To reseal or not to reseal?

[alann]

Got a 180g 6x2x2 drilled tank for free, but the previous owner gave it away because it started leaking through the bulkhead. It was used for 2 years, then 8 years before that, so it had water in about a decade. As with pretty much every tank, there are some scratches but nothing too crazy. The only worrying damage is that it's chipped on the corner. Having water in for about a decade also makes me consider resealing the tank, but not sure if resealing would be my best option here. Just looking for any opinions or ideas.

 

[theatrus]

I wouldn't touch it.

 

[Big Smelly fish]

No way of telling if it need to be resealed without inspecting the silicone of the whole tank. Bulkhead should be an easy fix and the chip in the overflow box probably wouldn’t be a real be issue. But I’m only looking at a photo

 

[Manny’s Reef]

Definitely reseal even if not leaking. It's worked great for almost a decade, as you pointed out. Give it some TLC and make it work another decade.
In time, all seals will need to be redone.

 

[All_talk]

I would inspect the seals before jumping to a reseal, if they have clean edges and are solidly stuck to the glass I would leave them original.

I don't think any reseal will have the integrity of an original build unless the tank is completely disassembled and all silicon replaced at once. Even then, all the old silicone would have to be remove from the pores glass to get the OG bond strength. I'm not saying an interior fillet reseal can not be effective and safe, just never as good a new build.

And if the chip in the overflow isn't deeper that half the glass thickness I think I would be ok with that.

Resealed or as-is, I would do a leak test for week or two in a safe location. I'd plug and fill the overflow too.