Need Help To Fix Up Tank

[HappyGuppy]

I got a tank from a fellow ovas member today that is, well, "needs some work to be nice".    It is fairly dirty, silicone over applied, and the metal rims on the top & bottom are falling apart and rusty.  Certainly a bit of a project.  I need some advice, and hope that someone, or some people can answer a few questions.

My biggest question:

If I remove the metal rims from the top & bottom (the bottom is already coming off), do I have to replace them, or can I just leave the tank all glass just held together by the globs of silicone?  If it's ok I would prefer to keep it "just glass".

The glass has a lot of build up.  I assume a razor scrapping would do the trick?  Vinegar & water would finish the job?

The silicone has been over applied a bit messy.  If I were to cut it flush to the glass, but leave the  bit between the glass there, then reapply silicone along the corner, but not between the glass, would this be ok, or a really bad idea?

If removing the metal rim the edge of glass is sharp, will some type of sand paper take it out?

Anything else I should probably know that I didn't ask about?

I hope that someone can help with these questions.  Thanks in advance for replies!

[angelfreak]

everything sounds good, you should be Ok doing those steps. If you leave the tank all glass just be sure to put a piece of styrofoam under it.

Have fun with your project
Scott

[Funkmotor]

If I remove the metal rims from the top & bottom (the bottom is already coming off), do I have to replace them, or can I just leave the tank all glass just held together by the globs of silicone?  If it's ok I would prefer to keep it "just glass".

If it's a metal-frame tank, odds are it's pretty old as these things go.  I haven't seen a new one in more than 20 years.  (Not to say they weren't made, but I wasn't seeing them.)  I'd keep the frames as they probably assist the structure of the tank...you can always paint them black or something.  Remember that glass gets more brittle with age.

The glass has a lot of build up.  I assume a razor scrapping would do the trick?  Vinegar & water would finish the job?

I would think so.  And for the vinegar, you'll want to soak it for a while.  Maybe do that even before the razor to make it easier to scrape.

The silicone has been over applied a bit messy.  If I were to cut it flush to the glass, but leave the  bit between the glass there, then reapply silicone along the corner, but not between the glass, would this be ok, or a really bad idea?

Really bad idea.  You have got to remove all - and I mean ALL - the old silicone.  Every little teeny tiny bit of it.  Silicone doesn't stick to cured silicone very well at all, and though the bit between the pieces of glass is what does most of the mechanical holding, the fillet of it in the corner adds even more strength and protection.

You'll have to razor-blade it all off and then clean the edges with something like Acetone (nail-polish remover...but not the acetone-free kind) until it's *all* gone.  Then you can clean the glass off again with alcohol (to get rid of whatever contaminants were in your acetone or polish remover.  Only then can you even begin to think of putting it back together.

If removing the metal rim the edge of glass is sharp, will some type of sand paper take it out?

Yes.  It takes a bit of elbow grease, but get yourself some fine garnet paper and it will do.  There's also a special tool that glaziers use to take sharp edges off glass, but I can't remember what it's called...and you probably would not want the expense of buying one.

Anything else I should probably know that I didn't ask about?

Patience.  You need to have patience.  Bucketloads of patience.

And you also need to rig up some way to keep the panes of glass held together (but not completely together as you need a small gap - 1mm or a bit less - to get silicone between the pieces of glass) while you're doing your silicone job on it.  The metal frames could certainly help with that, but you'd need more.

You need to get silicone right into that gap.  Even to the point of it squeezing out the other side, just to be 100% sure you're not leaving any bubbles or empty spots behind.  One bubble in the wrong spot or one void in the seam and you'll have to do the whole thing again....so use lots and squeeze it right through the seams.  Put masking tape all around to allow you to clean up your seams more easily, and to catch what sqeezes through to the outside.

Finally, I will say that I have actually done this in the past (including cleaning three panes of that tank from blue paint with a single-edged razor blade) and I don't think I will ever do it again.  When I consider how long it took me to do that one 30G tank, and how much I spent on razor blades, silicone, jigs and clamps...it just wasn't worth the cost of a new tank.  But that's just my opinion.

No warranties expressed or implied, your mileage may vary. 

Good luck!

[Funkmotor]

I should add that I don't want to discourage you.  I've done the one and it was a tremendous learning experience, so go for it.

Just trying to help you avoid some of the pitfalls I hit along the way.

[Dorrie]

There's also a special tool that glaziers use to take sharp edges off glass, but I can't remember what it's called...

Electric glass grinder, e.g.


You can also check up some aquarium books, they often have a section on tank building/renovating (I know Gina Sandford's Aquarium Owner's Manual has one...).

Good luck!

[HappyGuppy]

Ok, maybe I'll just leave the silicone alone, seems to be a bit much of a hassle.  I guess I'll live with the poor silicone work.  The guy who sold me the tank says that it definitely holds water, so I'll have faith in it, though I'll fill the tank with practice water in garage first just in case.

The metal rims though, they gotta go.  I guess like one of you said that it is a really old tank, and it is possible that the glass  may be brittle.  So, can I leave it plain glass with the foam base, or would I really be best to put a new rim on.  I'm hoping the answer is "all glass should be fine", but honesty prevails, so if I really must I would put a new one on.  If I need a new one how can I make one - cheap since it's a cheap tank.

Thanks for all the help so far.  It has already affected my plans.

[dan2x38]

What size is the tank? IMO before anything fill the tank to see if there are any leaks. If there are no leaks then there are a couple things to check before you do anything. Like Funkmotor said there are two joints that hold the tank together and likely the metal frame too. The first seal you see is the one you say is messy that is the hydraulic seal. The second seal is the mechanical one that is where the glass panes butt together with silicone this is the main most important seal. If the tank is not leaking you might want to leave this untouched.

To check the mechanical seal look down the edge of the butt joint for bubbles or lines in the silicone. If there are a lot of bubbles or ones running the entire width of the joint then you very well might have to reseal at least this pane. You might to ask yourself at this point if it is worth it, tanks are cheap; especially small ones.

If you are not removing the mechanical seal just resealing by removing the hydraulic seal then you need to be very careful not to dig your razor blade into the mechanical seal silicone. Butt your blade against the glass pane away from the seal so it cannot fit into the butt joint. You need to remove every tiny speck of old silicone like Funkmotor says.

Make sure you reseal with aquarium safe silicone it can be had at Home Depot. You can use masking tape down the inside joints so you keep a straight line and it is less messy. Remove any tape once the silicone is in place before it. Don't play with it or try to clean up any little blotches off the glass later you can use your blade to remove it when it drys. If you need to smooth a place out a bit use some water wet your finger then smooth it.

Good luck hope this helps...

[veron]

I don't want to discourage you as well, but honestly I would probaly junk it. thats an OLD tank and unless it was resealed properly recently then its due to leak very very soon. you can redo the seams but you'd have to take the tank completely apart! its ALOT of work.

[beowulf]

You could always bring it to the next resealing workshop.  We seem to have one every few months.