Will a glass tank with silicone seals eventually fail?

[mch1984]

I think people are interchanging force and pressure…. And that may be where the confusion is coming from.

I agree, but that is easy to do.

 

[AetherealKnight]

Since we are talking about eventually, I discuss here what happens to a 100 gallon aquarium and some other reefing equipment after 3 billion years...

Reef Chemistry Question of the Day #188 Dr Who and Evaporation 2!

Reef Chemistry Question of the Day #188 This is a continuation of the last question. New info begins at the bolded print: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reef-chemistry-question-of-the-day-187-dr-who-and-evaporation.237295/ This section is the same... You have a very special...

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Can you discuss how you would build an aquarium that would last for a long time with today’s materials. Like for 2 billions of years in the future for uhh idk a hypothetical immortal fish that you need to save for the future or something .

 

[BeanAnimal]

I agree, but that is easy to do.

If I get around to it, I will build some force and pressure diagrams to illustrate what is going on with the seams and panels at different heights and widths… or maybe a fun dynamic calculator with some dynamic images. Just another calculator build to put on the list I guess.

 

[Dburr1014]

My 20 gallon qt.

Thanks Anna for building a quality tank in 1995

 

[Dburr1014]

Too bad that company isn’t still around

The employees formed another company called planet aquariums.

 

[CDBias5]

So, 16” tall tank that is only 6” wide has same pressure, on the glass, as a tank that is 4’ wide?
Y’all have lost your mind.

 

[Paul B]

I don't know, I guess it depends on how much the guy drank before he built the thing. But my last 100 gallon long tank lasted 40 years in the same place. That was 6 years ago and as far as I know, it is still lasting.

 

[GARRIGA]

I think it comes down to quality. This last spring I had a 200 dd from marineland that failed. It was only 5 years old. My stock was put in a 120 gallon Oceanic tank for temporary use while I had a new acrylic tank made by @advanced acrylics for me. Having a tank bust a leak just about had me quit the hobby. The oceanic tank was one I bought in the early 90’s. It was on a stand I made for an in wall installation in Texas. It was moved overnight to Iowa and put in a basement on a stand that I made in ‘98. One year later it was moved again to a stand that I made for another in wall installation. There it was used for another 20 years. So that old oceanic tank is still viable over 30 years later. Too bad that company isn’t still around

Oceanic made amazing tanks and wet dry. Latter I saved up to buy but never got around to getting it since Berlin became standard practice and don't recall them offering something specific.

 

[mch1984]

So, 16” tall tank that is only 6” wide has same pressure, on the glass, as a tank that is 4’ wide?
Y’all have lost your mind.

If you put a pressure gauge at the bottom of that piece of 16" tall glass it will be the same across a 6" or a 6' piece of glass. If you measure the total force acting on the glass, we are saying that is not the same.

 

[Dom]

Will a glass tank with silicone seals eventually fail?

What are the warning signs of an all out catastrophe?

I've never had a glass tank fail, and I don't understand how such a failure is "inevitable".

 

[Tamberav]

The 40 year old tanks don't seem to look much like the trendy tanks of today. Thick heavy glass and rims it seemed like.

I picked up an old 40g long and that thing is a beast.

 

[BeanAnimal]

So, 16” tall tank that is only 6” wide has same pressure, on the glass, as a tank that is 4’ wide?
Y’all have lost your mind.

Pressure and force are two different things.

Yes - same pressure acting against it as a function of depth.

Force (you want to call it weight I assume) is the application of that pressure acting over the area of the glass. So any spot on the wall of the narrow tank has the same amount of "weight" pushing against it as the wide tank, but in aggregate the wide tank has more, it is bigger.

Someplace above, one or two people above misunderstood volume to be involved, and in setting that straight pressures was used, but then a few folks misunderstood (you for examples) the explanation of pressure with that of force.

 

[Bruttall]

Being the Owner of one of those OLD GLASS TANKS, let me calculate a bit, I bought my tank I believe 9 years ago. 2015. Kept cichlids for 5 years, sat empty for 2, then started salt 18 months ago roughly. The Dr. in Des Moines Iowa I bought this tank from, if I remember correctly, told me he had it set up FOWLR for about 15 years and it sat in his garage empty for 5ish.

So if I am right I have an Oceanic that is 30 years old, or so.

Left front seam. Think I can see the glass bead spacers they used in it still. That 5/8th thick glass really stands the test of time IMO.



Really like to hear from @Paul B on tank age, etc.

 

[Timfish]

Properly supported and assuming there wasn't something on the glass when initially assembled that wouuld have prevented the silicone from addhering properly and there wasn't a cat using the stand as a scratching post and inadvertantly (intentionally ?) digging it's claws into a joint and algae doesn't gradually work its way through a joint I'd hazard to guess a tank could last 50 - 100 years or more.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Can you discuss how you would build an aquarium that would last for a long time with today’s materials. Like for 2 billions of years in the future for uhh idk a hypothetical immortal fish that you need to save for the future or something .

Interesting question lol

This might work:

A look down from the top aquarium made of solid gold that is placed in a sealed environment in orbit around pluto.

 

[rtparty]

Interesting question lol

This might work:

A look down from the top aquarium made of solid gold that is placed in a sealed environment in orbit around pluto.

 

[blecki]

Great one more thing to stress about.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Interesting question lol

This might work:

A look down from the top aquarium made of solid gold that is placed in a sealed environment in orbit around pluto.

The "Noble Orbital Reef"

All good... but we need to discuss the fact that Pluto may or may not be a planet at any given time, and that adds uncertainty.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

The "Noble Orbital Reef"

All good... but we need to discuss the fact that Pluto may or may not be a planet at any given time, and that adds uncertainty.

Can you have a moon of a nonplanet? If so, its the perpetual minimoon tank.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Technically - yes small planet planets (I hesitate to use the word dwarf planet, as I would not want to offend Pluto any more than it has already been offended) can still have moons. So the Noble Orbital Reef could be considered a mini moon of Pluto. We may have to make a stretch to "naturally-formed" satellite, but we have a larger issue...

Pluto is comprised of frozen volatile ices comprised mostly of nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. Deeper there is frozen water and maybe some rock and small amounts of metals.

Ergo, It will likely mostly decompose long before our Noble Orbital Reef and therefore our mini moon may become an asteroid, or in an unlikely but possible scenario, the Nobel Orbital Reef may actually become center of gravity for the tiny bit of noble metals left after Pluto decomposes and have its own rings... or The Nobel Orbital Reef may become a small planet planet itself and what is left of Pluto one of its moons...