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Re: [APD] Cleaning algae off the silicon in the corners of a tank



Silicone "rubber" is terribly difficult to clean because it has a natural adhesion and minute particles are easily embedded in it. If the stain is from chlorophyll, I think UV should  eventually bleach it. However, if the old is continually being replaced with new, the bleaching won't have much visual impact.
 
That silicone on the inside of seams isn't exactly excess; it's part of the seal system. In fact, the water pressure helps press the silicone against both panes in the corner, helping to maintain adhesion and providing a good seal where the water pressure tries hardest to push the panes apart. It would be easy enough to must mask off the glass during construction if one wanted to avoid the silicone on the inside panes.
 
Even especially finely built tanks from Oceanic (at least before it was gobbled into the corp octopus -- I haven't seen it's tanks since then)  left a certain amount of silicone on the inside of seams.
 
The ADA tanks, with their so tightly detailed and immaculate seams, must be carefully prepared with very close tolerances, rigid glass, and a high adhesion silicone.
 
crack up and have fun,
sh

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----- Original Message ----
From: Greg Fiske <GFiske at tkscengineering_com>
To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2007 11:52:40 AM
Subject: [APD] Cleaning algae off the silicon in the corners of a tank


Has anyone figured out a good way to get embedded algae off the silicon in the corners of a tank?  I've tried nylon brushes, but no matter how much I scrub, there is still a tint of green (like the silicon is stained).  I would think bleach would take care of it, but how do I deal with the green silicon with the tank filled with water?  I think my tank is going to be ADA quality eventually because when I scrub the silicon, it is slowly removing the excess silicon that is on the corners of the tank.
Greg
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