Aquarium leaking?

[Stomatopod]

My mom's cousen owned an LFS for a long time. (which closed many years ago... before I was born) and he had a 125 gallon in his home. He said he got rid of the 125 because it began to leak and never bothered to setup another...


This gets me wondering... Will saltwater aquariums really "expire" after while and begin to corrode the silicone or even the glass? Scary to think of 125 gallons leaking on the floor... I'm going to buy a new glass 125 since acrylic scratches too easy, is a pain to clean, and mostly.... the price.. but if a glass saltwater aquarium really has an expiration date on it the cost and scratches might be more worth it...

 

[reefman069]

so here we go. i am not an expert on this. so yes in time the silicone will break down and you have to drain your tank and reseal it. with acrylic tanks. when they make them they use a glue called weldon. the weldon has a reaction with the acrylic that bonds them together and makes them as one. make sure if you buy a acrylic tank. make sure it is thick enough so the front panel doesnt bow out. one other thing i like about acrylic tanks is that it is very easy to drill to put bulkheads in for plumbing. also they dont weigh as much as glass tanks. hope this helps.

 

[N1Husker]

I think in time the silicone will start to deteriorate. However I think it takes a very long time for that to occur. Aquariums were glass for a very long time, when there was no such thing as an acrylic aquarium. I like acrylic for the light weight and the ability to drill. I don't like the cost or the difficulty to keep the sides clean. They also seem to scratch too easily and they frost real bad on the areas not actually in the water and the wide edge on the top. I have a glass and I don't think I will ever have an acrylic aquarium, JMO.

 

[Peppie]

IMO most all tanks, Glass and Acrylic will out last the owners interest in the hobby.
If you pay $700 and up for a tank that will last well over 8-10 years min. you got your moneys worth. IMO

 

[Stomatopod]

so here we go. i am not an expert on this. so yes in time the silicone will break down and you have to drain your tank and reseal it. with acrylic tanks. when they make them they use a glue called weldon. the weldon has a reaction with the acrylic that bonds them together and makes them as one. make sure if you buy a acrylic tank. make sure it is thick enough so the front panel doesnt bow out. one other thing i like about acrylic tanks is that it is very easy to drill to put bulkheads in for plumbing. also they dont weigh as much as glass tanks. hope this helps.

So basicly when leaking happens take all the water out, take the fish and corals out, reseal it for however long, and then refill it up? Also I think weldon is a chemical that melts the acrylic together creating one piece.

I think in time the silicone will start to deteriorate. However I think it takes a very long time for that to occur. Aquariums were glass for a very long time, when there was no such thing as an acrylic aquarium. I like acrylic for the light weight and the ability to drill. I don't like the cost or the difficulty to keep the sides clean. They also seem to scratch too easily and they frost real bad on the areas not actually in the water and the wide edge on the top. I have a glass and I don't think I will ever have an acrylic aquarium, JMO.

Yeah I have a 30 gallon peacock mantis tank and its a sea clear acrylic... I have huge problems trying to stop brown aglae from growing on the sides...

IMO most all tanks, Glass and Acrylic will out last the owners interest in the hobby.
If you pay $700 and up for a tank that will last well over 8-10 years min. you got your moneys worth. IMO

I'd just hate to have such a beautiful, stable aquarium and then it gets tore down in the long run... And then restarted pretty much...

 

[Peppie]

I'd just hate to have such a beautiful, stable aquarium and then it gets tore down in the long run... And then restarted pretty much..



Every thing has an exploration date. If you never want to tear it down. Dont put it up! JMO

 

[N1Husker]

It is just one of the many things in this hobby that can happen. You just have to handle it.