Hey everybody. Since about august, I have been wanting to upgrade my old 20 gallon tank to add more fish and have more room for plants. So I posted an ad on Craigslist for wanting a 29 or 30 gallon tank. I got an offer for a 30 gallon tank that is an irregular Hexagon shape. The tank is 16 inches tall and in the back is 36 inches long, the sides are 8 inches, the corners are 8 inches, and the front panel is 24 inches. I thought, cool I'll have a very unique tank. 20 dollars takes it all. :headbang2:
When the dude dropped it off, it looked like this:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg505.imageshack.us%2Fimg505%2F4349%2F29004sh8.jpg&hash=0b724245bbddf6b9c15a242ebda7f2e3)
He said it was dirty but I didn't expect it to be this dirty. The silicone was peeling off, the top was crusted in hard water and algae, the sand reeked and the glass was super dirty. The guy said that it had a leak so he sealed it up with silicone and he didn't like how it looks so that's why he was sellin it. Even the top frame popped off when I was transporting it to be cleaned.
After an hour of sweat, a razor blade, a sharpener, and a glass of lemonade, the tank looked like this:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg505.imageshack.us%2Fimg505%2F9266%2F29005tz7.jpg&hash=e7527febf7bd7834a9e565c541f1a22d)
Another hour with a spray bottle of vinegar, a razor blade and a dozen paper towels, it turned out like this:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg525.imageshack.us%2Fimg525%2F9190%2F29009hv1.jpg&hash=918fb38ee9410c4b63c4006c0390cfd5)
The next day, I went to pick up some silicone, masking tape (To help keep the edges neat as I reseal) and a plastic putty knife. (I just needed a way to take off a lot of algae) I saw this technique being done by someone else here on AC so I thought I would give it a shot. I already resealed a 55 gallon tank so I thought I could only do better.
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg118.imageshack.us%2Fimg118%2F1410%2F29014at9.jpg&hash=ac273347f3f363861f42623b7013a97b)
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg118.imageshack.us%2Fimg118%2F7415%2F29017sw6.jpg&hash=04bfc549775d66d5f8c703694ffbf9aa)
2 days later, I filled it with water. These where the worst 8 hours of that whole month. I really hoped that the seal would hold because taking off fresh silicone is alot harder than taking off old silicone. The next morning:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg525.imageshack.us%2Fimg525%2F7738%2F29028ec3.jpg&hash=575b5a2050978d2112c2f44332f15d80)
It holds! That night, I painted the back black with Krylon paint, set it on my stand. (My dresser) made space for the CO2 bottle, transfered my fish stuff from the 20 to a drawer under the tank. I also put an extra layer of sand and started to put more driftwood in it.
After getting my fish from the 20 gallon tank into a 5 gallon bucket and trensfering the old sand, plants and hardscape into the new tank, I filled it up with water, added the filters, and let the fishes go in their new tank:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg118.imageshack.us%2Fimg118%2F6236%2F29046zr3.jpg&hash=fa3173f39b8f9287c92ffdef073ae1b6)
It looks terrible in that picture but after a month, the plants have settled down and look alot better now. My fish are asleep right now, so I will do present shots tommorrow.
When the dude dropped it off, it looked like this:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg505.imageshack.us%2Fimg505%2F4349%2F29004sh8.jpg&hash=0b724245bbddf6b9c15a242ebda7f2e3)
He said it was dirty but I didn't expect it to be this dirty. The silicone was peeling off, the top was crusted in hard water and algae, the sand reeked and the glass was super dirty. The guy said that it had a leak so he sealed it up with silicone and he didn't like how it looks so that's why he was sellin it. Even the top frame popped off when I was transporting it to be cleaned.
After an hour of sweat, a razor blade, a sharpener, and a glass of lemonade, the tank looked like this:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg505.imageshack.us%2Fimg505%2F9266%2F29005tz7.jpg&hash=e7527febf7bd7834a9e565c541f1a22d)
Another hour with a spray bottle of vinegar, a razor blade and a dozen paper towels, it turned out like this:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg525.imageshack.us%2Fimg525%2F9190%2F29009hv1.jpg&hash=918fb38ee9410c4b63c4006c0390cfd5)
The next day, I went to pick up some silicone, masking tape (To help keep the edges neat as I reseal) and a plastic putty knife. (I just needed a way to take off a lot of algae) I saw this technique being done by someone else here on AC so I thought I would give it a shot. I already resealed a 55 gallon tank so I thought I could only do better.
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg118.imageshack.us%2Fimg118%2F1410%2F29014at9.jpg&hash=ac273347f3f363861f42623b7013a97b)
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg118.imageshack.us%2Fimg118%2F7415%2F29017sw6.jpg&hash=04bfc549775d66d5f8c703694ffbf9aa)
2 days later, I filled it with water. These where the worst 8 hours of that whole month. I really hoped that the seal would hold because taking off fresh silicone is alot harder than taking off old silicone. The next morning:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg525.imageshack.us%2Fimg525%2F7738%2F29028ec3.jpg&hash=575b5a2050978d2112c2f44332f15d80)
It holds! That night, I painted the back black with Krylon paint, set it on my stand. (My dresser) made space for the CO2 bottle, transfered my fish stuff from the 20 to a drawer under the tank. I also put an extra layer of sand and started to put more driftwood in it.
After getting my fish from the 20 gallon tank into a 5 gallon bucket and trensfering the old sand, plants and hardscape into the new tank, I filled it up with water, added the filters, and let the fishes go in their new tank:
![](/forums/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fimg118.imageshack.us%2Fimg118%2F6236%2F29046zr3.jpg&hash=fa3173f39b8f9287c92ffdef073ae1b6)
It looks terrible in that picture but after a month, the plants have settled down and look alot better now. My fish are asleep right now, so I will do present shots tommorrow.