Anything special to store a tank?

I have 50 Gallon fish tank that I need to store for the winter. Is there anything special I need to do to keep the seals from drying out? I seem to remember someone once tell me that you need to keep water in a tank to keep the seals from drying out. I figured I would ask a body of experts to verify.

Thanks,
Rob

 

hey Rob

in the very old days of metal frame tanks that where sealed with putty leaving them dry to long caused the putty to harden, dry out and crack and they would then leak when refilled

now days tanks can be stored dry with no special care required other than to make sure nothing sharp comes in contact with sealant as it can puncture it

Steve

 

There is a very important procedure for storing a tank long term. You will need the following:

Large box
Styrofoam
Packaging tape
UPS shipping label

Put the tank in the box surrounded by the Styrofoam and seal it with the tape. Now put the address I'm going to PM you on the shipping label and take it to your UPS center


The seals should be fine if your keeping it inside a warm place. They keep tanks at the stores for years with no problems.

 

Storing Tank

So storing it in the garage for the Winter (I live in Ohio and it gets cold!) would not be the best place?

 

It's not the best place to store it. However, glass has a very low thermal expansion coefficient so it doesn't usually stress the silicone too much. Obviously, testing the seals before filling it will sand, rock, and saltwater would be wise. Silicone is easily repaired if you fail a freshwater test.