Do you have a tank with glass over the slate then? If so, do you have any pics? I am wondering how it is going to look.
"Restoring" a stainless steel framed aquarium
- Thread starter myswtsins
- Start date
Do you have a tank with glass over the slate then? If so, do you have any pics? I am wondering how it is going to look.
Yes I do.. I restored one about 2 years back... unfortunately the slate is now buried under about 3 inches of aragonite sand.. lol
I can TRY to get a pic of some sort
it looks good, and works extremely well-- you can tell the glass is there, but at the same time it still maintains that retro slate look
I would love to pick up a couple more of these tanks
I can TRY to get a pic of some sort
it looks good, and works extremely well-- you can tell the glass is there, but at the same time it still maintains that retro slate look
I would love to pick up a couple more of these tanks
Thanks, good to know. Don't fret over the pictures, I'll take your word for it. 
Mine is going to be a grow out tank so hopefully it will remain bare bottom for awhile.
Mine is going to be a grow out tank so hopefully it will remain bare bottom for awhile.
if I did one again.. I would also make it bare bottom growout tank or discus tank if I could find one big enough
I love the look of these old school retro tanks
I just wish I could figure out what that tar like material is... and see if I can buy some.. and also if its even fish safe lol
also.. its good that you have tested the silicone-slate bond OUTSIDE lol... I sealed mine up and didnt think anything of it... untill I woke up to 20 gallons of water on my carpet
I love the look of these old school retro tanks
I just wish I could figure out what that tar like material is... and see if I can buy some.. and also if its even fish safe lol
also.. its good that you have tested the silicone-slate bond OUTSIDE lol... I sealed mine up and didnt think anything of it... untill I woke up to 20 gallons of water on my carpet
I've often wondered if some sort of black rubberized roofing cement might work? The manufacturer could testify to its use on slate roofing tiles. As for toxicity to fish, that might be another story.
Andy
Andy
thats the thing tho...
there are LOTS of substances that will bond to slate... but I havent found any that are non-toxic to fish lol
I have been researching for quite some time now about these tanks and to my knowledge no one has truly pinned down what the substance is (at least without any evidence). The most I found out was it is a tar and oil mix (I can't remember the name of the oil though).
Still waiting for my heat gun to be delivered.
Still waiting for my heat gun to be delivered.
Hmm
Looks EXACTLY like the one i am working on.
Its 12X48X15" and has one end broken out of it..
Is the bottom of your tank Glass or Slate?
Looks like glass in the pix (mine is glass too)
I am going to use black silicone on mine... Its all glass, and steel. It should work fine.
I'll be the guinea pig...
Looks EXACTLY like the one i am working on.
Its 12X48X15" and has one end broken out of it..
Is the bottom of your tank Glass or Slate?
Looks like glass in the pix (mine is glass too)
I am going to use black silicone on mine... Its all glass, and steel. It should work fine.
I'll be the guinea pig...
Mine is slate on the bottom (someone else did not read the post :nono:
). I believe the tank is 36"x12"x16" about 29 gallons.I didn't get as far as I would have liked today but it'll do. I got all the glass & slate out of the frame, only removed the tar that was necessary to get the glass out.
Tomorrow I will pick up some Xylene or Toluene to remove the tar residue (once I pull the big chunks out) & maybe pick up the new glass. I have to order my silcone as well as clean & bluff the frame. Unfortuneately this is not the only project I have going so we will see how far I get.
1st piece out
From top to bottom, silicone, tar & rust!
All glass out! In this picture you can see some of the pitting & scratches (certainly not the worst areas)
another angle
Slate out, which was the easiest part!
Just some close ups of the rusty parts. So far I am pleased with the lack of water damage.
Everyone needs supervisors!!
This is Lilly
Jack (Lilly & Jack from the movie Legend)
Their son Hootie, short for Houdini (a name he earned as a puppy!)
Last but not least, my 12 1/2 yr old Rottie, Bonnie (her brother Clyde past away)
Redoing the deck is one of my other projects!
Enjoy!
5 days and not a single response? Not even about how cute the puppies are!? Well I am giving you an update whether you want it or not! :silly:
I got all of the gunk out! When I went to buy the solvent I happened to find a guy that knew something about aquariums! He suggested to go with Black Jack Asphalt & Tar Remover (100% organic, biodegradable, can be used on skin & hair etc etc) & it worked great! Especially if I heated the metal up first with my heat gun (which I love!).
I am still waiting on 1 piece of glass, they ran out of the size I needed & my silicone should be here tomorrow. Which is good because I just got another tank today that I will most likely be resealing. I will make a new thread for that tank though.
I think that is it for now, enjoy the pictures.
Well I am giving you an update whether you want it or not! :silly:I got all of the gunk out! When I went to buy the solvent I happened to find a guy that knew something about aquariums! He suggested to go with Black Jack Asphalt & Tar Remover (100% organic, biodegradable, can be used on skin & hair etc etc) & it worked great! Especially if I heated the metal up first with my heat gun (which I love!).
I am still waiting on 1 piece of glass, they ran out of the size I needed & my silicone should be here tomorrow. Which is good because I just got another tank today that I will most likely be resealing. I will make a new thread for that tank though.
I think that is it for now, enjoy the pictures.
