# Do Aquariums have a lifespan ?



## Merriallynchian (Apr 25, 2017)

Do Aquariums have a natural lifespan? 

I'm not talking about if you drop it or abuse it but if you use it normally. Does the glass eventually melt or the silicone eventually bust open? 

I was watching one of these videos on youtube about a guy who opens his own fish store and he said he got a used 350 gallon aquarium on cragslist as his centerpiece for the store and one day it busted open and killed all the fish and spilled water all over the floor. 

Just wondering if that happens to all fish tanks over time or if maybe that one was damaged. 

Thanks.


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## Shadelin (Apr 20, 2017)

-This was just my case... may not be the same for everyone...

I had a 49 gallon corner hex aquarium I just got rid of after 21 years... it was fine, no leaks... but we were moving around the room (renovations/painting, and I opted to be on the safe side.

In hind site... the water / bacteria was great... I would clean the filter once a year, and add water once a month... Water changes... once every 2 years... (not recommended, but the tank was always clean and the fish always healthy and the levels were great)...


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## nel (Jan 23, 2016)

The official lifespan of most silicones is around 10 years. Everything after that is luck ;-) Mostly if the tank is flooded all the time it will hold, but drying it up may make the silicone prone to damage.


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## someoldguy (Feb 26, 2014)

10 years is a nice number . Having said that ; most of my tanks are older than that and are holding water just fine . 2 are Metaframes from the 1980's , maybe older . So the lifespan of silicone adhesives could be much , much longer . Most of my tanks are 10's and 20's so there's not a huge amount of pressure on the seals when compared with the pressure exerted on the seals of much bigger tanks , like 210's . I suspect sealant failure rates would be greater on these . Assembly quality also has a lot to do with it , too . A few years back I picked up 3 tanks at a 'buck a gallon' sale . 2 were leakers within a few weeks . But they were pretty indifferently assembled .


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## nel (Jan 23, 2016)

Yeah, most tanks will hold longer - I have one that's 15 years old (currently at my work place, it's 200l tank) and my main tank - 345l 10 years old. The 15 year old was dry for 2 years too! For now - everything fine, but I know I have to check them every now and then, you have to be careful after those 10 years.


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## Turningdizzy (Apr 5, 2014)

You should get 10 years out of a quality tank, or more. Nothing lasts forever though, not even forever, it just lasts til' the end of time.


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## Willcooper (May 31, 2015)

Merriallynchian said:


> I was watching one of these videos on youtube about a guy who opens his own fish store and he said he got a used 350 gallon aquarium on cragslist as his centerpiece for the store and one day it busted open and killed all the fish and spilled water all over the floor.




Sounds like Cory from aquarium co-op. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Merriallynchian (Apr 25, 2017)

roud:


Willcooper said:


> Sounds like Cory from aquarium co-op.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 BINGO! roud: 

You would think he would know what a CO-OP is before naming his company that. :laugh2:

I think in the supermarkets he was talking about was when the suppliers and farms were co-owners in the supermarket. Yet I don't think his fish suppliers are Co-owners in his store. 

Anyway, good catch.


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## shamrock62081 (Jan 29, 2006)

I have a 20 gal. Perfecto tank I received for Christmas when I was probably 7 or 8, so it's getting close to 30 years old. Guess I'm one of the lucky ones!


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## Olskule (Jan 28, 2010)

I personally haven't seen any technical information on the lifespan of silicone, but in my experience, it lasts a very long time. Also, I believe that the most important thing determining the soundness of a tank is providing the proper foundation for it to sit on, as in a perfectly flat plane, and the importance of this becomes greater as the volume of the tank increases because the pressures involved in very large tanks are tremendous (and 350 gallons is a huge tank). (As for the source of the story, I have heard him say that the type or color of the light doesn't matter to plants, so...?) If the platform the tank rests on has one corner that is higher or lower than the others, this will cause unequal stress on the various seams of the tank, increasing the chance of one letting go, or even a glass pane cracking. And some people don't take into consideration that even though the tank's stand may be made perfectly flat and square, the floor that the setup sits on may not be perfect. Foundations of all types are prone to shifting, causing the floor to be uneven. The stand merely transfers the weight that rests on the perfect plane of the tank's? base to the floor, and if the floor is uneven, then that unevenness will be transferred back to the tank, causing unequal stress on the tank. While this may be a minor issue with a small tank, it becomes a much greater issue on larger tanks starting, in my opinion, around 29 gallons. I am currently using a 10 gallon Hagen aquarium that has a manufacturing date of 1986. I know for a fact that this particular tank has been in a storage unit for 20 years, plus it is made of the thinnest glass I have ever seen (I strongly suspect that it is tempered glass). This, of course, makes the seams extremely thin, yet this tank seems as solid as the day it was made. It is on an angle-iron stand that is perfectly flat (the aquarium sits flush on it), so I'm not concerned about it failing. If I were, it's a 10 gallon tank; it would cost $10 to replace it, much less trouble than cleaning up a 10 gallon mess in my carpeted bedroom. But I'm not concerned because (1) it is a small tank, and (2) I know the stand top is made on a single plane and it is solidly constructed and strong enough to not relay any floor imperfections back to the small-volume tank. If it was made of thin or cheap wood or particle board ( all of which will gradually give to a constant pressure over time), then I might be concerned, and make sure my floor had no irregularities. (Some people believe that even a tank and stand that is firmly set but unlevel is a hazard, but I think that would only be a concern with very large tanks.) I suspect that the 350 gallon tank was not set up on a perfectly even platform, whether it was a faulty stand or a faulty floor. (Personally, I use styrofoam beneath my tanks because it absorbs any irregularities between the base of the tank and the floor, but some folks here strongly disagree with my reasoning on this point.)

