Old tanks (how long do the seals hold?)

[fedge]

I got a couple of older tanks from my brother at the landfill..for free

2-10 gallons.. 2 - 20H...

none of them were cracked.. one 20H's bottom plastic trim was coming off but was easy enough to reglue on. I cleaned them all up.. and now am testing them OUTSIDE.. for a week for any possible leaks.

HOWEVER< i have read a lot of horror stories about failing tanks (tanks as young as 6 years old)... one of the 10's I have has its all-glass manufacture date (1989) man that tank is old.. I know its possible for some of these tanks to last a long time without problem.. but how risky is are these tanks to leaks...

Am I really just rolling the dice or am I about as safe as if the tank were new...???

How long does the silicone(or whatever they glue them together with) last before it breaks down and fails..?

[GDominy]

There is no way to really tell.... I have had brand new tanks fail in under a year.. and I still have some tanks that are 30 years old now.... it all depends!

I would just let it sit for a week and see if it holds.. how does the silicone look? Is it still soft or has it gone brittle? If its very stiff and no longer has that squishy rubbery feeling then it might be a good idea to reseal it.

[fedge]

Thanks for the advice... sounds sound to me....

Most of it was rubbery and newish feeling , if that is a word.

one of the tanks was a gerbil or hamster tank.. that one I may pitch .. I filled it to the top and plan on letting it sit for two weeks... not sure if it was designed to hold water...

man i SURELY don't want a pool in the house to clean up!!!!!!!!