How long do tanks last??

Of the tanks I have set up now, I got one used in 1984 and another new in 1977. Neither has had to be resealed.

If done right, resealing a tank should make it good as new.

One of the used tanks I bought was built in 1981. It is fine.

You need to be concerned with the abuse a tank may have had; has it been set on uneven floors, badly supported, moved frequently, dropped, etc. None of that has to do with age.

Based on that, this odd sized 59 gallon tank had a lot of risk, two known prior owners, last in an apartment, upstairs, so possible frequent moves from place to place and possible uneven floors. Non-standard stand (actually old furniture braced up somewhat, not enough so I had it supported even more) In it's favor, it was a custom Oceanic, so had more glass than a cheap tank. Today, with a bit more experience under my belt, I might have passed on that tank. Surely had I known to look for the manufacture date on the inner edge of the tank, a tank that old would have worried me. Guess I'm lucky it is OK after all these years!

Great question!
Hope to see more responses....


(...can't imagine what 125 gallons of water would do on a tile floor - and where it would go!..... )

I have a little old 10 gal from my childhood years. It's around 27 years old with the original seal.

Not sure if I would trust a 27 year old 125 gal in the same condition though.

I have a 5 gallon from the 70's and it is doing fine. The rest of my tanks are at least 10 years old.

The glass will never go bad unless it is broken. Resealing is very easy and they sell the sealant silicone at the fish store. It just takes patience but can save a lot of money.

Well put it this way,

up until 1995 I had a slate bottom aquarium built in 1966. It was never resealed, although it was moved from Indiana to California, back to Virginia all in 6 years. It was my grandmothers...my grandfather was in the navy and they moved a lot but she insisted on keep the aquarium which was 45 gallons.

I'm not sure how much abuse it had taken, but in the mid 80's I inherited the tank and like I said, I had it up until 1995. It turned up missing when I moved to Michigan. The only thing I can think of is maybe it was mistaken as trash since, after all it was empty...and perhaps my mother and uncle pitched it (they helped me move).



so...anyway, aquariums can last decades, and if taken care of...a lifetime!

There are very few things that can actually harm silicone or glass, so theoretically a tank on a proper stand will last indefinately. Abuse and stress from moving, and uneven stands generally cause more trouble than anything else. Direct sunlight will deteriorate clear silicone, and so will some harsh cleaners. When in doubt, re-sealing is my preferred option, it can be done fairly easily and dependably. I've had several yard sale 55 g's that I resealed with no long term issues. The longest I have kept any of them was about 11 years. I also had a slate bottom tank that belonged to my uncle who died in 1967, and had no issues with it until the slate got broken during a move. That tank sat in an attic for over 20 years and then went back to work with no trouble.

My oldest operating tank is a slate-bottomed steel framed tank from the late 1950s. It was re-sealed with silicone 30-something years ago. My second oldest is a Metaframe tank(but all glass), among the last that brand produced, I would guess in the late 1970s, but that could be off. It has never been resealed.

If you know the floor will not give over time with that 125, I would trust it with a good stand that is level. If it’s not level then there will be a twisting stress on the tank and that’s when you have a flood.

I think the leading cause of the tanks busting is that over time the floor will weaken and the stand will sift causing the tank not to sit on the stand correctly.

As for the seal. If it doesn’t get overly stressed it should last 75 + years. Moving the tank with stuff in it will stress the seal. If it’s not sitting in the stand correctly it will put a stress on the seal causing it to fail over time.

All of my larger tanks are concrete floors or have steal under the floor with 6x6 going to the concrete to keep the floor from sagging.