Used tanks. How to clean/repair ?

jennfier

jennfier

..o0o..o0o..
Aug 22, 2006
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SW Ohio
www.aquariacentral.com
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
 
Wow, 30 years old? That is a metal frame tank right? They made those in the 1970s..Glass with metal frames
 
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.
 
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..
 
bpimm said:
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.
Click to expand...
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 ?
 
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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.
 
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.
 
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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.
 
travis said:
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.
Click to expand...
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:
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 ?:
75gTop.jpg


As you see here, no trims anywhere:
75gbottom.jpg


The repair job the guy did on the leak. I think he must have panicked.
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.:
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:
 
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