How long do tank seals last?

[ranchhand02]

I have a 75 gallon marine land factory drilled tank that I had up and running a four years ago. I had to take it down due to space requirments when my daughter was born. My office and fish room became her room, and I had to downgrade to a JBJ nano cube 28 gallon. I am now adding onto my house and I would like to set a larger tank up. The tank was made in 2008 and it has been in my garage or in my shop stored dry for the last several years. My question is do you think the seals on the tank are still good, and would that last for another decade if I set the tank back up again? I do not want to set it up and have it leak onto my hardwood floors. Would I be alright setting this tank up or should I look at getting a new tank for my build? Thanks

 

[ikolbaba06]

I had a similar situation. I went off to school for close to 4 years and left my 120 dry in storage. I did not trust the silicone so I replaced all the seams with new silicone. It’s not a fun process and I had nightmares of it failing for awhile but the tank is in the basement on concrete so no huge issue in terms of house damage. I would plan on resealing everything or just sell it and buy s new one. Which if I ever had to do it again that’s what I would do.

 

[ranchhand02]

How did you seal yours? Did you just scrape the old silicone out and re do it, or did you take the glass panels all apart?

 

[ZoWhat]

I've been told to always storage dry tanks upside down so the weight of the bottom glass holds pressure on seal joints in a downward gravitational force

 

[ca1ore]

Replace the inner 'seals' if it makes you feel better - probably doesn't actually do anything though. I have used tanks that sat dry for years on a few occasions. Worked just fine. I also ran a 180 for almost 18 years with no problems. Well made tanks last a long time.

 

[GBRsouth]

Here's some things to test yourself to decide:

Dry Test:

1. Does the edge of the silicone lift from the glass at any point? (If yes, reseal.)

2. Can you compress thicker areas of the silicone or is it hard. (If it is hard, reseal.)

3. Is any part of the silicone cracked? (If yes, reseal )

Wet test:

1. When filled with water, can you see any bubbles under the silicone? (If yes then reseal.)

2. And most obviously, does it leak or is there any water on the outside you can't explain being there. (If yes, obviously reseal.)

Good luck testing!

 

[Dennis Cartier]

I believe that temperature changes during storage are the determining factor for the lifespan of the joints. Storing a tank dry at a stable temperature is much more friendly than storing it dry where it goes through repeated hot/cold cycles which can cause the silicone to lose adhesion. I had asked my tank builder (Miracles) the same question as I had planned to keep it dry for several months. The answer was no problem, as long as the temperature is not varied widely.

Dennis

 

[alton]

It maybe a fluke but every once in a while I will borrow my brother-in-laws 60 gallon tank from the original Oceanic and it was made in 1990? It has sat more dry than wet. With your tank being a standard 75 I think you will be fine, to test set it up in your garage full of water for a month?

 

[ranchhand02]

Thanks for the advice. I will deffiently check out the seals and make sure everything looks good, and then I will fill it up for a few months before I set it up to make sure everything is good before I bring it in the house.

 

[West1]

I have a New 10yr old glass visio tank that never seen water. It was in someones garage (LFS shut down) and I purchased based on how intact the seams looked. Filled it up, let it sit for 48hrs and its been looking good since. 1yr later and still seems solid.

 

[jda]

I have an oceanic 240 that was made in 1989. It has a build tag on it. It has water in it right now. I got it used, so no idea if it was resealed, but I doubt it. I have been using it since about 2000.

I know that Oceanic has been out of business for a while, but for those who do not know, they were the gold standard for quality back then.

 

[ca1ore]

It maybe a fluke but every once in a while I will borrow my brother-in-laws 60 gallon tank from the original Oceanic and it was made in 1990?

My current sump is an old Oceanic 150 - got it from a local reefer who bought it in 1991 and had it sit dry for 5 years. FWIW, if a tank leaks, re-sealing isn't going to help since it's the structural seal between the glass that is compromised.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

As long as the silicone has not hardened or discolored then you should be OK. Best thing to do is get some 1/4" thick closed cell styro-foam like the kind they use in flat stack furniture packing. Set the aquarium on it so the bottom is fully supported and fill it. Use a level and let the tank sit for 2-3 days and check for leaks. Be sure to verify the tank remains level during this time. Once you're satisfied drain the tank and prep it for the stand. One thing you might want to look at is installing a leveling mat between the tank and stand. It's a super dense foam that will assist in getting the tank level without having to use shims. I did this on my 75g build (used tank from 2008) and did not have to shim my stand at all on a wood floor. This stuff is great as it virtually eliminates the potential for torsional stress to build up as the stand and floor settle in from the water weight. It's this torsional stress as the tank flexes from the stand flexing that cases the seams to fail, or the glass to crack.

You can get the leveling mat here.

https://www.marinedepot.com/Innovat...ries-Innovative_Marine-0I10544-FIAQAA-vi.html

If your stand is open on the top, you can cut a 1/4" thick piece of plywood and set it on the stand, and apply the leveling mat to it then goes the aquarium. Once water is added the leveling mat will do its job and bring the tank into level. Of course you want to get the setup as close level as you can to start so the mat can work.

 

[ikolbaba06]

Yea I just scraped out the silicone. And replaced with new silicone. The old stuff was pretty torn from scraping the glass. It would be almost impossible to reseal between glass pieces for me. It doesn’t look pretty since I didn’t line up the tape very well to use a straight edge.

 

[ikolbaba06]

Oh and it’s an oceanic reef ready. Which was the rage when I first purchased the tank.

 

[italquam]

I believe that temperature changes during storage are the determining factor for the lifespan of the joints. Storing a tank dry at a stable temperature is much more friendly than storing it dry where it goes through repeated hot/cold cycles which can cause the silicone to lose adhesion. I had asked my tank builder (Miracles) the same question as I had planned to keep it dry for several months. The answer was no problem, as long as the temperature is not varied widely.

Dennis

I was told same thing, any updates?