Life of a tank

[alistairw]

Morning all,

I have a bit of a strange question……….
Do aquariums have a life span? I have a Roma 90, glass tank and I assume to the corners and bottom are sealed/glued with some sort of silicone. The tank was bought new in 2012.
I ask because I am going to do a bit of a revamp on it and was just interested in whether with all the new work, whether the tank has a life span before there is risk of leaking from the joints.
Many thanks.
Al.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

You can always reseal as a precaution after doing a seal test to see if there is any breakdown of the original seals

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I packed my tanks into long-term storage, back in 2008. The tanks were at least six years old at that time.
I dug them out this year and left them (outside) full of water and rocks.
After a couple of weeks...no leaks...not even the one I'd built myself.

 

[alistairw]

I should say, the tank is currently running and stocked, and there is no sign of leaking.

I ask out of interest as if I am going to put the effort into re-scaping the tank and the tank has a life span of say 12 years for example, I might reconsider my options. The tank is approaching 10 years.

 

[Deleted member 149562]

As long as the aquarium is well cared for, physically, there shouldn't be too many issues...that said...as they age, sometimes seals can break down over time, so always wise to run a finger around all the seals when doing maintenance...especially on a rimless aquarium where the glass isn't supported per se.

(I actually won't buy rimless after having a mini tsunami in the lounge years ago....I like the frame top and bottom for a little bit of anti-tsunami protection...but no aquarium is ever 100% secure from leaks and issues)

 

[alistairw]

Thanks guys.
I will carry on with my plans and give the tank a good check over when I get round to re-scaping, hopefully in the next month or so.

 

[Colin_T]

Do aquariums have a life span?

If the aquarium was built with good quality silicon (the glue used to hold the glass together) and the glass was cleaned before it was glued, then it should last 20+ years.

If the tank was built with poor quality silicon, it might fail within a few years.

Good silicon with be firm but slightly squishy. If the silicon is hard and brittle, it is stuffed and needs replacing.

Good silicon will be the same colour all the way round. Bad silicon will go a cream or white colour and might develop bubbles in it.

 

[alistairw]

That's great Colin and makes sense.