# Stored acrylic fish tank question



## Fishtail76 (Oct 17, 2013)

I moved about seven years ago and my 55 gallon acrylic fish tank has been stored in the garage ever since. I'm wanting to bring it in the house and get it setup. My main question is: Is there any danger of the silicon sealant drying out or anything from being stored so long? We have new laminate flooring in the house and am a little worried about it leaking. 

Thanks in advance for answers or suggestion


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## angelsdice159 (Jul 2, 2011)

I dont think so 
I mean if it was me i would just re seall it any ways they sell it at any pet store
Then i would clean it wit distilled white vinegar and tap water for a couple hours just put one part
To every 4 parts water just make sure its white distilled vineger.. I did it to my 125g. Seald it and just let it sit for a day to dry then i cleand it. Of corse u wanna fill it up after to check for leaks
Probably out side.. . ..


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## Reefing Madness (Aug 12, 2011)

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## Fishtail76 (Oct 17, 2013)

Thank you very much for your suggestions. The tank is in a corner of the garage that is kind of difficult to get to right now. Since I haven't looked at the tank lately I was thinking the seal at the bottom was sealed with silicone. Guess I should have waited till I could get it out in the open to have a good look at it before I posted a question. I am new to this forum and find it loaded with lots of great info (wish this was available when I started my 1st fish tank in the 70s .

Thanks again for the info


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

As already stated, the seams are solvent welded. If they aren't cracked (and even if they are a tiny bit) it is fine. Fill it up on a smooth level surface and see if it leaks. If you want some added security put paper towels under it first and throw some food coloring in the water. Note if you do this that 1) You need to be careful about not spilling water outside the tank and 2) Use room temperature or warmer water so nothing condenses on the outside.


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## Fishtail76 (Oct 17, 2013)

Update: I've got my tank out of the spot in the garage where it had been stored and tested it for 2 days for water leakage and it looks good no leaks. Today I got the inside all cleaned out, still had some dried algae in it. Next I'm going to work on polishing scratches out (i used the wrong kind of pad when I had a algae problem, so now there are lots of fine scratches). I bought some Novus scratch remover, I've seen many people in forums recommend this product.

I'm going to build a new stand, should have it finished within the next week.

I started buying equipment to get this thing up and running. So far I purchased a Fluval 306 canister filter and getting ready to buy another heater, thermometer, API master test kit and florescent light bulbs. I think that should be about it to get me started.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Letting it sit with water in it was the right thing. Did you fill it all the way up? You will want full stress on it. I would feel better with about 5-7 days of letting it sit. I have heard stories of tanks going beyond 30yrs, but the danger is when you let them sit empty for periods of time.


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## Fishtail76 (Oct 17, 2013)

jrman83 said:


> Letting it sit with water in it was the right thing. Did you fill it all the way up? You will want full stress on it. I would feel better with about 5-7 days of letting it sit. I have heard stories of tanks going beyond 30yrs, but the danger is when you let them sit empty for periods of time.


Now you got me worried a little. I'm really not positive on the age of this tank, I'm guessing the age is 25-30+ years. I did fill it to the top and let it set for two days. I worked on it a bit yesterday buffing out scratches. It looks to still be in good condition. I did some research on old acrylic tanks and what some people say is they will get crazing (tiny fine cracks) in the corners, I don't see any of that in this tank. The tank is a TRUVU, they have made quality tanks for many years and still in business. I guess after I finish buffing, I will fill it with water again and let it set for about a week. It would be really bad if this tank dumped water all over our new laminate flooring.


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

jrman83 said:


> Letting it sit with water in it was the right thing. Did you fill it all the way up? You will want full stress on it. I would feel better with about 5-7 days of letting it sit. I have heard stories of tanks going beyond 30yrs, but the danger is when you let them sit empty for periods of time.


Isn't that normally an issue with the silicone used in glass tanks? I wouldn't expect any humidity based degredation in an all plastic tank. That said, I agree that testing should be done with a full tank (on the stand it will be on) for however long it takes to give you peace of mind.


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## Epinephrine (Sep 5, 2013)

What JC said about ON THE STAND is very important. I had a 135 andfilled it without stand. It held for two months so I built a stand. Had a slight twist in it. When I set it up in the house it made it two days and split a vertical seam. Lost about 100 gal in the middle of the night. Fun fun


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## Fishtail76 (Oct 17, 2013)

Thanks for the replies. The stand that I had it setting on for a few days full of water was the old stand. I have still been working on removing scratches from the tank and hope to have a new stand built within the next week or two. After I finish the stand I will fill it with water and let it set for a week before I move it back into the house. I emailed the manufacturer (TRUVU) and explained the age, condition and how long it had been stored, their reply was "it should be fine". I'm temped to go buy a new tank from Petco while they have the $1 per gallon sale, its just hard to give up on this tank when I can't find any flaws in it except for light scratches.


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## Epinephrine (Sep 5, 2013)

Just keep polishing!!The fish will wait.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Epinephrine said:


> What JC said about ON THE STAND is very important. I had a 135 andfilled it without stand. It held for two months so I built a stand. Had a slight twist in it. When I set it up in the house it made it two days and split a vertical seam. Lost about 100 gal in the middle of the night. Fun fun


Wow! That does sound like fun!


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## jccaclimber2 (May 6, 2012)

^That might have been more fun than coming back into town after a weekend gone to find 2" of water in a 55 that housed 3" angelfish (the fish made it). I also had an uneven stand issue that was a bit worse than expected. On the other hand, no permanent damage and I ended up with a 75 at the end of the ordeal.


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## Fishtail76 (Oct 17, 2013)

I finished building my stand and have the tank on it filled with water in the garage testing for leaks. I'm planning on leaving it until Thursday then bring it in the house to setup and start fishless cycle. Yesterday we had a 6.9 earthquake about 50 miles away off our coast. I checked the tank right after the quake, water was swaying back and forth but no leaks. I'm thinking its probably safe to bring in the house since it survived the quake but I'll still let it set until Thursday.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Earthquakes?I'm loving the east coast more every (brutally cold) day!Good luck and yea if you were to ask God to give you a sign of reassurance,I think that might be it!
I hope you get to ENJOY!


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## Fishtail76 (Oct 17, 2013)

Here is my before and after pics. It is still a work in progress, adding a few more plants and more fish but all is good so far. Parameters have been stable ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5. The fish that I have added so far is 6 cardinal tetras and 6 peppered cory cats.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

WOW! THAT IS AWESOME!
Be proud of your hard work and results!
You definately deserve it with your effort.
LOOKS GREAT!!!!!!!!


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