How to tell if seals are still good on tank

[turbo2oh]

I have a Reef Savvy 60 cube that is 10+ years old. I’m not the original owner so I’m not sure how old exactly. Can anyone verify if it’s still good to go to refill and use? Id it’s too old I’d like to know before refilling it. Attaching a few pics.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

The seals are not good. They need to be re-done.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Re seal it yourself or find a shop to do it for you, then use it.

 

[turbo2oh]

How can you tell? I know the edges are cosmetically peeling, is there a way to tell the seal actually holding the glass together is bad or is it “just time”.

 

[Dbichler]

I don’t see anything wrong with the seams what I see is scraper chips on the cosmetic portion of silicone. Pics are really not all inclusive though so couldn’t give you 100% guarantee that it’s good water test outside and see if it holds for a couple days before bringing it inside.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I consider replacing the visible silicone when it looks like that and it peels up easily with a fingernail on a framed tank. But many consider a “reseal” of the tank as completely dismantling it and reassembling. With frameless tanks, a complete reseal probably matters more than a fully framed one because the silicone is the only thing holding it together.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

How can you tell? I know the edges are cosmetically peeling, is there a way to tell the seal actually holding the glass together is bad or is it “just time”.

You definitely need to redo them. Don't listen to the person who said you don't. If they are peeling, that's a ticking time bomb until the seals bust and water is everywhere.

Seams are what hold the glass panels together, seals are what keep the water in.

 

[Dbichler]

You definitely need to redo them. Don't listen to the person who said you don't. If they are peeling, that's a ticking time bomb until the seals bust and water is everywhere.

Seams are what hold the glass panels together, seals are what keep the water in.

Are you looking at the inner silicone the protective layer or the one that matters in between the glass panels. Yes the protective silicone looks dried up like the tank has sat without water but that doesn’t mean the silicone between the two pieces of glass are bad from pics it’s really hard to tell but being a reef savy tank I’d imagine they used quality silicone for the important part of the tank. There doesn’t appear to be any bubbles from the picture. I would probably throw a new bead of silicone for the protective layer water test and go ahead.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Are you looking at the inner silicone the protective layer or the one that matters in between the glass panels. Yes the protective silicone looks dried up like the tank has sat without water but that doesn’t mean the silicone between the two pieces of glass are bad from pics it’s really hard to tell but being a reef savy tank I’d imagine they used quality silicone for the important part of the tank. There doesn’t appear to be any bubbles from the picture. I would probably throw a new bead of silicone for the protective layer water test and go ahead.

Seals are what keep the water from leaking. SEAMS are the "protective layer" that hold the glass panels together. The seams are located in between the panels of glass where they meet. The seams main purpose is not meant to keep water out. They might for a little amount of time but that's not what they're there for and they will eventually bust. The SEALs purpose is to keep the water in the tank, but it's not meant to hold the glass panels together. From the pictures the SEAL obviously needs to be redone. If OP fills them with water they will eventually bust, then the SEAMS won't be able to keep the water in for long if at all before the tank starts leaking. I can't tell the condition of the SEAMS so I can't say if those need to be redone. I can only see that the SEALS are peeling and severely damaged and those need to be re-done. OP needs to scrape all the silicone from the SEAL off, clean it and reapply silicone. Hope that makes sense

 

[Idech]

If the tank is more than 10 years old, and you’re in a position to have the seals redone, then better do it now then wait until a leak happens. You should have peace of mind for a long time if you do.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

You know they’re bad when your family finally likes your aquarium!!!

 

[Jimbo327]

Contact Reef Saavy. See if you can get a assessment by them. This could just be the outer seal to protect the seam. It may be as simple as adding another layer of armored seam/seal on top of the outer seal. Reef Saavy would have a lot more experience and history.

To me, it just looks like scraper chips to the bead of silicone used as the outer protective seal, and the seam itself is good. But like I said, you should confirm with reef saavy.

 

[Dbichler]

Seals are what keep the water from leaking. SEAMS are the "protective layer" that hold the glass panels together. The seams are located in between the panels of glass where they meet. The seams main purpose is not meant to keep water out. They might for a little amount of time but that's not what they're there for and they will eventually bust. The SEALs purpose is to keep the water in the tank, but it's not meant to hold the glass panels together. From the pictures the SEAL obviously needs to be redone. If OP fills them with water they will eventually bust, then the SEAMS won't be able to keep the water in for long if at all before the tank starts leaking. I can't tell the condition of the SEAMS so I can't say if those need to be redone. I can only see that the SEALS are peeling and severely damaged and those need to be re-done. OP needs to scrape all the silicone from the SEAL off, clean it and reapply silicone. Hope that makes sense

We basically said the same exact thing

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

We basically said the same exact thing

Yes I know but in your original post you said OP was okay to leak test then in your next post you said OP should reseal the tanks. I think you may have mixed up seams and seals so I was just clarifying.

 

[mh0ward]

Seals are what keep the water from leaking. SEAMS are the "protective layer" that hold the glass panels together. The seams are located in between the panels of glass where they meet. The seams main purpose is not meant to keep water out. They might for a little amount of time but that's not what they're there for and they will eventually bust. The SEALs purpose is to keep the water in the tank, but it's not meant to hold the glass panels together. From the pictures the SEAL obviously needs to be redone. If OP fills them with water they will eventually bust, then the SEAMS won't be able to keep the water in for long if at all before the tank starts leaking. I can't tell the condition of the SEAMS so I can't say if those need to be redone. I can only see that the SEALS are peeling and severely damaged and those need to be re-done. OP needs to scrape all the silicone from the SEAL off, clean it and reapply silicone. Hope that makes sense

I guess neither of my nanos have "seals" then, who knew!

 

[Dbichler]

Yes I know but in your original post you said OP was okay to leak test then in your next post you said OP should reseal the tanks. I think you may have mixed up seams and seals so I was just clarifying.

Correct I don’t think anything is needed and said if it were my tank I would throw a new seal. I was implying that if the outer layer appearance bothers op to reseal that not dismantle entire tank, unless seams have noticeable damage.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a Reef Savvy 60 cube that is 10+ years old. I’m not the original owner so I’m not sure how old exactly. Can anyone verify if it’s still good to go to refill and use? Id it’s too old I’d like to know before refilling it. Attaching a few pics.

Theseseals are likely fine but you can do two things. . . . .
Perform a 48-72 hr leak test with freshwater or reseal the tank which im happy to send directions

 

[turbo2oh]

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[turbo2oh]

Thanks for all the info. Is redoing the seals difficult? It seems like it could get sloppy pretty easily. @vetteguy53081 any instructions would be helpful. I could at least evaluate if it’s something I’d be comfortable tackling.

 

[MrPike]

Thanks for all the info. Is redoing the seals difficult? It seems like it could get sloppy pretty easily. @vetteguy53081 any instructions would be helpful. I could at least evaluate if it’s something I’d be comfortable tackling.

You cannot reseal a tank despite all the “wisdom” in this thread. Once the silicone has bonded to the glass, you cannot slap more silicone over the top and have it do anything useful. Any shop that offers is a shop that I wouldn’t return to. Those seems look fine to me, put it in your garage and fill it with freshwater to make sure there isn’t a leak somewhere you can’t see.