how to clean off excess silicone after resealing ?

[jn92683]

just wondering if its ok to clean a dried out fish tank with acetone before starting it back up again.
i saw some youtube videos on people making tanks at home and they usually clean the parts where silicone is to lay before laying down a bead.

reason is i just resealed the tank, and i left a mess of silicone and i dont know what to use to remove the excess. any input would help thanks

 

[KarL]

Not sure what you're asking? But I would just give it a good rinse with water. Are you wanting to remove the excess silicone? Is it along the bead on the seams, if so I wouldn't mess with it once it's starts curing. But if it's extra silicone that dripped onto random places, just remove with a razor blade.

 

[KarL]

If your talking about making clean lines of silicone along the seams, that has to be done during prepping. Use masking or painting tape to keep the silicone lines straight and clean looking. Once you apply the bead and spread evenly, remove the tape

 

[Vnghost]

Yes u can. I've done it. The acetone didn't help remove the silicon much though. The acetone is more for cleaning the area before the silicone. Use a razor blade to remove excess silicone.

 

[jn92683]

Of so I guess I can wait and razor blade it after its fully cured. And use acetone to clean off whatever residue is left ?
Thanks for the input. I was just wondering is the acetone reef safe after it evaporates.

 

[xmas_one]

Just to make sure, properly "resealing" a tank means tearing it all apart and rebuilding it. Adding silicone to existing joints is not advised.

 

[jn92683]

Just to make sure, properly "resealing" a tank means tearing it all apart and rebuilding it. Adding silicone to existing joints is not advised.

Yes sir .. that is exactly what I did. There was a leak when I got the tank a few years ago but the Paynes of glass were still really good. So I just tore it all apart Payne by Payne and re siliconed it. Thus the mess of silicone everywhere outside and inside. But I figured I can just razor blade everything sticking out of the tank when the silicone is cured

 

[Vnghost]

Yes u can razor blade everything once dried. And yes the acetone won't matter. But if your only intention is to clean up the extra silicone after it drys then use only a razor blade.

 

[Fly5150]

Yes sir .. that is exactly what I did. There was a leak when I got the tank a few years ago but the Paynes of glass were still really good. So I just tore it all apart Payne by Payne and re siliconed it. Thus the mess of silicone everywhere outside and inside. But I figured I can just razor blade everything sticking out of the tank when the silicone is cured

I thought the same when I built a 12x12x8 ATS tank. I let the excess silicon dry and it was a ***** to remove. I believe the proper way to seal a tank is to tape the glass at the edges, silicon it, smooth it out, then remove the tape while the silicon is wet. Good luck.

 

[jn92683]

Thanks guys I scraped everything off with a blade .. and used a rag to remove all silicone residue. Got it filled up for a water test . Then Ima empty it and fill it up with the good stuff