18 yr old tank-replace it?

[BradR]

I have an 18yo all glass 180.
Was thinking of going with a 8'long x 3-4' wide by 3' tall tank in our basement remodel.
Anyone know if this all glass is so old it's likely to fail soon?
Looking for reasons to make the switch to maybe a glass cage or some other starfire tank.
Thanks!

 

[tbittner]

I've read that the silicone doesn't need to be replaced IF the tank stays wet. After talking to one of the silicone manufacturers, they said that only the outer layer of silicone dries. If you ever had a tube of silicone lay around for a long time, with the end exposed, and you cut into the tube, the silicone inside the tube is still like new.

With that said though, YES your 180 MUST be replaced with that 700+ gallon tank. Just because.....

 

[BradR]

Hmm. Thanks for the response but I'm not sure I understand. You mean it'll get brittle if left dry for years and years? Otherwise I'd have thought it was dry as the tank didn't have water in it I'd imagine for a month at least before it was sold.

 

[tbittner]

The manufacturer said it would be fine, if the tank was left dry. It's also fine if the tank is left full of water. I guess what I was saying is there are opposing views to that argument. I tend to believe the manufacturer of the silicone, DAP. They said that the silicone is fine no matter what. It's just the outer layer of the silicone that dries/cures.