buying a leaking tank?

[jjoos99]

Seems like a lot of marineland tanks are prone to leak. There is a 265 gallon tank on craigslist right now that is only a year and half old that is leaking in the back my the overflow. Is it worth trying to reseal or stay away from it? he only wants $150. At that price it is so tempting but not sure if I want the risk and thought that it might burst. What do you all think?
Jeff

[HBtank]

Need more information than that.

Leaking near the overflow from a bulkhead? Hell yeah.

Leaking near the overflow from a glass seam? Hell no on a tank that size.

[smoothmove]

Would you buy a great deal on a water heater that leaks? IMHO, I would not tempt fate with my beloved Reef just to get a great deal.

When I lived in Texas, the saying I remember most is- "There in no such thing as a free horse".

[jjoos99]

I agree guys. I just needed the nudge to overlook that ad. I would think with the reputation that marineland tanks have for leaking it would be a seam.
thanks
jeff

[outy]

I bought a 215 and was not told that it leaked

A lower bubble in silicone had burst on bottom back of tank and it slowly seeped.

I drained tank, cut away bad area, installed new silicone and its now a decade of no leaks


SO conclusion is to see where its leaking, with large tanks one needs to be cautious about silicone failure. But don't be scared its not that big of a deal.

[RCS82]

Are you good with working with glass and silicone?
If yes then maybe it could be a good possibility. If this is your first time working with glass and silicone then I wouldn't practice on a 265 gallon. Just my 2 cents

[Dross]

I see a lot of leaking 30" high Marineland tanks offered for sale on CL. I worry that they are just problematic due to the pressure.

[ca1ore]

I had a ML265 for four years without a lick of trouble. I tend to think most problems are user error so if one is leaking after only 18 months I'd presume it was not properly cared for and steer clear. I personally would not buy a large tank used. Though I think there is nothing inherently wrong with the large ML tanks, they are much less forgiving, and require some experience. There's a reason the manufacturer warranty is void on a DIY stand, for example; just too many people that don't know what they are doing.

[Randyz]

If the price is right then give it a shot. It’s super easy to re-silicone a tank

[wishntoboutside]

what you get is what you pay for. if you are ok with it possibly flooding your home then go ahead. Yes you can fix it but if their tanks have a bad reputation it may just start to leak somewhere else. having a 5 to 25 gallon tank fail is nothing compared to 200 plus as you would have to get your insurance company involved as it would cause serious damage if it did fail.

[outy]

I tend to think most problems are user error .

I don't think that's the case bud.

Mine was an obvious flaw in how they applied the silicone. Mine had a large bubble almost the size of your pinky pad on the tip of your finger.

When you can see where the obvious leak is due to their inability to seal the tank due to their silicone application error, and fix it quickly and the tank is now sealed and mot leaking for almost a decade.

Well its hard to blame the user. I think its hard for a user to screw this up honestly.

[ca1ore]

I'm unfamiliar with your tank, obviously. Certainly there can be manufacturing defects ...... which is why I used the word 'most' :) I think there are plenty of ways that user error can cause premature tank failure. I've done some of them myself.

[ca1ore]

If the price is right then give it a shot. It’s super easy to re-silicone a tank

Not if the leak is the result of structural seal failure! A simple, and mostly pointless, resealing would be akin to the the old adage of lipstick on a pig.

[outy]

Not if the leak is the result of structural seal failure! .

Agreed, where and why its leaking matters more than anything.

Just adding new sealant over structural weak points on a large tank would not leave me sleeping well at night