The dangers of used equipment

[brentw]

So I bought a used tank and fluval 405 canister filter. I'm about to reseal the whole tank with fresh silicon. I'm going to vaseline the seals of the canister filter to hopefully avoid any leaking problems. When a canister system leaks are the o-ring seals usually the culprit? Would it be recommended to replace the used inlet and outlet hoses? I dunno I could just be paranoid about having 90 gallons of water on the floor of my room. Should I look into a nice HOB filter to avoid the paranoia of springing a leak?

[Algenco]

most commonly the seal is the culprit, if the hoses aren't hard or cracked I keep them.
You might want to cut an inch or so off if they're long enough

[Deleted User]

The parts on a fluval 405 that usually give out are :-

The big rubber seal round the lid.

The rubber bits on the end of the tubes where they screw into the top.

The primer key some times snaps too. But that is just a plastic stick with a rubber sucker on the end.

The grey handle / switch on the inflow / out flow unit snaps and this is a common problem ( new parts always available).

But mine has only just started playing up after almost 5 years of constant use.

[Lady Hobbs]

Why would you reseal a tank unless it already has a leak? Tanks can be 20 years old sometimes and have never leaked. I would leave it alone, frankly.

[terrapin24h]

I'd test the filter for a few days to see if it leaked(smearing petroleum jelly on the o-ring is always a good thing though). At the same time you could also test the tank. If you put a 10% bleach solution in the tank and ran the filter for a few days you would sterilize and test, accomplishing two things at once. I agree on not resealing if it isn't leaking. You could cause yourself more trouble than it's worth. Many folks who have fluvals replace the stock hosing with tubing from homedepot/lowes/et al. Apparently the tubing that fluval uses is not as nice as what the older stuff came with.

--chris

[brentw]

Well some of the silicon on the bottom edges of the tank were peeling back. Some areas also had air bubbles. The silicon on the side corners of the tank is nonexistant. Figured better safe than sorry.

[Wild Turkey]

Well some of the silicon on the bottom edges of the tank were peeling back. Some areas also had air bubbles. The silicon on the side corners of the tank is nonexistant. Figured better safe than sorry.

Absolutely! Better safe that sorry I 100% agree. That tank sounds like it really needs it regardless.

You also shouldnt use tanks if you arent sure what they were used for previously unless you reseal them, because of the damage heat lamps and pads can do to the silicone.

[brentw]

Just stripped the entire tank of silicone. It seems like the silicone on the side edges of the tank only had silicone between the two pieces of glass. Dont know if I want to mess with that..

[Algenco]

Just stripped the entire tank of silicone. It seems like the silicone on the side edges of the tank only had silicone between the two pieces of glass. Dont know if I want to mess with that..

No, don't, that's the actual seal, the bead running on the inside of the tanks is for extra strength and security against leaks

[brentw]

Okay thanks, thats what I figured. I started by being very cautious with the razor blade to begin with, but then I noticed I was still leaving a lot of silicone behind, so I had to go back and get the rest and left the silicone between the glasses. I've read that you want to remove as much silicone as possible because the new silicone will not bond with the old.