Bubbles in the silicon

[David Abbott]

Yesterday i started glueing my 150 gal DT together. Started with a 60 x 24" 1/2" bottom glass followed by a 59 x 23" sub bottom, and for some stupid reason i glued down euro bracing on top of that, thinking it would be easier to glue it in place before the sides were installed. MISTAKE. that gave me a 1" deep silicon joint. ........I have the euro bracing that I was going to use for the top, should I glue it on top of the euro that's already down???? or I was thinking I could get a syringe and inject some silicon where the bubbles are??? Attached are some pic's of this mess.#reef squad

 

[wtac]

I would take it apart (remove the vertical panes), clean off the cured silicone and start again.

Better safe than sorry as well as a bubble free seam.

JM2C

 

[David Abbott]

I would take it apart (remove the vertical panes), clean off the cured silicone and start again.

Better safe than sorry as well as a bubble free seam.

JM2C

As much as wanted to try something else, I slept on it over night and realized you were 100% correct. Spent the whole day breaking it down. Including the euro bracing on the bottom Just a little side note for anyone thats facing the prospect of breaking down a big tank, use WD 40, spray it on heavy, maybe a few times and it melts the silicon like butter.

 

[reef lover]

Make sure you remove any residual wd40 before use.

 

[David Abbott]

Make sure you remove any residual wd40 before use.

I was planning to use lacquer thinner, or would acetone be better??

 

[lapin]

At the auto paint store they sell wax and grease remover. It will not leave a residue.

 

[Jeeperz]

Would that be dx330? If so it does leave a bit of residue. 3812 is much cleaner. Or just go with MEK, or acetone.

 

[wtac]

Acetone is fine. Clean a few times to make sure you remove WD40 residue.