Bubbles At Tank Seals

HI All,

New to the forum! So I think I may have an issue. I used to have a few fish tanks but I have been out of the "game" for a few years now. I've been looking to get back into recently since I have more space. For my birthday, my wife bought me a used 29 gallon bow front aquarium. Now, I'm all for buying used most of the time but fish tanks I'm weary of just because you don't know really what they've been thru, especially without actually being able to see them in action. My wife has never had a tank before. So she presented me with the tank and I was excited to get back into a hobby I haven't been into for a while now.

Right away, I could tell that the tank has a bunch of extra sealant all around the bottom. Looks to be a not so great job at first sight. Nonetheless, I went ahead and washed it out, put water in it and let it sit. I thought as long as it's structurally sound, then my gravel would cover the sealant. So the next day, there are a TON of bubbles all around where the sealant is at the bottom, as well as the seals going up in the corners. No leaks that I see yet.

Having multiple tanks before, I have never saw this before, so obviously I'm super concerned about the structural integrity of this tank. Do the bubbles mean that air is getting in thru the seals? Should I be concerned here?

TLR - Used tank, lots of extra sealant around the bottom, filled with water, LOTS of bubbles forming. Worried about soundness of the tank.

Pics attached.

Thank you in advance!
Jay

 

No that happens when you first fill the tank up. Air wouldn't be able to get in even if the seal wasn't holding. Theres too much pressure from the water on the other side. Put your hand in the tank and wipe those little bubbles away with your finger.

 

Those bubbles are concerning, but I'm not an expert about tank sealant. I will say that sealant is a strange color. Dave125, have you seen silicone that color before?

 

Those bubbles are concerning, but I'm not an expert about tank sealant. I will say that sealant is a strange color. Dave125, have you seen silicone that color before?

I'm not an expert either but I can tell you that sealant appears aged and dry, weird color. Really not worth the risk to use as is. Take time to do a competent reseal. Piece of mind and security in the house will certainly be improved.

 

Those bubbles are concerning, but I'm not an expert about tank sealant. I will say that sealant is a strange color. Dave125, have you seen silicone that color before?

They usually come in black and clear. Used tanks are usually a weird color because of the dried algae in there. It looks fine to me.

 

Hey all! Thank you for the replies. Since I was uneasy about it, I decided to go with a brand new 45 gallon setup!

 

Always better to be safe haha

 

Always better to be safe haha

Agree. Aften times you buy a used tank, it needs to be resealed. If your not handy you can get into more problems then you bargained for. And if you send it out to be resealed it can sometimes cost more then a new tank.