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Any tips on preventing a RES from biting at the silicon? I tried placing a U-shaped PVC arrangement and that helped in the corner where she was frequently biting at. Then she starting biting at the lower edge where she could. Came home to day to do a water change to find that the tank as a small leak. I may not have noticed it until I went to the tank. I drained it and have a smaller backup tank ready.

I do have a variety of objects in the tank, some shells, rocks, other PVC pieces, clay flower pot, all large enough so she can't swallow, though I think she may nibble the shells. There's a bubbler as well. I offer cuttlebone fairly often but perhaps I should offer more. There are two feeder fish that she never ate that have grown a bit and I think may have become tank mates now.

Additionally, tips on repairing leaks? I plan on letting it dry for a day, then scrap away the old silicon with a sharp edge, clean the surfaces with acetone and then apply the new silicon. I am not sure if it's possible to spread it smooth enough so she can't get it, but she'll probably just start somewhere else.

Is this the original silicone? My silicone had a bit of algae on it and my turtle would nip at it until it leaked. I had to reseal it and have to use a thicker bead but I make sure it stays algae free.

As for tips... it's a pain in the butt to do and you have to do all the beads. Silicone doesn't really adhere well to cured silicone. Tools are simple, just need razors, rubbing alcohol, disposable gloves, masking tape and aquarium silicone (some use clear GE Silicone I). On a big tank, it will smell a lot during the curing process.

I haven't resealed any portion of the tank since I acquired it, so I'll assume it original. I marked off where I saw the extent of the water leaking and I have a fairly good idea where it is, I may reseal about 6 inches to be sure. From what I have read, you don't want to cut out the silicon that's between the glass panes, just that along the inside edge.

I've read about if the turtle is lacking calcium, they may chew at silicon, but I try to offer small chunks of cuttlebone every other week or so. I can always offer more.

How big is the tank? Yeah, you don't need to disassemble the whole tank which is why I went with a thicker bead. Doing the inside seams is still a lot of work and the proper way is do redo all of it.

The lacking calcium/chewing thing to me is anecdotal.

It's ~130 gals. It might be a half day to remove, clean, and reseal.

Yeah, that's a lot of prep work. My tank is 125 and I made a couple of mistakes when I did mine. I didn't expect the fumes to be that strong either.

What mistakes? Asking for a friend.

It was some basic mistakes like applying the silicone unevenly (ungloved finger worked best for me) and trying to work quickly without help (I made a big mess setting up the second tube). If you haven't caulked before, I would practice... the corners were tricky to smooth out. And ventilation... you're working up close with a lot of silicone and it was an issue for me.

I moved the tank into the garage as it difficult for me to reach the bottom edges while it was on the stand, so ventilation should be fine. The pet store had a I believe a 10oz tube similar to construction caulking, so I hope it's enough to do the job.

Alight, sounds like you're ready to party. Good luck!

Qapla'!
The tank has been resealed and in operation for a week or so without signs of leaking.

Awesome! Time to relax with a nice cup of raktajino.

Caught her biting at the silicon again. I offered some cuttlebone and lettuce, hopefully sufficient as a distraction.

This is the new areas or the old one?

New silicon, different area.