What's the longest you've kept a tank in dry storage?

[Jawjagrrl]

As mentioned in the intro section, I was big into the hobby in the late 90s/early 00s, but 2 jobs, grad school, etc., happened and I put fish on pause. I got married, moved to a new state, etc. My two 55s are sitting in my mudroom, taunting me daily. They have been dry since 2009, but stored on a flat surface and without anything in them that would stress the seals. 

I plan to start testing them in the coming weeks - the room has a center drain if things don't go well. Feeling pretty good as they are sealed with good silicone and we moved them ourselves with care, so they haven't gotten mistreated. Are my odds good they will still be ok? Any considerations beyond testing in the basement for awhile to see if they are watertight?

My ultimate nightmare is having them on display in our den, sitting on reclaimed heart pine floors, cycled, planted and full of fish... and they leak/break. My nanos are feeding my aquatic addiction for now so I can go slowly and get it all right! Any advice, past experiences good or bad are welcome.

[Lemon]

2-3 years and I still don't know what I want to do with it btw it is a 75 gallon corner overflow with an acrylic sump

[Guppysnail]

I would reseal to be on the safer side for a den. But I’m paranoid of leaks. 16 years was my longest dry. I resealed it still works. 

[lefty o]

if the silicone is still pliable, id test them, and not be overly concerned.

[Kevin F.]

My 125 was stored for 14 years.  I do have to say it was stored inside the house in the back room.  So it didn't see huge temperature swings like an outbuilding or uninsulated garage.

[DannyBWell]

Had a 75 and 15 stored for almost 4 years. Tested them both a year ago and they still are fine!

[Jawjagrrl]

On 10/12/2021 at 12:08 PM, lefty o said:

if the silicone is still pliable, id test them, and not be overly concerned.

It is - looks and feels pretty much like the fateful day in 1997 when I brought them home and this obsession hobby began 🙂

On 10/12/2021 at 2:35 PM, Kevin F. said:

My 125 was stored for 14 years.  I do have to say it was stored inside the house in the back room.  So it didn't see huge temperature swings like an outbuilding or uninsulated garage.

Same here with the exception of about 3 weeks in a POD when I moved from VA to GA shortly after they were broken down. Feeling pretty good about them, but hearing good results from others gives me more confidence about them moving forward.

[Torrey]

Longest tank I kept in storage and successfully didn't reseal was from 1974 to 1993. It was in an outside storage in NC.

Tank was great from 1993 until 1999 when my ex had a temper tantrum. [Hence ex] 

Shortest storage that bit me on the butt, was 6 months in outside storage in WA.

I had been fairly religious about resealing after that... until our house exploded in 2017 and my chronic pain/fibro/degenerative joint issues had impaired my ability to safely scrape out (much less steadily re-silicone) our 4' tank.

Plus, I can't afford to replace the broken glass in the upper corner...

So, it's 2021, and still no leaks.

I don't put more than 30 gallons in the tank. Endlers, snails, and this summer/fall *damselflies* have all been happy.

<check silicone flexibility. As long as it's flexible, better than 90% probability it's good to go>