# How do I tell if the glass seams are compromised?



## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

On this tank I'm thinking of resealing...how do I tell if the structural seams are in good shape? I am NOT taking a tank apart and re-building it. I want to know what to look for to determine if it's worth resealing. It holds water. Did overnight. I've now drained it. I can see very thin string of black silicone (?) peeling from the exterior side of one of the front seams. Maybe an inch or two long, near the bottom corner. I can't tell if this is a factory seam or someone ran a strip down the outside of the tank. I'll take a pic but I'm not sure it'll show.


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## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

Turn your head a bit sideways...the black line has a section missing and the bottom of it I can peel away in a string.






I have neighbours _three_ houses away that yell and swear at great volume. You can kind of hear it on the vid! Nothing needs to be censored, thank goodness.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

That tank has been resealed before?


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## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

No idea. Doubt it. Dubious history.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

I was just wondering because it appears to be black sealant/adhesive holding the glass together? And clear sealing the inside. If that the case then chances are it has been resealed. I dont think I have ever seen a factory tank have 2 different colors like that. It usually looks like it was all done at the same time in one process. But I could be wrong though


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## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

Dizturbd, so grateful for your input on this! My questions keep coming!

So let me get this clear, because there are two different colours of silicone, one must not be a factory job. Okay, that makes sense.
Should I assume the interior, clear silicone is the re-seal and the black stringy thing is the factory?
It`s a Hagen tank so that might be a clue.
If the black is the factory sealant and I can pick it loose, is this tank not worth the risk?
If someone added this black stuff to the outside, it still doesn`t tell me how reliable the seams still are, right? 
Or, because I can`t see any problem with silicone between the panes, then it`s probably in fine shape as it still holds water. I believe it was in use up till a few months ago, then stored on a balcony.

The bottom has been painted, the back has been painted (poor job, ugly blue)and a strip of electrical tape (all cracked and chipping) was run round the top part of the glass, just below the rim, so obviously someone was a bit DIY with it. I think the tape was to block light glare from a not-fully-filled tank (ugh, hate that look, fill your tanks, people!). I assume this theory because the scuzzy water line sits just at the bottom level of this tape strip. When I tested, I filled it right up. Cardboard it was sitting on stayed dry all night.

Looking at the outside, I see no bubbles or imperfections in any of the joints. Just the stringy peel-away black strip between the side pane and front pane. No chips on the glass. Haven`t seen a scratch either but the tank is FILTHY! so who knows. The silicone is thin, rough-edged but not peeling on the vertical seams. The bottom strip looks good all the way around. The frames are not damaged.


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## AccidentalAquarist (Sep 11, 2013)

I would suspect the bit that you can peal away is some excess that didn't get trimmed during the assembly process. 
Going to guess that the glasss at that seam isn't perfectly flush which would explain why it didn't get trimmed.
Don't pull on it as it could tear in to the actual joint. Use a razor to trim it flush with the tank if you want.

It should be safe to use as you mention no air bubbles or other issues in the joints. 
The nice thing about silicone is that it doesn't need to be thick to do it's job. As long as the edges of the bead are smoothed out it will do its job for a long time


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## greenfin (Nov 4, 2013)

What a wonderful reply! Thanks. Yes, that side pane is not flush with the front pane joint. No, I won't pull on it. I'll snick it off with a razor. I am going to give it a go. First I'm practicing (spelling?) on an ancient 25gal before I tackle this tank. Maybe start the cleaning/scraping next week.


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