Habitat - Indoor :: Bubble getting behind silicon and glass

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2020 8:18 pm   Bubble getting behind silicon and glass

A few days ago I noticed this in my turtle's tank:

Image

That is the bottom rear edge of the tank. Bubbles had gotten below (or formed below) the glass. My turtle tends to bite and remove the silicon lining the edges, so it's not surprising something like this happened. Since I took that picture the silicon on the bottom side of the glass ruptured. It's still encompassing the bubbles but with little tension.

Has this happened to anyone else? Should I be alarmed about the integrity of the tank and look to replace it?
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Post Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2020 8:24 am   Re: Bubble getting behind silicon and glass

If the seal is too far compromised, then it will leak. How big is the tank?
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 6:55 pm   Re: Bubble getting behind silicon and glass

It's a 55 gallon breeder tank.

I'm keeping an eye on the seal (can't get a clear picture at the moment, but will try again soon), and currently it's fairly steady. But I'm expecting that I'll have to empty out the tank and reseal it from the inside, hopefully in a way that my turtle can't bite it off again. I already had to do that once a couple of years ago and seriously hope it doesn't become an annual tradition. :shock:
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Post Posted: Fri Jul 10, 2020 7:50 pm   Re: Bubble getting behind silicon and glass

Yeah, my 120 gallon needed to be resealed and it was a pretty awful job to do. I’ve heard that some pet stores can do it for you. When I redid the seals, I made it much wider than previously and made sure it was as smooth as possible to prevent any areas that would be nipped at. Also, if you see any algae on silicone, wipe it off to make it less enticing.
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2020 6:06 am   Re: Bubble getting behind silicon and glass

steve wrote:Also, if you see any algae on silicone, wipe it off to make it less enticing.

Will do!

I don't mind applying the silicon myself, that's actually the easy part. The annoying part is having to empty out the tank, and keepin the turtle drydocked while the tank initially dries off, then while the silicon is drying off.
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Post Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2020 8:49 am   Re: Bubble getting behind silicon and glass

I had a particularly hard time with the fumes. Since all the seams need to be redone at the same time, I expected to use a lot of silicone but the amount of fumes I had to deal with was overwhelming. This was a 120 gallon tank, so it was too heavy to move outside and I had to work on a step ladder. I'm thinking of getting an acrylic tank rather than having to reseal this tank in the future.
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