Will a glass tank with silicone seals eventually fail?

[BryanM]

I wonder how often this is a factor in seam failure? This is why I am extremely hesitant to buy a used tank. The seams may be great sitting in their living room, but moving it through their house, loading it onto a truck, driving twenty miles, unloading it off the truck and moving it into my living room. Will the seals that have already aged still be up to the task after that?

I bought a RedSea 425XL a few months back, drove it 120 miles, should have used more than two people to move it, etc, etc.

we'll see how long it lasts, but its fine.

 

[Drpitch]

I bought a RedSea 425XL a few months back, drove it 120 miles, should have used more than two people to move it, etc, etc.

we'll see how long it lasts, but its fine.

About 12 years ago I bought used 180 gallon reef-ready tank and stand. No problems with the tank. Just replaced it and a 14 year old 90 gallon tank when we remodeled the house. I could not loosen the overflow connections without cracking the glass. On the upside I got 2 new tanks and DFW stands with canopies.
I agree that larger tanks have shorter lifespans.
Doug

 

[Dburr1014]

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...

Now we getting out there,

 

[14 foot reef]

My 14' reef is all glass, I custom built in place 22 years ago this month. It has been a stellar performer and has yet to give me issues but it is so over built, 6" wide 1 1/2" thick laminated euro brace around the top, and 3/4" glass bottom rim around perimeter. I'm sure at some point it may show signs of giving away but, everything is so over built including the stand, I sleep very well every night and I don't worry.

 

[Tamberav]

My 14' reef is all glass, I custom built in place 22 years ago this month. It has been a stellar performer and has yet to give me issues but it is so over built, 6" wide 1 1/2" thick laminated euro brace around the top, and 3/4" glass bottom rim around perimeter. I'm sure at some point it may show signs of giving away but, everything is so over built including the stand, I sleep very well every night and I don't worry.

Love how the ends seem to be separated so you can keep different livestock in those?

 

[14 foot reef]

Love how the ends seem to be separated so you can keep different livestock in those?

Yes, thanks, the left end has a 43 year old Haddoni Anemone with a mated pair of clowns, A Facula Butterfly a non reefsafe Venusta angle. The other end has a Moorish Idol, CB Harlequin Tusk, and a CB Regal Angle

 

[ScottD]

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...

We seem to have trouble with certainty of whether Pluto is a planet or not, are we really that confident in what Pluto is made out of?

 

[BeanAnimal]

We seem to have trouble with certainty of whether Pluto is a planet or not, are we really that confident in what Pluto is made out of?

So you think the Pluto landings were a hoax then?

 

[GARRIGA]

Some reefers might only consider Pluto a planet if acros growing on it

 

[ScottD]

So you think the Pluto landings were a hoax then?

 

[Dom]

My 14' reef is all glass, I custom built in place 22 years ago this month. It has been a stellar performer and has yet to give me issues but it is so over built, 6" wide 1 1/2" thick laminated euro brace around the top, and 3/4" glass bottom rim around perimeter. I'm sure at some point it may show signs of giving away but, everything is so over built including the stand, I sleep very well every night and I don't worry.

Holy Moses... friend, that is some tank!

Do you care for it yourself or do you have a service? I can't imagine the husbandry on something like this.

 

[rdavidw]

I have an old metal frame, slate bottom tank that is around 20 gallons. It was my grandfather's and still holds water. I would guess it's from the late 50s to early 60s. I don't know if it's ever been repaired.

 

[GARRIGA]

I have an old metal frame, slate bottom tank that is around 20 gallons. It was my grandfather's and still holds water. I would guess it's from the late 50s to early 60s. I don't know if it's ever been repaired.

Had a ten gallon like that in the 70s

 

[14 foot reef]

Holy Moses... friend, that is some tank!

Do you care for it yourself or do you have a service? I can't imagine the husbandry on something like this.

Me and Apex maintain this 1000 gallon system with ease. Control and monitoring is key to success.
Thank you for the kind words

 

[harper]

I have a 90 gallon and a 65 gallon tank made by O'Dell. In terms of age, they're in their mid-forties. Please don't tell them they're due to self-destruct!

That is impressive! I bought my O"Dells in the mid 80s. A 90 and 70 gal with an iron double decker stand. The 90 bottom blew out in the mid '90s. That was an unbraced 48"x18" tank who's bow was truly impressive. The lids were 2 two foot segment with a plastic center to rest on. Instructions said not to cut the center lid support until the tank was full for a while to account for the bow. I'm shocked an O'Dell could still be in existence. Winning

 

[radiata]

This is an O'Dell Transparency Note:

O'Dell actually did go belly up when the tanks they were making all went belly up. (Sorry, I have no dates for that event.) They got a very bad batch of silicone sealant that cost them their business. I'm glad my three O'Dell tanks were made by them before their catastrophe unfolded. I wonder if such a scenario could happen today...

 

[fishywishy]

The vast majority of the strength is in the thin layer of silicone in the joint, not the bead over the joint. Moreover, fresh silicone does not adhere well to cured silicone, you are not really adding much in the way of strength.

I mostly do it to prevent leaks and failure, not as much for strength, but it’s better than nothing. I should have mentioned that I don't apply silicone over the old layer. I always cut away the old silicone and apply a fresh bead of aquarium adhesive over the joint. So I basically reseal it. I know it's unnecessary if the tank isn't leaking, but I like to do it anyway just to be safe. especially if it’s like a top fin tank or something.

 

[Dom]

This is an O'Dell Transparency Note:

O'Dell actually did go belly up when the tanks they were making all went belly up. (Sorry, I have no dates for that event.) They got a very bad batch of silicone sealant that cost them their business. I'm glad my three O'Dell tanks were made by them before their catastrophe unfolded. I wonder if such a scenario could happen today...

I wonder if a bad batch of silicon was behind the Red Sea failures.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I mostly do it to prevent leaks and failure, not as much for strength, but it’s better than nothing. I should have mentioned that I don't apply silicone over the old layer. I always cut away the old silicone and apply a fresh bead of aquarium adhesive over the joint. So I basically reseal it. I know it's unnecessary if the tank isn't leaking, but I like to do it anyway just to be safe. especially if it’s like a top fin tank or something.

You are doing more harm than good in most cases. Fresh silicone does not adhere well to cured silicone.

 

[PharmrJohn]

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

Oh, it is. It's just a matter of time. Could be 1 year. Could be 100 years. Think in extremes. That's how I calculate probability. I mean, yes, there are equations, and in this case there would be some guess work. Much like The Drake Equation to guess how many intelligent, alien civilizations are in our galaxy, which is BTW 12,500, lol!