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Wasn't sure where to put this. But I'm looking for some help for a guy I work with. Hes about to move soon, sadly because of the distance and such, hes gotta get rid of his fish. But hes taking his tanks for later setup.

Question is, he cant fill the tanks up once he gets to his new house and has to wait about 6 months, whats the best way to keep the seals in good shape until the tanks can be setup again?

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

I'm not sure what they are sealed with, but assuming it is just silicon it should be fine. I've had tanks in storage for much much longer without the seals going. I think this was much more of an issue with the older style gummy seals they used before silicon was around.I'm not familiar with that type in any real way, but for your standard modern tank, keep it out of the sun, don't twist it or put pressure unevenly while transporting or storing it, and don't use harsh chemicals or store it with anything that could potentially eat through plastics or rubbers. I wouldn't store it upside down too (seen plenty of people do it to keep the dust out) there is no requirement for the top to be level and that will put pressure in odd places that might cause the glass and silicone to separate.

For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

tanks are fairly new, within the last 7 years i'd say. so what ever they are sealed with now.

but he had a garage to keep them in and was just going to cover them with their lids as they normally would be. and was going to cover them with blankets threw the winter weather.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

That should be fine... if he kept them wiped off with a warm wet rag every week or so that could keep the silicon from dehydrating or drying out.. although there isn't any real danger... just make sure he fills the tanks up and checks for leaks before he moves them inside after the move...

-Brandon

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

he cant fill the tanks up once he gets to his new house and has to wait about 6 months,

This seems rather strange no water for 6 months or is it cannot set them up for 6 months.

7 years is not new for a silicon sealed tank that has been kept wet.
Another thing is how they are handled when dry in transport any twisting could easily crack the seals.

I would fill them up to keep them wet regardless mainly because of their age.

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
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Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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hes going to be in an old apartment building on top floor and his smallest tank is 75g and isnt to sure on the floors. so he decided to wait until he gets his house.

as far as transportation. their going to be moved in his van with nothing else in it, just the tanks flat on the floor with padding between them

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

Hi,
I've had vans for decades now, I love them! They are so
much easier to load and unload than a pickup, and one
does not have to buy a shell to keep your loads out of
the elements.

The reason for my note is that the floor of every van
I've owned has strengthening ribs formed into the floors
and in many cases they use the channels between the ribs
to house the interior wiring.

I would suggest that you slip a 4x8 or 4x6 sheet of plywood
into the van, on top of the carpet, to give you a
truly flat bottom for the tanks to rest on.

As far as the silicone seals are concerned, I've see
estimated lengths of 3-7 years for their reliability when
stored dry. I guess it's a "buyer beware" situation.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

is that how long the average tank lasts FRANK or how long they can be stores safely with no wate rin them for.because ive had tanks pretty close to seven years and its a scary thought to think the silicon may wear soon on some of them, i dont want 55 gallons of water on my floor

ER...
The discussion was how long the silicone seals would
remain viable when the tanks were drained and stored.
I've seen these times anywhere from 3 to 7 years.

I don't think I've ever seen anything about how long a
tank will hold water if kept filled.

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--