The tanks are older than I am - I remember my uncle keeping fish in then
when I was a kid. They were in pretty rough shape. I used lime away and a
sharp razor blade to remove the calcium deposits. Then I removed all the
loose putty from the frame. The slate was left in place on the 20 long
because it wasn't loose, but the slate was totally loose on one of the
shallow tanks, so I removed most of the putty bed.
Then, I went to Lowes and got some black silicone sealer that is FDA
approved for food contact. It stated that it is not for continuous
immersion or aquarium repair, but it also stated that it was 100% silicone,
*not* silicone II or anything like that.
In the tank with the loose slate bottom, I ran a thick bead of silicone
around the bottom for the slate to sit on.
Then I ran a bead around the inside of the glass and slate, just like a
standard all glass type aquarium. Then, I ran my finger along the bead to
assure good adhesion to the glass and slate, just like I do when I reseal
glass tanks.
The tanks have held water for about 10 months now. I do have troubles with
water creeping through the top if I let the level get too high. But that
only happens when I overfill the tanks as I really don't want the water in
continuous contact with the frame anyway. Just for completeness, I will
likely seal that seam the next time I empty the tanks.
Geoff Kimber
lexington, KY
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-nanfa_at_aquaria.net On Behalf
Of Mark
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2003 9:16 AM
To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
Subject: Re: NANFA-- Sealing aquarium
Oh, wait, did you put silicone on the inside corners, or just on the
surfaces that contact the metal frame? If not, you definitely need a
continuous silicone layer on the inside of the seams to get a
water-tight seal.
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