Old tank, silicone concerns

[TimeTwister]

So after letting it sit in my garage for a year I decided to finally start working on the 150 gallon (72x20x24) tank I got for free.

The tank sat empty and in storage at a friend's house for over 10 years and was used for an unknown number of years before that. It is etched with hard water, has some scratches, needs to be resealed and needs a new overflow as the existing is too small for what i want to do.

However, even with all that it was free, so i figured I'd use it. After filling the tank to see how it looked with water it in and to make sure it didn't immediately start leaking I noticed that the silicon actually holding the panes together look like they have some discoloration to them and possibly air bubbles. Do these look ok, or are they bad enough where a reseal isn't enough and I would need to completely disassemble the tank?

To be honest, with the shape the glass is in and other fixes needed, if it also needs to be rebuilt I'd probably scrap the project and just get a new tank.

http://imgur.com/a/JywQV

 

[MG98]

I'm not a silicone expert but some of those seals look really bad. Salt is corrosive, add moisture, air, and time and I think it's a recipie for disaster.

With a tank that big there is lots of pressure on the seals and glass and you're looking at a BiG mess if it fails catastrophically. If you want to sleep easy at night my vote is for a new tank.

 

[Lsufan]

I know it's easy for me to say because it's not my money, but I would hold out & get a new tank. I could live with a few bubbles in a seam but that looks a little worse then I would chance.
U are right that to most people it just isn't worth rebuilding a tank. The money & time that would go into it just isn't worth it, Especially for someone who has never built a tank before. It is a more difficult job then most people think it is & chances are it would take 2 or 3 try's to get it right. By that time u could of bought a new tank.

 

[TimeTwister]

I'm holding out hope that some tank building expert comes here and tells me it is all good, but in reality I am leaning the same way. It's a shame really, it is some nice thick 1/2 inch glass too with over-sized glass braces on the top, built like a tank (ha, tank, I'm going to pretend i intended to make that pun).

I am all for saving money and reusing what i can, but when the risk is 150 gallons on the floor with house damage and livestock lost the cost of a new tank doesn't look so horrendous.

I may just take it apart, try to polish one of the bigger panes and use is as a viewing pane for a future plywood aquarium or something.

 

[ca1ore]

There's is, if course, no way to know for sure. Big, old tanks make me nervous. I sold off my 180 after running it for almost 20 years because it was old, and the silicone looked a whole lot better than yours does. Brandy new 150 can be had for $500 or so I'd think. Not that much for peace of mind.

 

[tjnorthdakota]

be a good project, could take it all apart, cut a side panel and front panel in half length wise and make a good frag tank out of it together with with bottom pane.