High Tide Aquatics

resealing a starfire glass tank

popper

Supporting Member
First off, thank you @GabeB for sharing your tank and allowing me to take on this terrifying project.

To practice, I started with a 18x18x20 1/4" glass tank. It has black trim on top and bottom. I was going to turn this into an ATO tank, but that fail when it cracked after 15 minutes of working on the tank. I used razor blade to cut the trim, but found it the plastic is hard\tough to cut. I decided to use a blow torch to soften the trim and it worked for a bit. I used too much force to pry the trim off and the tank cracked.

@Srt4eric gave me a 20g long tank with black trim top and bottom. This time I used a heat gun and soften the black trim. I then used a new razor blade to cut the outside of the trim. This reveals the clear silicone under the black trim making it easier to cut the silicone. Sorry bad picture. That took about 30 minutes total to remove the top and bottom trim. I was more careful, but still, there was a couple of chips on the glass corners.

The next part is to completely clean the glass...I used about 5 razor blade for the smaller glass pane, haven't started on the big pane yet. It's best to use new razor blades because even the slightest dull will not remove the silicone. Acetone and hydrochloride don't help. Maybe I should soak the glass.

I'll update once I remove all silicone and start sealing. The challenge is the 20g, the side glass sit on top of the bottom glass and the glass weight should easily pressure and give the silicone a nice level finish. The 100g from Gabe, the glass is on the side of the bottom glass, doesn't sit on top. So I might have to be creative (lazy) and add the 45-degree silicone instead of removing the old one. My theory is the new silicone will keep the glass from extending and also the current silicone

I understand the new and old silicone won't adhere, but do they really have to since the old silicone is already holding the tank together? Anyways, I'll add silicone to all seams and test several weeks outdoor with powerheads and return pumps running.
new silicone.jpg
 
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My understanding is that the joint silicone (between glass panes) is what holds the tank together, and that the "45° silicone" (I'll call fillet) is there as a first line of defense against leaking as well as protecting that "joint silicone" from any damage as water can/will damage the silicone over time. So theoretically yeah you can be lazy if you trust the silicone between the joints, the fillet silicone should be fine it just won't physically connect to the joint stuff.

That said, I'm not an expert so don't trust what I say too seriously :)
 
My understanding is that the joint silicone (between glass panes) is what holds the tank together, and that the "45° silicone" (I'll call fillet) is there as a first line of defense against leaking as well as protecting that "joint silicone" from any damage as water can/will damage the silicone over time. So theoretically yeah you can be lazy if you trust the silicone between the joints, the fillet silicone should be fine it just won't physically connect to the joint stuff.

That said, I'm not an expert so don't trust what I say too seriously :)
Noted. Please keep your suggestions and thoughts coming.

Cleaning silicone isn't a simple task. Spent 60 minutes on the smaller glass 12x12 razoring, scrubbing, back to razor and repeat. AND I know there's still some stubborn silicone remains. Imagine doing it on a 12x24 and 20x48 I tried to be smart looking for easier quicker ways.
I took paper towel, dipped it in gasoline, tapped the towel on the silicone to get it a little damp and set a torch to it. Don't play with fire. Within less than 10 seconds it broke the glass.

It reiterated myself another lesson, no shortcut and be patient.
20210913_192544.jpg
 
Have you tried a heat gun or any of the silicone remover products at a big box hardware store or Debond Marine formula may also work.
 
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I thought silicone was fairly heat resistant. It's not like it's an adhesive that you can turn gooey again.
Yes, it is very heat resistant. Sorry I should've been more clear. Cut away the bulk of it with a sharp razor and whatever small bits left may be easier to remove after heating up.
 
Cutting the seams.

It's a lot easier than cutting the seal from thinner glass panels

1. The gap between the panels are wider. Making it easier to get a blade between them.
2. The silicone is only between the panels. Unlike the two tanks I broke, the silicone is between panels, and both sides of panels.
3. It's easier to spot black silicone compare to clear.

Successfully separated all panels. Took about 30 minutes (20 mins planning and 10 mins cutting)

Find a flat surface and lay cardboard then blankets on top. Enough coverage to support all panels. I used 4 razor blades to cut the seam.

1. Flip tank upside down
2. Remove the plastic underlining
3. From the bottom panel,, run the razor blade several times to break the silicone but not completely remove it.
4. Flip tank upright and start cutting the silicone starting with the shorter side panels.
5. Don't use too much force. Start with the vertical seam and slice the silicone several times. Enough to slide the razor blade through.
6. After successfully separating the first vertical seam, move onto the next vertical seam.
7. Run the blade several times across the bottom seam. After each cut, tilt the panel outward a little bit to reveal more silicone. Then cut away.
8. Repeat

Next step is to completely scrape the remaining silicone.
 
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