Stainless Tanks
- Thread starter cichlidhead
- Start date
I have two. They are heavy, with the slate bottoms, metal frames, and overly thick glass. The glass in my 40 breeder is thicker than in my 55, even though the 55 is a few inches taller. Plus, I don't think the metal frame is completely stainless, as there is rust in a few spots on one of mine along the top edge. They were not originally sealed with silicone, but with some sort of stiff epoxy, which breaks down and leaks over time. Both of mine were free and leaky when I got them. I can't see there being a large demand for them.
sploke, just an fyi..stainless steel itself is not very strong..consequently it may have 'other materia-ie:iron) to make it stronger. thats why many times stainess steel may rust a bit.
In good condition, they sell well on eBay...if they are especially unusual in size or dimensions, and in excellent condition (especially with steel hoods)they can fetch as much as $100-$300 each.
i wish i could get a couple more around here. well with glass bottom. slate just makes it way to heavy. i have a 120 gal steal frame tank and love it.
I love stainless steel tanks. I think they're pretty cool. I still have 2 of them in my collection. They are a bit nostalgic for me as my first tank was stainless steel (still have it). When I was a wee lad, a neighbour of mine who has passed on since, had many metal tanks around and he was a major influence on me regarding fishkeeping. He raised the most beautiful fish, and in a lot of ways, his tanks are still the standard by which I judge my setups, and fish.
Completely incorrect, stainless is much more rigid and longer wearing than carbon steel(some stainless alloys such as inconel can be as much as 10x as strong.) Also, it is commonly an alloy of steel(an alloy in itself) and zinc and/or nickel. Stainless steel rusts, because it is very ferrophillic and and easily forms a strong bond with other ferrous metals such as iron and steel, or the oxides of each or, it will oxidize itself over time under the right circumstances - after all, it is 95% or greater steel(usually 98% steel, 2% other metals) and steel oxidizes quite readily.
If the rust is around welds, it's typical. Stainless is a notoriously tricky material to weld, and the chemistry of fluxes hasn't always been quite up to snuff. Otherwise the rust could be caused by something as simple as iron content in the water or contact with a corrosive cleaner.