Aquarium reseal? or Complete tear down?

[Haasume]

How do you if an aquarium need "simply" a full reseal or it needs to be completely disassembled ( glass apart ) and re siliconed completely?
I am buying a 220 gallon off craigslist which is roughly and hour away. The sellers have been upfront and said it had a leak which is why I am getting it for a smoking deal. I have resealed aquariums up to 150 gallon before but they were not leaking before the reseal.
What should I look for when I meet them to know which type of fix it need?
Is a complete aquarium break down that much more difficult than a reseal?

 

[tlindsey]

Personally would reseal The entire aquarium.

 

[tlindsey]

Tbh never done a complete tear down but others with their thoughts.

 

[BIG-G]

I’ve done both. Do you know roughly how old the tank is? If it’s pretty old I would take apart and reassemble.
What I would do if the tank is in good condition is check the silicone in the seams between the glass. Fill the tank in a safe stable location and look at the silicone in the seams if it’s white or opaque then it’s lost it’s holding power in that location.
If the seams are good I would just do a reseal.
If they are bad then take apart and reassemble.

 

[Haasume]

I am going to see the aquarium this weekend so I don't know much about it unfortunately. I'm not going to lie. Disassembling a 220 gallon is a bit intimidating to me. Is there a post on this site that explains the procedures of disassembly?

 

[tlindsey]

I am going to see the aquarium this weekend so I don't know much about it unfortunately. I'm not going to lie. Disassembling a 220 gallon is a bit intimidating to me. Is there a post on this site that explains the procedures of disassembly?

 

[Steve_C]

IMO anytime you are dealing with a larger aquarium (anything over 125g) then it should be taken completely apart and both butt joint & fillet seals redone completely. Main reason is because on a large tank there is a lot of pressure on the seams and just doing the inner fillet seal doesn't do a whole lot to seal it. I personally found that out the hard way on my old 7ft 265g leaker. I redid the inner fillet seam twice (very properly done as well) but it still ended up leaking a month later. So now on larger tanks I always suggest a complete tear down and re-siliconing to avoid any issue.

 

[Stephen St.Clair]

I hope I don't sound like a wimp, but with a tank that huge I'd take it to a local Glass company and have a craftsman break it down then reconstuct. That project is going to take a lot of space and specialized tools to get it done.

 

[BIG-G]

It’s a little work to take apart but nothing that can’t done.
The only tools you may need other than razor blades are some suction cup type handles to make moving the glass easier and a helper when you start to reassemble, it’s not a big deal.
It’s harder to get the tank apart then put together.