Used tanks. How to clean/repair ?

[jennfier]

1. I picked up a used 75g all glass. Guy said it leaked in 1 upper corner. He tried to spot fix outside the tank and also inside while the water was still in it. He didn't succeed. Tank was used for cichlids but has been sitting empty for 7-8 years.


What do I use to clean it? Diluted bleach, dechlorinate after and let water sit for a week with dechlor in it ?
Should I spot fix inside tank dry, reseal all seams inside or take whole tank apart to reseal ? Tank is about 30 years old but looks in great shape, no scratches.


2. Came with 5g glass sides aluminum bottom tank. When I rinsed it out, the 'paint(?)' that coated the bottom all flaked off so if I were to put water in it, it'd come in direct contact with aluminum. Is this safe ? Chuck it or put gravel to cover it ?

3. There are miscellaneous things like charcoal, ph down and various water conditioners. I'm assuming they are about 8 years old. Still effective or chuck them ? (Can't believe he gave me 8 year old flakes too).

Thanks

[Mgamer20o0]

i would use the 100% silicon and go over all the seams of the tank. after 8 years i would throw out the rest of the stuff. i am sure what your talking about the bottom tank.

[watermelon]

Wow, 30 years old? That is a metal frame tank right? They made those in the 1970s..Glass with metal frames

[bpimm]

Jennifer,

Resealing a tank is no big deal. Remove the trim so you can get to the top of the corners, then the secret is removing the old silicone fillet and get the glass really clean. I use razor blade scrapers to cut out the old fillet and clean all of the residue from the glass, then I use acetone to clean the glass and remove any residue you couldn't get off with the razor blade. When you are ready to reseal the tank clean the glass again with Isopropyl Alcohol several times to remove any last contaminants and let dry. To redo the fillets I place a strip of masking tape about 1/4" out on both sides of the joint to be sealed to catch the excess silicone, run a bead of silicone in the joint then run your finger over the corner to smooth out the fillet, use a fair amount of pressure to push the silicone into the corner and any voids. you can run your finger over it several times to get it smooth, don’t remove to much silicone, then take the tape off and make one more light pass to lay the edges down smooth.

I would advise doing all the joints and do them continuously so the silicone doesn’t have time to set between segments as I have found that silicone doesn’t stick to itself very well after it has cured. Also do the bottom first so you have some practice before you do the visible joints on the front.

To reinstall the trim tape the top onto the tank and use the same technique to put a fillet on the bottom edge of the trim inside the tank, this will be plenty strong to hold it in place and prevent siphoning over the edge, and it makes it easier to remove in the future if needed.

[watermelon]

when I bought my used 55 gallon, it had a leak in the top right corner..It was a very small leak..I used silicone and sealed it from the outside..It was an easy fix since I did not take it apart and it was from the outside..

[jennfier]

To reinstall the trim tape the top onto the tank and use the same technique to put a fillet on the bottom edge of the trim inside the tank, this will be plenty strong to hold it in place and prevent siphoning over the edge, and it makes it easier to remove in the future if needed.
Thanks so much for all the useful info. I will get to work as soon as I get all the tools & materials together. Is silicone the same everywhere (any one found in lfs) or is there a stronger one of some particular brand for bigger tanks ? There is no trim on the aquarium. I would feel better if there was a trim to bracket all the glass walls together but it's just glass and silicone -- all glass, no metal frames or trims. Is this unusual and more importantly, unsafe ?

[coupedefleur]

If you've got an old metal frame tank with a slate bottom, silicone will not stick to slate. You can spread out a 1" wide track of waterproof epoxy around the edge of the slate, let it dry, and silicone will stick to that. Or you can get a piece of window glass to fit on the bottom of the tank and silicone around that.

Siliconing in a piece of cheap window glass is what I'd do with a metal-bottomed tank. The metal will support the glass, so it doesn't have to be thick.

[jennfier]

The 75g has glass on all 5 sides, held together with silicone (no trims, frames etc). It came with a wooden lid & had been sitting on a metal stand all these years. The attempts the prev owner made in repairing the leak was real messy, so that'll have to be scraped off.

The 5g has a metal bottom with what looked to be old, brittle black sealant around the inside bottom edges. It's got a metal frame (does that mean it's 30 years old too? I think it's a great idea to put down a glass piece and seal it with silicone. I need to do this first as I need a hospital tank right now for 2 mollies.

[travis]

75 gallon tank with no trim = sure disaster. aquariums have always had frames. i bet this guy just lost the trim when he tried to fix the tank. besides, doesnt a tank with no trim look really bad?

i hope you didnt pay much (or anything) for this tank.

