do aquarium seams fail with old age?

[ddc0715]

so as we were drinking this weekend one of my friends asks about my 220----"so when do you think it will spring a leak" ......" hope not" I RESPONDED.. to which he said "nothing lasts forever, it will leak...... that got me wondering.... do tanks last forever? do the seams fail over time? does anyone replace an entire tank simply because it's old? if so whats your rule of thumb for replacing your aging yet totally functional tank. do you have a plan? i don't. lol

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Glass tanks can fail due to old age, acrylic will not. I have a 260g that im getting ready to replace after 15 years cause the silicone is starting to go. Its mainly the cheaper tanks like marineland and aqueon that have issues, high quality tanks can last much longer and usually have extra bracing

 

[outhouse]

Yes with age or poor workmanship. My 210g had a bubble break in a seam which caused a leak. It was easy to fix, and now 10 years past that, not leaking.

 

[Jedi1199]

I am almost afraid to answer this because once you put it out in the universe,...

My 55g is at least 30 years old. Made by a company called "Aquarium Design" which didn't have the best rep back then. I got it used and it has been fresh, salt, fresh again, a couple years empty, fresh again and now is my showpiece mixed reef.

 

[Radman73]

I had a 60 cube(Marineland) and a 220gal(Oceanic) leak within 5 months of each other. The 60 cube was bought brand new and was less than 10 years old. The 220 was used and I have no idea how old. Both had been through several moves though, which may have been a factor, but both were also on their original stand. The 60 was also rimless FWIW. Thankfully the leaks were on tile floors!

 

[Montiman]

A couple builders have told me that they have a target lifespan of 20-25 years. I recently got rid of a 17 year old 90 gallon Lee Mar because I noticed that there was bubbles in the silicone and didn't want to risk a leak. I believe a 20 year lifespan is my plan for glass. If it is going some place (like a business or built in.) where it may stay in place for over 20 years then I have always gone acrylic.

 

[LeftyReefer]

I have a 90G glass tank that is at least 30 years old. It's been dry, in storage for the last 20 years. Hasn't had water in it in 25 years. It had freshwater in it 25 years ago, and was fine when I drained it 25 years ago. Like I said, its been dry for the last 20 years in a storage garage, hasn't been moved.
is it any good? Does silicone sealant last longer or go bad quicker being dry?

Hate to get rid of it, but I'm not in any way comfortable redoing the seams on it myself.

 

[WVNed]

My 55 failed at about 20 years. Moved out of state and back though.

 

[Paul B]

I don't think they fail with age. If they are going to fail I think it is from poor workmanship and can happen at any time. My last tank is 45 years old and still has water in it.

 

[piranhaman00]

IMO a custom made rimmed aquarium on a proper stand and only moved once should last > 50years. Rimless tanks seem to only last 1-10 years depending on several factors.