aquarium lifespan

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esoxlucius

esoxlucius

Balaclava Bot Butcher
MFK Member
Dec 30, 2015
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Probably the worse single thing that can happen to any of us in the hobby is catastrophic tank failure. This could be through an accident where the glass gets smashed. But just say you were lucky enough never to have an accident and you had your tank for 10, 20, 30 or even more very enjoyable years. Surely further down the line as your tank ages it becomes naturally weaker due to the immense pressures of the water, especially in the monster tanks that some of us are lucky enough to own. Does there come a point where you just have to get rid of the tank and get a new one, just in case, or can the structural stability of modern well made tanks actually last a lifetime. Do hobbyists even strip their tanks down every 10 years or whatever and re-sillicone their tanks. I would be interested to hear peoples views on this.
 
Good question. I never had a huge failure but a pin heal leak in my plumbing in my tank. I was going crazy thinking my tank is evaporating so fast these days. I finally found the damn leak it would drip every few minutes so it was so small. Other than that no real issue.

I know people who have had their tanks cracked but large monster fish and silicone giving out. They would either sell the tank and upgrade or fix it themselves. Usually sell the tank and upgrade since its what most of us would do to make an excuse to upgrade anyways lol
 
I think they say 15yrs is the average lifespan for the seals in a glass tank. A typical resealing job is only a 50% fix IMO. You have two seals. The silicone that 'glues' and seals the glass panels together, then the bead of silicone at the joints. Kind of like a primary and secondary seal IMO. Typically only the bead at the joints is stripped and replaced. I couldn't imagine actually stripping the frames off and taking the tank apart.

I've only had one catastrophic, out of the blue failure. It was on a 1yr/old 29g on a 20L/29/37g stand. I heard a *POP* and swoosh. It cracked diagonally across the back! About 10g of water on the floor as I was frantically bailing it out into a storage tote.
 
Oceanic provides a 15 year warrantee on its tanks, so it must have confidence its tanks can last at least that long. A friend of mine bought a 200 Oceanic new, never moved once, and sit at the same location for 15 year. On the 16th year, the top glass brace fell off. He siliconed it back, but the tank soon leaked. It wasn’t a sudden burst, just a sprinkle of leak near the bottom. He discovered it early enough to avert flooding, and resealed the tank and put it back to use.

I own one 75 Perfecto for 20 years, and another 75 Perfecto for 30 years. Both are still holding water, and the older 75 has moved once. I am not sure if there is shelf life for glass tank, and if there is any, it is at least 15 years.
 
Oceanic provides a 15 year warrantee on its tanks, so it must have confidence its tanks can last at least that long. A friend of mine bought a 200 Oceanic new, never moved once, and sit at the same location for 15 year. On the 16th year, the top glass brace fell off. He siliconed it back, but the tank soon leaked. It wasn’t a sudden burst, just a sprinkle of leak near the bottom. He discovered it early enough to avert flooding, and resealed the tank and put it back to use.

I own one 75 Perfecto for 20 years, and another 75 Perfecto for 30 years. Both are still holding water, and the older 75 has moved once. I am not sure if there is shelf life for glass tank, and if there is any, it is at least 15 years.
 
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Aqueon tanks larger than 55g have lifetime warranties on them. I saved the labels and receipt from my 75g. I'd be curious to see how you cash in on that. The LFS that ordered that 75g for me is long gone.
 
I had the bottom just fall out of a 30 gallon. The tanks I have now are AGA (Aqueon) and Oceanic. AGA and Marineland (Perfecto) offer lifetime warranties. But there is a catch. Many think you have to use their stand. But I was at a fish convention and spoke with reps from both companies and they corrected me. They said you don't have to use there stand. You must use an approved aquarium stand. So do I think if you order a stand from say Glass Cages still give you the lifetime warranty sure. I am just not sure I want to take the chance or even prolong them settling my claim. My friend Tommy 265 gallon gave way after 2 or 3 months. He purchased their tank and stand and they settled it very quickly.
 
convict360 I know what you mean. That day I came to the realization that I never really knew how much 30 gallons of water was until i had to clean it up.
 
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