[jennfier]

75 gallon tank with no trim = sure disaster. aquariums have always had frames. i bet this guy just lost the trim when he tried to fix the tank. besides, doesnt a tank with no trim look really bad?

i hope you didnt pay much (or anything) for this tank.
Actually no, it's got a lid on top and since it sits on a metal stand (with wood cabinet facade that looks like it's actually on a real cabinet), it look just like any other aquarium set up. If you put the tank all by itself on the ground, then you'll see it's all glass. For safety, does that mean I'll have to solder some trim together for it ?

Here are some pics:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k46/jenni_jazz/Fish/75g.jpg

There are also 3 pieces of glass that covers the top of the tank. As you can see, the light bulbs are quite exposed to water vapor, splashes etc. Probably a good idea to find an acrylic cover for it ?:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k46/jenni_jazz/Fish/75gTop.jpg

As you see here, no trims anywhere:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k46/jenni_jazz/Fish/75gbottom.jpg

The repair job the guy did on the leak. I think he must have panicked.
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k46/jenni_jazz/Fish/75gLeak.jpg

My possibly just as old 5g. I know little tanks are cheap, just trying to recycle if possible, else I'll use it for misc aquarium storage.:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k46/jenni_jazz/Fish/5g.jpg

Unfortunately I bought it sight unseen (ebay yunno. :dive: ) . I also didn't know it was that old. The guy listed a bunch of filters with it but neglected to say they're german 220v. Yes this tank and all the gadgets moved with him from germany to here. So that teaches me not to ask questions. I tried to see the tank before the auction ended but he was 'busy'. Anyway, even if the tank turns out bad, it's still not a huge loss, I suppose. The 'cabinet' is decent looking. I can always rebuild the tank.. :huh:

[travis]

you might see if some plastic trim from a 75g will fit, and if it does but stick that on. you can buy replacement trim.

[coupedefleur]

There are a lot of books that show how to make all-glass tanks that don't have any sort of frame. The plastic frames on most commercial tanks are pretty flimsy and I doubt if they do much to keep the tank together. Some of the larger tanks need a center brace, but I think the plastic frames are there mostly to hold a hood on the top, cover the unsightly bottom, and give a little more help leveling the tank. I'd put styrofoam under the tank to make sure it's evenly supported.

Look carefully at the filters. A lot of electrical gadgets have a little slider switch to change the voltage. Or if they're really good filters and your tanks are in the basement you could run them off the 220v dryer outlet!

[Rbishop]

Mnay of the tanks built in the 70/80's did not have any trim. There was a big run of chrome/aluminum frame tanks for a while, even on 10 gal size.

55's and down were just glass and sealant. The larger tanks from that era often had home built upper canopies that crossbraces were put in to hold lighting, that actually probably worked more structurally than thought.

My first two 20 gal had black sealant. Not sure what it was exactly.

I would not feel comfortable with anything bigger than a 55 without a top and bottom frame.

[jennfier]

Good idea about the voltage, coupedefleur. I'll look for a switch. Otherwise, it should be close enough to a dryer outlet where it will finally live.

I just found out that this aquarium was custom built in Germany in the 70s and it does have 3 pieces of glass canopies over the top, presumably for stability. The unit is very solid & thick. I just want to be sure that I won't wake up one day to see shattered glass, water and dead fish on the floor if I don't add any frames to it for support, not for cosmetic purposes. I'll see if I can find some aquarium building books at the library. Thanks

[fareforce]

75 gallon tank with no trim = sure disaster. aquariums have always had frames. i bet this guy just lost the trim when he tried to fix the tank. besides, doesnt a tank with no trim look really bad?

i hope you didnt pay much (or anything) for this tank.


You could use glass trim such as a euro style tank. It is not really trim, but would work, and IMO is stronger than plastic.

[coupedefleur]

See if they can get "The Living Aquarium" by Peter Hunnam (Crescent Books). If a library doesn't have a book you want in their collection, they can often get it for you through interlibrary loan. The fines are usually high if you bring it back late, though!

The Hunnam book shows how to make a big frameless glass tank ( a big 5-sided corner tank! ) a huge fiberglass tank, big plywood tanks, and even discusses concrete tanks. The author works with public aquaria and has lots of interesting ideas.

I'm kind of interested in concrete tanks- I have the old "Goldfish Varieties and Tropical Aquarium Fishes" by Innes (a 1928 reprint of a 1917 book) that shows a (75g?) concrete tank that looks like a gothic cathedral!