Would you reseal a tank

Patrick.S · 03/06/2018, 01:52 PM

Over the last few months I've seen some great deals on sweet looking tanks. Only catch is that they have a leaking seam. Would you buy a leaky tank for a steal and then replace the seals?

TxAggie08 · 03/06/2018, 01:56 PM

Here's what I've found in my research.

The inner gasket is extremely easy, but time consuming to replace.

The structural joints cannot simply be resealed however. If the seam has started leaking, you will need to pull the whole tank apart, clean it, and completely rebuild it, or it will not be structurally sound.

shaginwagon13 · 03/06/2018, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick.S

Over the last few months I've seen some great deals on sweet looking tanks. Only catch is that they have a leaking seam. Would you buy a leaky tank for a steal and then replace the seals?

I wouldn't.

mcgyvr · 03/06/2018, 03:15 PM

Depends on the price and the size of the tank. Most likely no..

I have redone the inner (non-structural) seals but I likely wouldn't do the main seal no matter the tank cost..
The labor/cost to repair is more than the tank cost new.. But I value my time so its never cheaper to redo an inner seal...

tom obrecht · 03/06/2018, 03:28 PM

Nope...I’d pass. I ALWAYS buy new tanks! Equipment is ok used but never tanks themselves. Never know what they have been through.

Zalick · 03/06/2018, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick.S

Over the last few months I've seen some great deals on sweet looking tanks. Only catch is that they have a leaking seam. Would you buy a leaky tank for a steal and then replace the seals?

I would never, unless I was interested in tank building as a hobby.

The amount of $$ we put in our setups pales in comparison to the cost of a new tank.

Lsufan · 03/06/2018, 10:22 PM

I agree with everyone else. I wouldn’t buy a tank that leaks & plan on using it. I did buy a leaky 75 gallon tank before for $10. I did that because it was 3/8” glass & I disassembled it & used the glass to make other things.

The only way I would reseal a tank is if the tank did not leak & I resealed the inner seam for cosmetic reasons.

davocean · 03/06/2018, 10:27 PM

Knowing what it really takes, no, never.

DesertReefT4r · 03/06/2018, 11:45 PM

Nope not worth the time, money or risk of it. Just buy new.

ReefkeeperZ · 03/07/2018, 08:09 AM

I've done both cosmetic and structural, unless it's a super costly tank originally structural uually isnt worth the effort you will have to put into it. something like a 125 or larger for 75$ I'd do, but any small tank i'd better spend my time just getting a new one. cosmetic seals are easy, structural is a PITA.

cincyjim · 03/07/2018, 08:12 AM

Not me either. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.

shyfish · 03/07/2018, 08:13 AM

If you can buy them for less than what you can resell tjem to guys who keep lizards and snakes....then GO FOR IT.

Give it a try. Like i said....you can always sell the tanks to lizard/snake hobbyists if you can get at least your $ back or a lil profit.

Value of a tank is always hinged on how many SCRATCHES on front glass. No scratches = lizard/snake guys paying premium if the thing wont hold water for your project

Patrick.S · 03/07/2018, 09:00 AM

Thanks for the advice,, guys. The one that caught my eye was a 60 gallon cadlights tank, so a pretty high end tank to begin with. Not planning on getting anything right now but it is interesting. The thing that tempts me is the thought that plain old aqueon tanks look like someone goobed on the silicone with a butter knife. Doesn't sound hard to do a better job.

oldhead · 03/07/2018, 09:20 AM

Probably would only buy a tank like that to use the glass on a plywood tank build.

WVfishguy · 03/07/2018, 12:21 PM

I've resealed many tanks over these past forty years. I'm not as pessimistic as others here because I've successfully done it so many times. If the internal silicon seal is peeling off, I just scrape off what I can and smear a copious amount of silicon on the inside seams.

Granted, these are MY tanks on my concrete-floored fish room. I would NEVER reseal a tank which is going to a customer. I can't even imagine the lawsuit if a resealed tank leaked on the 3rd floor of a medical building....

However, I'm getting tanks for $1 per gallon now, so I'm not sure if it's practical to seal them anymore.

I have resealed 90 and 125 gallon tanks and they have not leaked for 20+ years. I've never taken them apart to reseal them. I simply use a razor and cut out the old silicon, clean well with rubbing alcohol, then put new silicon down.

Hell, when I began keeping aquariums, THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS SILICON RUBBER!

About 50 years ago, my father had a auto repair garage. He and the glass company down the street were sent samples of this new stuff by Dow Corning (I think) called "silicon rubber."

I about 10 years old. I remember having 11 tanks at 11 years of age, all were the old slate bottom, black tar sealed aquariums. They sucked.

Heavy and prone to leakage.

The local glass company made an aquarium out of this new material, so my father made me a tank as well. It held about 18 gallons of water, a large tank by those days standards.

He used an aluminum frame for my tank because no one really believed silicon could hold the glass together by itself.

I had that tank for a long time - I don't know what became of it.

03/06/2018, 01:52 PM	#1
Patrick.S Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 70	Would you reseal a tank Over the last few months I've seen some great deals on sweet looking tanks. Only catch is that they have a leaking seam. Would you buy a leaky tank for a steal and then replace the seals?

