Glass tank left in Garage for years, silicone OK ?

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R

Rakie

Candiru
MFK Member
Jul 8, 2007
650
2
48
So Cal
Just as I said, my buddies Uncle has a 100g tank with lights, two fluval 404 and an AC 110, +stand he'll let go cheap, and this tank has been sitting in his garage for awhile... is the silicone still good or will it need to be resealed ? And if it needs to be resealed, are we talking touch up all around, or full blown remaking of the tank ?

Im in southern California, so its always like 70* lol, so if cold weather dries it out that wont be the issue :D
 
I am fairly new to this hobby but (this is how I would look at it) if it holds water it should be okay!

I saw somewhere a DIY tank reseal procedure on line that didn't seem overly difficult where they used DUCT TAPE to hold the sections together.

It seems to me that it would work okay but I would use a wood working 4 corner frame clamp (the strap with 4 adjustable corners).

It seems as though the MOST important thing would be to make sure everything is really clean.

How old is the tank? ... was it brand new when he got it?
My Marineland 56 tall has a sticker with month and year made on it. Might want to see if there is one on that to give you an idea as to the actual age.

How long is a while?

Good Luck!
 
i had a tank that was left outside in the rain cold snow frost while i was working in spain when i returned i set it up<not noing it was left in the frost etc and it was fine...still is 5years on housing terps for my neice at her house
 
Awesome thanks for sharing the experience. Its an old tank and the owner wants to use it for a reptile habitat.... i can build a nice one out of wood and trade it cheap as hell.
 
My 55 gallon was in the garage for 2 years until I bought my house. My seals were great. Best thing to do is test it outside where it's ok if everything gets wet. Let it sit for an hour and see if there are any wet spots left.
 
I have a 35G tall and it has only had to be resealed once from falling over during transport some 12 years ago. The tank is about 37 years old. 36"x12-13"x18"
 
I had my 29g outside in the shed for 3 years where it got about 120 degrees inside. Didnt need to reseal it and it now houses two parrots and some livebearers.
 
Id fill it up outside and let it sit a few weeks.Ive had a few older tanks that sat dry for years some held,some the silicone practically fell off after a few days
 
gomezladdams;1062420; said:
Id fill it up outside and let it sit a few weeks.Ive had a few older tanks that sat dry for years some held,some the silicone practically fell off after a few days
Click to expand...

yep totally agree better to test before using it. just incase... dont want a wet floor :)
 
Press on the center of the silicone seals and watch the edges. If they pull away from the glass then you need to reseal the tank...if not then it's fine.

There really isn't any mysterious "time limit" to a silicone joint. Other than mechanical damage...rocks...claws....ect...not much affects it except constant direct sunlight and of course mold.

The longer a tank sits dry the more likely you are to have a problem but I doubt this tanks as old as you think...The Fluval 404 isn't that old of a filter.
 
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