How to remove silicone from glass

[Bill B]

Hi all --

I have aquarium that previously I had used essentially as a terrarium with a false floor. I took off what used to to be the false floor (I personally use egg crating (not really anything to do with eggs - that's just what it is called) with window screen) and now still have a strip of silicone sealant/caulking I had used to try to keep the false floor in place and prevent any amphibs from getting too far down, possibly below the false floor, where they might be trapped.

I went to some pages on the internet, and I'm not seeing answers that I can personally use that much. One page suggested using something called Xenit (not even available around here, as far as I know). Another suggested using a heat using a hair drying. I don't want to buy hair dryer. If it is necessary, I will, but I'm looking for other options.

Bil

 

[Chinadog]

Heat/hairdryer won't work on silicone, once it cures it's incredibly resilient to high temperatures and doesn't really get any softer as it heats like many other glues/sealants.
The best way I've found to remove it is to take a very sharp, ideally new razor or box cutter blade and just scrape it off as you would wallpaper from a wall. As long as the blade is still straight and sharp it won't scratch the glass, but just be careful not to damage the sealant that's bonding the tank together if you need to go anywhere near the corners.

 

[NathanKS]

Razorblade followed by rubbing alcohol to remove any residue

 

[Donna001]

I have just removed a 3D background from a tank, and removed the sealant with a blade. It took a bit of effort though.

 

[Jennewt]

I agree. You need a pack of rectangular straight-edge razor blades and a lot of patience. It helps to change to a fresh blade frequently as you go, especially for removing the last bits.

 

[caleb]

You can buy scraper tools that hold single-edge razor blades- these make it easier if you've got a lot of scraping to do.