03/06/2018, 03:15 PM	#4
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Depends on the price and the size of the tank. Most likely no.. I have redone the inner (non-structural) seals but I likely wouldn't do the main seal no matter the tank cost.. The labor/cost to repair is more than the tank cost new.. But I value my time so its never cheaper to redo an inner seal... __________________ Who me?

03/06/2018, 03:28 PM	#5
tom obrecht Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: WI Posts: 3,014	Nope...I’d pass. I ALWAYS buy new tanks! Equipment is ok used but never tanks themselves. Never know what they have been through. __________________ Reef keeping is where Murphy's Law and your bank account collide!! TOTM May 2006

03/06/2018, 10:22 PM	#7
Lsufan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 1,410	I agree with everyone else. I wouldn’t buy a tank that leaks & plan on using it. I did buy a leaky 75 gallon tank before for $10. I did that because it was 3/8” glass & I disassembled it & used the glass to make other things. The only way I would reseal a tank is if the tank did not leak & I resealed the inner seam for cosmetic reasons. Last edited by Lsufan; 03/06/2018 at 10:30 PM.

03/06/2018, 10:27 PM	#8
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	Knowing what it really takes, no, never. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

03/06/2018, 01:56 PM	#2
TxAggie08 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: College station texas Posts: 99	Here's what I've found in my research. The inner gasket is extremely easy, but time consuming to replace. The structural joints cannot simply be resealed however. If the seam has started leaking, you will need to pull the whole tank apart, clean it, and completely rebuild it, or it will not be structurally sound.

03/06/2018, 11:45 PM	#9
DesertReefT4r Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Mesa Az Posts: 771	Nope not worth the time, money or risk of it. Just buy new. __________________ Tank history 29g tropical ,55g cichlid tank, 20H softy reef, 29g mixed reef, 20H brackish goby & puffer tank, 55g mixed reef, 6g Nanocube softy lps reef, 40B sps reef, 75g sps reef, 75g sps reef in bu Current Tank Info: 75g sps reef build in the works.

03/07/2018, 08:09 AM	#10
ReefkeeperZ Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 392	I've done both cosmetic and structural, unless it's a super costly tank originally structural uually isnt worth the effort you will have to put into it. something like a 125 or larger for 75$ I'd do, but any small tank i'd better spend my time just getting a new one. cosmetic seals are easy, structural is a PITA. __________________ insert witty catchphrase here

03/07/2018, 08:12 AM	#11
cincyjim Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 1,147	Not me either. I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. __________________ Jim Current Tank Info: SCA 150G, 5 inch sand bed, 2 Tunze 6095s, ReefBreeders v2+ 50" with 2 all Blue Reefbrites, and Continuous Water Change System

03/07/2018, 08:13 AM	#12
shyfish Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2018 Posts: 6	If you can buy them for less than what you can resell tjem to guys who keep lizards and snakes....then GO FOR IT. Give it a try. Like i said....you can always sell the tanks to lizard/snake hobbyists if you can get at least your $ back or a lil profit. Value of a tank is always hinged on how many SCRATCHES on front glass. No scratches = lizard/snake guys paying premium if the thing wont hold water for your project

03/07/2018, 09:00 AM	#13
Patrick.S Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2016 Posts: 70	Thanks for the advice,, guys. The one that caught my eye was a 60 gallon cadlights tank, so a pretty high end tank to begin with. Not planning on getting anything right now but it is interesting. The thing that tempts me is the thought that plain old aqueon tanks look like someone goobed on the silicone with a butter knife. Doesn't sound hard to do a better job.

03/07/2018, 09:20 AM	#14
oldhead Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: New Jersey Posts: 527	Probably would only buy a tank like that to use the glass on a plywood tank build.

03/07/2018, 12:21 PM	#15
WVfishguy Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Huntington, WV Posts: 677	I've resealed many tanks over these past forty years. I'm not as pessimistic as others here because I've successfully done it so many times. If the internal silicon seal is peeling off, I just scrape off what I can and smear a copious amount of silicon on the inside seams. Granted, these are MY tanks on my concrete-floored fish room. I would NEVER reseal a tank which is going to a customer. I can't even imagine the lawsuit if a resealed tank leaked on the 3rd floor of a medical building.... However, I'm getting tanks for $1 per gallon now, so I'm not sure if it's practical to seal them anymore. I have resealed 90 and 125 gallon tanks and they have not leaked for 20+ years. I've never taken them apart to reseal them. I simply use a razor and cut out the old silicon, clean well with rubbing alcohol, then put new silicon down. Hell, when I began keeping aquariums, THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS SILICON RUBBER! About 50 years ago, my father had a auto repair garage. He and the glass company down the street were sent samples of this new stuff by Dow Corning (I think) called "silicon rubber." I about 10 years old. I remember having 11 tanks at 11 years of age, all were the old slate bottom, black tar sealed aquariums. They sucked. Heavy and prone to leakage. The local glass company made an aquarium out of this new material, so my father made me a tank as well. It held about 18 gallons of water, a large tank by those days standards. He used an aluminum frame for my tank because no one really believed silicon could hold the glass together by itself. I had that tank for a long time - I don't know what became of it.