Does silicon stick to painted glass?

[55kfog]

I'm planning for a project and was considering attaching a glass sump/fuge to the back of a nano (glass) tank that has been painted on the outside back of the tank.

Essentially it'd be two separate boxes being attached to each other with a couple bulkheads and silicon...just that one of them is painted on the area that I'd need to silicon. The seal is important because I will be cutting overflow slots at the top and not just using bulkheads.

So, will silicon stick to painted glass?

Thanks for the help.

[Maxius]

no it will not work!!!
the silicone would hold on to the paint and not the glass
try and scrape the paint a bit...does it peel of easy?
the same thing will happen when you try to hold up a box though the paint it simply wil not hold.
the reason why silicone works so well on glass its becouse it bonds the glass at a molecular level.
the paint on the other hand does not. you could in fact scrape the paint off only where the silicone seal will be and leave the paint in everywhere else
than spray the siicone on the out side
i would crape all the paint of just to be shure you dont put anything in contact with the water that could release chemicals into the tank as you know most paints are toxic and since we are trying to keep livestock and not kill it start scrapin....:)

[windsor-aquatic]

I agree with Maxius-it won't work. Remove the paint, clean the glass with meths or alcohol spirits and you'll have no problems.

[ilango]

BIG NO, clean the area before you apply the silicon.

[55kfog]

Thanks for the info. much appreciated.

Maxius, for what it's worth, I've read on RC about alot of people using Krylon spray paint on things in their tank (some use the regular stuff, and I've read about an epoxy version as well...people use Krylon Fusion for plastic pieces). I think the most important part of the process is letting whatever is painted to fully dry/cure before putting it in the tank...otherwise, you're right, it'd be no good for the tank. Of course, maybe the saying 'better safe than sorry' should apply here...but again I think as long as it's cured long enough, it's ok.

Thanks again!

[Maxius]

i know that most paint would be nontoxic if cured properly
i use reguar spray to enamel to paint the return plumbing that shows in the water inside the tank
havent had any issues so far,
i hope you figured out how to finish your project so keep us posted!!!!!
pics would be great!

[55kfog]

It's nice to know that another person uses that in their tank. Thanks alot.

I will keep you posted (this one is just in the planning stages)- I have the option of doing this project with acrylic as well, so you have been helpful in getting me started in the right direction. Not sure which direction I'll go (glass or acrylic), but at least I know a bit more at this point. Thanks again.