I've got a 58 gal tank with a bottom that is toast. I've got a
couple questions on how to replace the durn thing.

1) How or what do you use to remove the trim around the bottom?
And what do you use to resticky it?

2) Do the four sides sit/rest upon the bottom? Or does the bottom
rest inside the four sides?

3) Is 100% clear silicone sealant OK? Or does it have to be aquarium
grade silicone sealant?

4) What's the best way to spread the silicone into a nice smooth
surface? And how far out should it go?

Any answers appreciated.

I wish I could help you Paul, I my self havent done it. There might be more information about this kind of stuff in the DIY section

pm94

take a utity knife or a razor go around top and bottom of your bead that should free it up where you can peel it out . then you can see if the bottom sets inside thewall glass or not i feel it is inside the wall glass. a good grade silacone should be fine but if ansure buy aquarum silc.. make sure you glass replacing with is the samr thickness as the old. your bead should be about a 1/2"wide. take a cualking gun if using tube sic if it is a tube just run you bead and use you finger tip to smoth it out.
i hope this helps

Super cool. Thought it would be something like that, just
wanted to double check. If I remember to, I'll take pics as
I go along.


Thank you.

YES! Finally something I -KNOW-. Here's your questions and what I do when redoing, overhauling, or creating a tank:

Q: How or what do you use to remove the trim around the bottom?

Single edged-razlor blade with holder (the holder is about 99 cents at most and saves your fingers from excessive pressure.)

Q: And what do you use to resticky it?

Silicone Aquarium Sealant. It can be obtained from you LFS and I have even seen it in hardware stores. A few bucks per tube and a few tubes is woirth using. I'd rather do it right than risk a burst.

Q: Do the four sides sit/rest upon the bottom? Or does the bottom
rest inside the four sides?

The four sides rest on the bottom. I wouldn't do it any other way.

Q: Is 100% clear silicone sealant OK? Or does it have to be aquarium
grade silicone sealant?

OK, since I don't know what you -do- have your eye on, I would check to make sure it doesn't have anything that could leech into the water, so when in doubt buy something that is made for aquariums.

Q: What's the best way to spread the silicone into a nice smooth
surface? And how far out should it go?

OK, this is a style question. When using it to create seals to join pieces it is sdifferent than sealing the edges. I could drone on about the technique, but you should go to www.garf.com. In that website is a section which would help you out immensely in answering this question.

However, feel free to ask more questions, I don't mind and I have resealed more aquariums that I can count. I'm also completely redoing a 30 gallon that a friend threw out. I may make a Betta tank, an expansion tank for the goldies, or a plant harvesting tank... So many choices, not enough floor space.

A belated thank you to ADuPont. I have finally started the
fun task of redoing the bottom of my tank. So, on with the
pics and comments.

Here's what I used to loosen up the black trim around the
bottom of the tank. I choose a breakaway blade, it's long
enough to get into the entire area. Plus, if it breaks, there
is more to slide out.

So, being a guy and liking to break stuff, out came the
hammer. Make sure to wear gloves and eye protection.
Here's the result of the hammer.

And the answer to one of my questions, yes the sides rest on
the bottom.

And a pic slicing the silicone along the black trim.

The next phase will be ordering a hunk of glass to replace the
bottom and rebuilding. More pics to come in the future.

by the way, what's the dimension of this tank??

looks big..

It's a 58 gallon tank. Measurement are roughly 36" long,
18" wide and 16" or 18" tall.