So what is the reliable lifespan of a tank? I would have to say whatever you are comfortable with after you have considered all the facts. With a 20 gallon tank, I wouldn't be concerned about the silicone as long as the support is proper.

Olskule


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## reddhawkk (Dec 28, 2011)

I have tanks that are from the 70's that are still working and have not been resealed. Also, I have some from the late 50's early 60's that are the old metal frame with black sealant/tar that are still holding water. Then again, I have newer tanks that have been resealed.


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

I think the biggest part is the quality of the build and its not really a measurable trait.

Dan


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## Olskule (Jan 28, 2010)

Dman911 said:


> I think the biggest part is the quality of the build and its not really a measurable trait.
> 
> Dan


I think I would agree with that, for the most part, anyway. I have made some tanks for myself before, and never had a problem with them. The most important points of glass aquarium construction are making sure the glass panels fit tightly (meaning your measurements are accurate, resulting in a very thin layer of silicone bonding the glass together) and making sure the glass is perfectly clean where silicone bonding is to occur. One slight fingerprint in the wrong place can ruin the entire build, not to mention your whole day in the future, when that seam decides to let go!

Much of what is considered "quality construction" in an aquarium centers on asthetic issues such as globs of silicone in the corners, etc., but that can easily be trimmed off. However, if the builder was that unconcerned about the appearance of his work, why would you think he would be any more concerned about the longevity of his work? Two sayings come to mind; "You get what you pay for" and "You pays your money and you rolls the dice." I'm likely to "rolls the dice" on a cheap deal rather than pay premium prices, but it has to hold up to my inspection and have a reasonable warranty. But then, I'm a cheap old fart, anyway, and I can't pass up a great deal, especially​ one that feeds my MTS addiction!

Olskule


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## Dman911 (Nov 24, 2016)

Olskule said:


> I think I would agree with that, for the most part, anyway. I have made some tanks for myself before, and never had a problem with them. The most important points of glass aquarium construction are making sure the glass panels fit tightly (meaning your measurements are accurate, resulting in a very thin layer of silicone bonding the glass together) and making sure the glass is perfectly clean where silicone bonding is to occur. One slight fingerprint in the wrong place can ruin the entire build, not to mention your whole day in the future, when that seam decides to let go!
> 
> Much of what is considered "quality construction" in an aquarium centers on asthetic issues such as globs of silicone in the corners, etc., but that can easily be trimmed off. However, if the builder was that unconcerned about the appearance of his work, why would you think he would be any more concerned about the longevity of his work? Two sayings come to mind; "You get what you pay for" and "You pays your money and you rolls the dice." I'm likely to "rolls the dice" on a cheap deal rather than pay premium prices, but it has to hold up to my inspection and have a reasonable warranty. But then, I'm a cheap old fart, anyway, and I can't pass up a great deal, especially​ one that feeds my MTS addiction!
> 
> Olskule


Exactly I used to build tanks myself and the smaller the gap the stronger the bond. Never skimp on the cleaning and work quickly because once it start to skin up you are compromising strength as silicone does not bond well to itself at that point. First thing I look for after filling a tank is the amount of bubbles or air gaps in the seams. I think often times people look at the inside silicone to see the shape its in not realizing this has little bearing on the strength of the seam and can be cut out and replaced carefully.

Dan


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

I still have most of my original tanks from when I first started 37 years ago. I've bought tanks from farms here that are at least that old. And I have a bunch of MetalFrame tanks. I've had tanks leak after 2 - 3 years in service but most of them are still going. The average age of my tanks is probably 20 years old.

MetalFrames, they don't have silicone but a "tar" in them as a sealer. The tar is basically a linseed oil mixed with some solids. The guy that makes our printing inks gave me the entire rundown on the stuff a few years back.
I've got a 20 on deck now I am redoing. DC 795 silicone will be for the seems but since there is no broken glass I am going to use a heatgun to polish up the asphaltum and get it smooth. The silicone will take care of the sealing now.


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