Tank Silicone Defect;      10/12/15
Greetings,
<Salud!>
Do you have any information on the orange colored defect in the silicone in the attached picture?
<Ah yes; you should be concerned. This is a sign of degradation of the Silastic itself; and loss of integrity of the seal. If enough of the area grows to include the inside and outside edge... the system could leak or worse. There are a few probable fixes; the worst calling for taking the tank down, cutting away the sealant and re-doing>
This is a 1.5 yr old 130G Starfire rimless cube from Miracles Aquarium in Canada, $1200.
<.... Have you contacted them re? Do so; and include our correspondence here. They need to know they have a bad batch of Silicone>
The real kicker here is the SAME thing happened to my last tank, which I purchased used and when I emptied the tank and examined the affected area the silicone was no longer attached where the discoloration occurred.
<Yes>
How could this happen on two tanks in a row? I can't believe it.
<Got me.... something in your water may be an influence as well>
Sincerely,
Sarah Hlavenka
<Yours, Bob Fenner>

Tank seam integrity?       4/10/15
Hello,
I have a question concerning a 75 gallon AGA (Aqueon) rimmed tank. One of the seams has a pretty big gap in it. See picture below. Is this tank safe for use? Thanks in advance.
<Mmm; no pic attached. Please try resending... to us and yourself. BobF>
Re: Tank seam integrity?
Sorry about that. Did this work?
<Ah yes; and from what I can make out, I would not use this tank as an aquarium (could be partly filled or used empty of course). Return it to your dealer for a better quality one. Since the trade (petfish industry) underwent "consolidation" (a large part being bought up by big other businesses and venture capitalists), quality and innovation have greatly diminished. BobF>
-Derek