 
> If you want to go with an easy to find silicone, get GE silicone I, kitchen, bath and plumbing, its the one with red on it. Do not get silicone II as it has extra things in it.
> 
> My top choice if you can find it is GE scs1200


scs1200 is awesome stuff and you can get it from Pets and Ponds:
http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c322375/index.html


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

fish_luva said:


> ##### BILL, is correct,, i have tanks easily over 15 years and no issues.
> 
> scs1200 is awesome stuff and you can get it from Pets and Ponds:
> http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c322375/index.html


Here are some photos of the tank. I will let you guys see for yourselves. The aquarium holds water, it was in use when I bought it. I just thought the seals on the corners looked a little thin. The bottom seals still look nice and robust. 
I paid $80 for the setup including filter, heater, bubbler and gravel. All I need is a nice metal stand.


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## Bwhiskered (Oct 2, 2008)

Don't fix what don't need fixing. I have tanks that are as old as 40 years that are still holding well. The inside seal is mainly cosmetic.


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

If it doesn't leak don't play with it. GE 1 is the silicone in the blue and white tube it is what I use all the time.


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## Kimchi24 (Mar 22, 2013)

just letting you know, scraping off all the little bits of silicone is going to piss you off and take a while. Also, dont put your head in the tank while fresh silicone is applied. As much as it would help.... dont do it


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

Darkblade48 said:


> I thought GE Silicone I was the blue tube.
> 
> To me, the one for kitchen, bath and plumbing might have mildew inhibitors added in.


that is silicone II, silicone I doesn't have that stuff


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

I guess leaving it as is would probably be the best course of action. It doesn't leak and the silicone on the seams doesn't have any chunks out of it. 

I decided to do some research to get a better idea of the life expectancy of aquariums and what I found was claims of just 6 to 10 years for the silicone seams which is what gave me the idea that I should reseal it before filling it again to avoid the risk of it springing a leak. 

But based on what others have said on here it may be a waste of time at this point to reseal it sense it doesn't leak. 

However I may just pick up a tube of silicone anyhow so I can glue the rock structures together that I want to use in this aquarium. Is there a better alternative to silicone for this purpose?


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

pyrrolin said:


> that is silicone II, silicone I doesn't have that stuff


Totally not true. Silicone I does have mildewcide in the Kitchen and Bath.


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## bobbyjoe (Jan 30, 2013)

I use this one, specifically says "safe for aquariums".

http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/i...67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I2031205?Ntt=2031-205


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

pyrrolin said:


> that is silicone II, silicone I doesn't have that stuff


After such a debate about whether or not GE SILICONE 1 Kitchen and bath has harmful additives, I stopped in at rona to pick up supplies so I decided check for myself.

Here is what I found:

GE SILICONE 1 KITCHEN and BATH is NOT SAFE for AQUARIUMS as seen in the pictures of a tube I took today. The last sentence of the Instructions paragraph.
It also clearly states on the front panel that it contains additives to combat mold/mildew.

In fact I didn't have any luck finding a small silicone tube that clearly stated it is safe for aquarium use.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

You won't find a tube of GE that says aquarium safe on it. However, the GE I for Windows and Doors is safe.


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I think they all say not for aquarium use just to avoid liability


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

A more then helpful employee at rona suggested GE Marine as a suitable silicone however it said nothing about aquarium use. So I decided not to risk it.


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## bob123 (Dec 31, 2009)

The only silicone that I have seen that says aquarium safe is Home hardware's own brand, but it is not always available.


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

Thanks bob123 I will have to check it out!


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

If you really want to make sure it's "Safe" I would suggest heading to Advance Reff Aquatics and talk to Flavio. He sells a heavy duty GE brand silicone that is used specifically for larger tanks and the strength itself is much better. You can't go wrong for $20 right?

ARA is in milton so it isn't too far from you and it's right off the highway.

Good luck!


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## cichlid_mainiac (Oct 21, 2013)

Thanks for the tip altcharacter! That sounds like it would be more then adequate lol


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## pyrrolin (Jan 11, 2012)

I bet its the SCS1200


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## Bwhiskered (Oct 2, 2008)

I use GE Silicone 1 All Purpose from Walmart. I have used it for years and I used it yesterday and have never had a problem.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

The Rona brand also says aquarium safe, as did the old Mastercraft from Canadian Tire.


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## snaggle (Feb 19, 2010)

Use this one not this one

Also here is a article on hot to do this from aquarticles


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