Used 100gallon from LFS

[retareefer]

Howdy. My LFS is closing down and letting go of all their tanks. Im picking up a 5 foot 110 that has been running for at least a decade, probably closer to two. I've inspected seams and condition and it looks like it was extremely well cared for, no scratches, no leaks, seams look good and has been filled until today.

Is this safe to use as is? Should I run a new head on top of the old bead? I would not feel comfortable scraping anything off, that feels like it would just create new problems lol.

Curious on everyones thoughts.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

It sounds like that is advised against. @UncommonSense ?

 

[Fish Fan]

You can't apply new silicon over old, it doesn't adhere, so running a "new bead" isn't a good option.

If it's holding water today I would either:

• Use it is as-is
• Remove old silicon, clean, and reseal the seams with new silicon (not recommended, but I've done it )
• Completely disassemble the tank, remove all old silicon, and rebuild the tank from scratch. This is certainly the best way to go, but not an easy job if you're not used to doing this kind of work. You could look into hiring a professional in your area to do this work if you choose this option.

UncommonSense will likely have more suggestions.

Good luck!

 

[retareefer]

You can't apply new silicon over old, it doesn't adhere, so running a "new bead" isn't a good option.

If it's holding water today I would either:

• Use it is as-is
• Remove old silicon, clean, and reseal the seams with new silicon (not recommended, but I've done it )
• Completely disassemble the tank, remove all old silicon, and rebuild the tank from scratch. This is certainly the best way to go, but not an easy job if you're not used to doing this kind of work. You could look into hiring a professional in your area to do this work if you choose this option.

UncommonSense will likely have more suggestions.

Good luck!

Okay, question. Is there any harm from doing another bead on top? Or is it simply ineffective? Just curious.

 

[Fish Fan]

Okay, question. Is there any harm from doing another bead on top? Or is it simply ineffective? Just curious.

It's ineffective. The newly applied silicon can't/won't adhere to the old silicon, so it's not going to help anything

 

[UncommonSense]

This would really depend on the tank in question! My LFS has a few rimmed 180G tanks which are likely at least a quarter century old… though, they do have visible thin lines forming in the center of the seams, slowly, but surely…

Assuming the tank is rimmed, it would really depend on how exactly the glass:glass structural seams each look (including bottom seams, this tank is likely made with clear silicone, so examination through the bottom glass pane should still be a possibility)

Otherwise, two decades old seems to be pushing it for most larger off the shelf tanks if no modifications are performed before committing to filling it for a unknown number of years…