200 Gallon: tank leak

[KJAG]

Last year I noticed some water dripping off the sides of my stand and the plywood covering was also wet. Broke down the tank and sold off everything I had and now want to start over.

I’ve searched some threads here and it seems some if not most people cut away the existing silicone on the inside of the tank and apply a new bead... But that doesn’t right with me knowing that water escaped through the silicone that sandwiches the panes together.

I definitely don’t want to deal with a failed seam down the road.

Which leads me to: just apply a new bead on the inside? Or try and find a builder who can take it apart and re seal everything from the ground up? It’s a Lee Mar and they’re no longer in business.
Thanks in advance. If this is the wrong forum feel free to move.

 

[JCM]

Applying a bead on the inside is not good enough. It needs to be fully redone.

 

[Reeffraff]

A new bead of silicone is just a bandaid at best and I would never trust it. If the seam leaked in one place it may leak in others. If it were me I'd get it fully disassembled and resealed or just buy a new tank.

 

[ca1ore]

A common misperception I’d imagine. Once the structural integrity of the tank has begun to fail, a cosmetic ‘re-seal’ is not an appropriate fix .... though, of course, there is always that person who claims a reseal fixed their tank. If you want to reseal for cosmetic reasons, have at it, but for a truly leaking tank a rebuild is required.

 

[Pntbll687]

Definitely need to take the glass panel that was leaking off and reseal the whole thing.