How to resilicone a tank.

[fishsafari]

I am so glad I read this thread. I have some GE II which I will take back to Lowes. Would anyone be willing to post a list of good silicones to use? In my Lowes I didn't see anything marked "aquarium safe."

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

Remove the tape when its dry.

Any particular reason you don't remove the tape while the silicone is fresh? I would think it would be easier.

[FoxtrotFE]

I just contacted GE's silicone department and asked them the infamous "Is GE Silicone I safe for aquarium use" question. Their official response:

"As far as the product being safe, yes it is. It will not leach any toxins into the water. But, it will not hold up submerged underwater continuous."

The question and response was asked on July 27, 2011.

As for the MSDS on the product; if my memory serves me correct...all the "bad stuff" is when the silicone is wet. A lot of the additives are used to help cure it to a rubber state. I know I use a lot of sealants/epoxies/resins at work, and they are all horrible for your health uncured. Once they are cured, they are safe.

A good example of this is PVC glue. It contains Methyl-Ethyl-Ketone (MEK) which is known to destroy kidney's and liver...and yet once it has fully cured..it is OK for use in potable water systems.

Hope this could be of help.

[janeskid]

Lowe's has a tool for spreading caulk in corners. It is made of black rubber and dry silicone will just peel off. Very handy. Look for a black rubber triangle with a yellow handle.

[-Rachel]

This was just what i needed thank you so much

[JayZero911]

Lowe's has a tool for spreading caulk in corners. It is made of black rubber and dry silicone will just peel off. Very handy. Look for a black rubber triangle with a yellow handle.

I use to make one out of cardboard or just wet my finger and press on it when I worked with the stuff everyday. (tiling and then hanging gutters)

[chtycat]

Thank you so much for this article it was just what I was looking for

[PAMOJA4LIFE]

BRILLIANT! Just what I needed to see, I'm thinking of making my own aquarium

[Zander]

I just resiliconed a tank. Everything looks good except I messed up one spot near one of the upper corners. I don't want to try putting water in it until I fix that spot.

Do I need to redo the whole inside of the tank or is it possible to just remove the silicone from the one side and just redo the one side? I know I shouldn't just add more silicone over the messed up spot.

[PAMOJA4LIFE]

wow, I didnt know that! will you be posting any pics? it would surely help some of us newbees get an idea of what we are getting into