# Black silicone 'look'



## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

I recently got a new tank (thanks Diztrbd1!) that I'm prepping for cichlids. I was considering replacing the clear silicone with black because I prefer the look, but there really wasn't anything wrong with the clear silicone. So instead of cutting it out and re-doing it, I found 3/4" x 3/4" 'angle' aluminum at home depot. It was factory painted black. The 8' section was about $12 which was enough to do a 125g. I cut it to length with a hacksaw, fine tuned it with a metal file and used two sided, clear sticky tape to adhere. Not only does it give the black silicone look with perfectly straight lines, it protects the corners and actually reinforces them! Great for covering up chips, or discoloured silicone. I couldn't be happier with the way the little project worked, and I thought I would share in case other's prefer the black. 

And as everyone knows, once you go black you'll never go back.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

Wow! Great idea and great job Steve! Looks great! Now fill it up and get some darn fish in it lol


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## kacairns (Apr 10, 2012)

Nice tip for others, especially that cheap black silicone can be hard to find. I wish I had a tank like that...


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## Nicole (Nov 21, 2011)

I've never seen this trick before. Props to you. Thanks for sharing! You can never stop learning in this hobby. 
What I did with my tank was apply black tape along the corners to cover the white silicone. This is better as it guarantees a straight line.


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

kacairns said:


> Nice tip for others, especially that cheap black silicone can be hard to find. I wish I had a tank like that...


j&l, about 5 bucks for a small tube... they have full size caulking tubes of black aquarium silicone as well.

Thats a pretty nice idea. I just recently bought black silicone to redo my 135 gal solely because I like the look. If I saw your idea I might have gone this route.


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## target (Apr 21, 2010)

That looks great. Thanks for sharing


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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I did the same thing to my 120g. Mine had a chip in the glass, thanks to my brother. I got 3/4 aluminum angle from my buddy and painted it black. I was skeptical at first. I didnt think it would look good. It ended up turning out really nice.


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## mollyb (May 18, 2010)

funny how things go full cycle, when I started keeping fish (1968) we could only get metal frame tanks, then 'all glass' tanks came out and became the rage (plus I think easier to make), now, maybe the pendulum is starting to swing...


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

So how do you secure the pieces to the tank?


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

Double sided, clear tape. It still hasn't moved after a couple of months. I'd have to use a chisel and hammer to get it off.



mikeross said:


> So how do you secure the pieces to the tank?


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

Did you cut it to size with a hack saw? 

I am going to do this on a 125gal I just acquired. Needs to be a very clean cut... any tips?


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Looks great & cool idea.


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## smccleme (Aug 20, 2012)

Yes I just used a hack saw, and then some sand paper/metal file. A metal chop saw would have been better to make the cuts perfectly square, but I've never noticed the minor imperfection.



mikeross said:


> Did you cut it to size with a hack saw?
> 
> I am going to do this on a 125gal I just acquired. Needs to be a very clean cut... any tips?


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Smart idea there, and it sure looks good. Thanks for sharing.


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## Clownloachlover (Apr 21, 2010)

Brilliant, I love that look as well...Home Depot here I come!


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