Prachmuth

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How old is too old for a tank? I have a 10 year old tank - glass 92g corner, drilled. For most of its life, it was used as a fish-only saltwater tank. It is now set up as a reef tank.

Other than a few scratched on the inside from gravel getting caught in the magnetic glass cleaner, it is in great shape. I just want to aviod coming home one day to a mess and some wise-ass saying "thats what you get for having such an old tank!"
 

michael stern

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How old is too old for a tank? I have a 10 year old tank - glass 92g corner, drilled. For most of its life, it was used as a fish-only saltwater tank. It is now set up as a reef tank.

Other than a few scratched on the inside from gravel getting caught in the magnetic glass cleaner, it is in great shape. I just want to aviod coming home one day to a mess and some wise-ass saying "thats what you get for having such an old tank!"


Until you go on vacation.
 

ClosetFishGeek

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A well constructed tank can and will last a lifetime as long as it is installed properly. Even weight distribution and being level are often mistakes that cause problems over time.. Also make sure the stand is overbuilt and will withstand the test of time as well. If that starts to go...well enough said.
 

KathyC

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Fill it up and test it for leaks.Others will chime in.
Umm Nelson ...
It is now set up as a reef tank.

Paul has a tank on here that is 38 years old

Not quite. If you real his thread - he has changed tanks over the years - the contents are 38 years old.

A well constructed tank can and will last a lifetime as long as it is installed properly. Even weight distribution and being level are often mistakes that cause problems over time.
How true - Thanks Closetfishgeek :) The silicone is obviously the 'weak' link in a tank, but as long as the tank has been filled with water you shouldn't have any concerns..but it won't hurt to knock on some wood now that you've posted the question ;)
 

cali_reef

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For what is worth, bowed and curved front glass tanks tends to fail a lot more often than regular rectangular tanks.

Silicone will deteriorate overtime, even if the tank is filled with water all the time. it will harden, become brittle, and fail to hold glass together. it could take 10 years, 20 years, or 30 years, all depending on the quality of material and environment it is in.

I have a question for you: does the live stock you have and damages a busted tank can cause if it failed in your house cost ten times the price of a new replacement tank? maybe 15 times?

The next thing you have to look at is if you divide up the cost of the tank new and the year it has been in use, did you get a fair use out of it annually? I am guessing around 35-50 bucks a year? we all have spent more than that for a fish that dies after a week.

A well constructed tank can last forever, all glass and perfecto tanks are not what I would call well constructed.

Ernie, I am pretty sure the 150 was build around 2002. It is a well build tank, costing twice of a 150 gallon tank from All-Glass. It should last 20 years or more.
 
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Prachmuth

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I have a question for you: does the live stock you have and damages a busted tank can cause if it failed in your house cost ten times the price of a new replacement tank? maybe 15 times?

Certainly the amount of loss caused by a tank failure would far exceed the cost of replacement before a failure. That's what is driving my whole inquiry.

The question, therefore, becomes how to determine if their is a material risk of a tank failure?

If I presume that (a) a tank failure will be caused by hardened silicone, and (b) silicone ages/hardens uniformly, then I should just feel around the tank edges. If the silicone I can touch feels soft, then I can assume the rest (the silicone I cant get to) is also soft.

Sound right?
 

cali_reef

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(b) silicone ages/hardens uniformly, then I should just feel around the tank edges. If the silicone I can touch feels soft, then I can assume the rest (the silicone I cant get to) is also soft.

Sound right?

Do not assume that. silicone deterioration is caused by heat, UV, ambient PH value, etc. a single tank can be subjected to multiple variance because light placement, heat generating equipment, and what ever you have spilled over time.

The silicone you can feel on the inside or outside are not holding your tank together, the thin layer between the joint is.
 

ECFENCING

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Pierce: I sold the 150 and got a glass cages tank....I was referring to the sump......

The tank was just too tall. I didn't account for the heating ducts above my tank so I opted to get a 20" tall tank.

That tank was very well built and octaviusmonk could chime in on that....(It leaked near the bulkhead for the intake on the closed loop in the back......just a little silicone and new bulkheads should do the trick on that one)
 

QUESTIONMARC

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ive has a 150 for 15 years. its been through everythign you can imagine. and AGA. I bought it when i was 17. it has been coppered. it has been scratched.. sat outside for 10 years in blistering heat, freezing cold, rain, wind, hurricans, etc.. it was set up 4 years ago. it was fine.. and still ticking. and
 

seldin

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I have a 55 gallon reef. I held fresh water, then salt water with fish and now it's a reef tank. I had it 23 years. The only problem was in the last 2 years I have been using a mag float instead of a regular scraper which has made some scratches on it.

Other than the scratches, it's been 0 problems for that long a time and still going.

However, I do owe myself a new tank...
 

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