A 55 Gallon Tank Rehab Project

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 06 Jul 2006, 15:23

It's not pretty now, but I hope it will be some day. This is a 55 gallon tank that was delivered to me yesterday. The price was right: free. It was in my extended family. Quite an array of species were kept in this tank-from an Arowana to African Cichlids over a number of years. Plus, it sat outside for an entire New England winter(2006).

So, I have a lot of work ahead of me. Good thing I'm not in a hurry! It already looks better, now that I've vaccuumed out the leaves and dirt. My biggest concerns are the following:
1. Leaks: After I got the largest portion of dirt out, I placed 5 gallons of RO waste water in the tank to see if the bottom has any major leaks. Overnight,none. I know I'll need to find smaller weaknesses as I add more water and clean. The sealant on the bottom and sides appears intact, but I'm just starting.
2. Salt was added to this tank. I'll need to take extra care to get rid of it.
3. Small leaks at the top of the tank: There are some small leaks reported by the last owner of the tank at the very top. You can see where the plastic comes away from the tank on the outside. I'm thinking of using silicone on the entire outside and inside of the top(there isn't any at all now).
4. Small breaks in the plastic at the top: The plastic seems to have a few small breaks exactly perpendicular to the tank. Wear and tear? Will a combo of cyanoacrylate and silicone sealing take care of this?
5. The top plastic middle bracing sags. Is there anything I can do about this?
I will be using a canister filter, not a hang-on-back filter to reduce the stress on the frame.

What other problems can anybody forsee with this tank? The largest tank I've redone prior to this is a 29 gallon. I haven't redone a tank of this size, so input is most welcome!

Amanda

MatsP · Post by **MatsP** » 06 Jul 2006, 15:48

I wouldn't worry about salt being added to the tank. Salt is very soluble in water, so it's not going to hang around much if you wash the tank with water [and I'm sure you'll fill it up to the edge at some point BEFORE you put it in your fish-room - which you'll then drain out before moving it to it's final location]. Even if the tank was used to store a concentrated salt solution, it would only take one or two fills to get rid of it... But as it sounds, that wasn't how it was used, so don't even worry about it...

I wouldn't worry too much about the plastic bracing condition. I doubt the cross-member is loadbearing anyways, it's there to keep the plastic togtether, not the glass... [At least, that's what I think].

I would try to use an Epoxy-based fix for the plastic edging, rather than Cyanoacrylate, as the latter is not very water-resistant [if you glue your fingers together with CA, you can loosen them again with some warm water - it's either that or a very sharp knife

]

--
Mats

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 06 Jul 2006, 18:51

Thanks, Mats. The more I look at the plastic on the top, it appears it was cut cleanly with a sharp object. Still doing okay with 10 gallons of water in there. I'm surprised at how quickly it's coming clean. I don't know if I'll be ready to move all the other tanks around yet! A good problem to have.

Amanda

suezbele · Post by **suezbele** » 07 Jul 2006, 02:00

Bronzefry,
a couple of years ago i was able to order just the top frame for a 40 gallon from my lfs, i think it cost $12.00.
After i removed the old frame, the center post had broken, i just attached the new one with silicone. It worked beautifully, no leaks and looked as good as new.
sue

snowball · Post by **snowball** » 07 Jul 2006, 02:12

You may find the plastic bracing that sags now will become taught when the tank is full, it is designed to hold the tank together when it is full and the long sides start to bow out.

When resealing the leaking bits it is more important to apply the silicon from the inside of the tank, where the water pressure will be pushing it into any gaps. Using silcon on the outside won't form nearly as an effective seal as any water that seeps through to it will be trying to push it out.

I would put the tank on some styrofoam in the garden and fill it straight up so you can see right away where any leaks are.

good luck with it all

Post by **Shane** » 07 Jul 2006, 04:11

The top plastic middle bracing sags. Is there anything I can do about this?

Mats is right that the center plastic brace of a US 55 gal. is not load bearing. It has more to do with US tank standardized sizes. The plastic brace allows a 15 gallon, 20 "high," 45 "long" and 55 to all use the same size standard lighting fixtures. You can even just cut it out or remove the entire plastic section (top and/or bottom both) for a "Euro" style looking tank. The plastic tops and bottoms of US tanks only serve to protect against damaging the tank's edges during shipment. If the tank will not be frequently moved, I actually think they look nicer with all the plastic removed to get that clear glass box look.
-Shane

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 08 Jul 2006, 14:59

Starting to get there quicker than I thought. Thanks for the input about the bracing. I see that the top bracing just holds the two sections of glass lid. With an uneven "bracing", the two glass sections won't sit properly. One open space with an old-style lid will probably work best here. Thanks!!!!

I drained out the first batch of water(no leaks). Luckily, when it was outside, it sat on a trampoline so that must've helped somehow. I turned the tank on it's side last night. I'm glad to hear the frame is just for shipping purposes because the bottom frame is sliced, too. What did this kid do? Take a saw to the tank? I'm going to have to take some photos of this. If the tank was dropped, the cracks wouldn't be so neat.
Amanda

Angelface23 · Post by **Angelface23** » 08 Jul 2006, 23:25

a brace in the center of the tank is a very very good idea, even if you remove the black rims, put a brace in the middle made of glass...or if you decide to keep the rims, you should order a new one, with the tank spending time outdoors and not being brand new, a new rim wouldn't hurt anything and is not a big investment.
There are a lot of schools of thought on the issue of rims/brace vs. none... Some people have had no problems without rims and others have had floods!
For silicone...if you're going to add fresh to any part, it is better to re-do the entire tank properly. I've resiliconed many tanks and if you do it now (esp with tank not being in ideal storage conditions) you won't have to do it again for hopefully several years or more, and you will have total peace of mind that it will not leak at all!!
Good luck with your project and do post photos as you go along!!!

chupapiedras · Post by **chupapiedras** » 09 Jul 2006, 08:14

Unless the tank is going to be use as reef tank or full of slate you don't have to worry so much on the rim.

New silicone won't bond to old so you'll have to change it on the whole tank..

bronzefry · Post by **bronzefry** » 10 Jul 2006, 19:45

I asked the first owner of the tank just how old it is: at least 15 years. So, the wise thing to do is to reseal. Luckily, no hurry. I found a product by "Loctite". It's called Extreme Repair Adhesive. It says it's aquarium safe and will seal gaps between glass and plastic in fresh and saltwater aquariums. I tried it on one small area. It seemed to fill in on the top where the plastic was cut. I've also got a few tubes of the aquarium silicone in the caulking tube size. I'll keep you posted!:D
Amanda