Taming the Beast (100 Gallon Tank Restoration Project)

[PokeSephiroth]

As Lars On previously owned this monster of a tank, I was bestowed upon this beastly thing. She called it the Beast, and I am following suit.

This thing looks ancient. Has no center brace on the top or bottom of the tank, glass is super thick, I'm thinking it's 3/8" or even 1/5" . . . it's thick. And heavy. But still a beaut!
Lars On was unsure if it held water, so the first thing I had in mind, was to tame that sucker by resealing the tank, man...I've never resealed a tank before, and you can bet all your moneys on it, that I was nervous as all heck!

I figured this would be a nice summer project, but...I started growing impatient, and the beast needed to know who's boss! LOL!!

Here it is:



Stripped off all the silicone seams, with a nifty straight edge razor. Went through about 8 of them, some of them broke, some snapped, and some just got dull REALLY fast.



Went around all the edges with some paper towels and denatured alcohol...did this about 5 times, and scraped more silicon off the edges inbetween alcohol wipedowns.



Covered the tank edges with painters paper/tape stuff, the beast would not stay still! Had to apply and reapply those things on there to get straight and even lines.



LET THE SILICONE CAULKING BEGIN!! My maniacal self is determined to do this right! *maniacal laugter* SILICONE ALL THINGS!!!



Look at that sexy silicone, nice and smooth. Mmmm... oddly, I only went through 1 tube of silicon... dunno how other people ended up using more than one tube. I kinda feel paranoid now, like I didn't use enough silicone, but we'll see . . . going to let this cure for a week or two, before I even start thinking about filling it up with water.

 

[BillHN]

DW, no one's judging the Maniacal Laugh xD
I think we'd all do that, if we had an awesome tank like that to play with :]

 

[PokeSephiroth]

BillHN, like a crazy mad scientist, in a playground....bwaaaahahahahha!!!!

 

[BillHN]

It's like a fatkid finding his favorite cake in the fridge

I can't wait to see how this'll turn out man! the bow front was already awesome! this one'll be even better now that you have those new wood ornaments!

 

[CrazedAce]

What size tank is that? I have a similar situation with a 150gal my friend is offering me. I have the silicone (GE Silicone I Window/door/attic) but am waiting to move, and for the summer weather. I am eager to see if one tube was enough for you.

 

[Anonymous]

:afro: . o O Your so weird! I like you

Looks great. I scared to try this. Let me know if everything goes okay.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

CrazedAce, the tank is 60" Long x 18" Depth x 21" Wide. It only took 1 tube, but really...when I was watching youtube videos of people resealing their tanks (30-60 gallons) they said they used two tubes of silicone, so yeah. I'm still iffy about only using 1 tube. LOL

BillHN, OMG. LOL you pretty much nailed it with the fat boy w/ favorite cake. HAHAHA!!! too good XD

theChad, Hah! I was scared to even start working on this tank, but I was eager to get it done. Granted, I went slowly, and made sure I got most of the old silicone off as much as I could... the only thing I forgot to do was run some sandpaper along the glass portion where the silicon is supposed to go on. UGH!!

 

[pbmax]

Good luck!

Soon you'll have more water volume than air volume in your house

 

[Addicted2CAs]

CrazedAce, the tank is 60" Long x 18" Depth x 21" Wide. It only took 1 tube, but really...when I was watching youtube videos of people resealing their tanks (30-60 gallons) they said they used two tubes of silicone, so yeah. I'm still iffy about only using 1 tube. LOL

BillHN, OMG. LOL you pretty much nailed it with the fat boy w/ favorite cake. HAHAHA!!! too good XD

theChad, Hah! I was scared to even start working on this tank, but I was eager to get it done. Granted, I went slowly, and made sure I got most of the old silicone off as much as I could... the only thing I forgot to do was run some sandpaper along the glass portion where the silicon is supposed to go on. UGH!!

I wouldn't worry man, you did everything very well. I have resealed a 125 and 160 this year and both are 30" tall tanks which just adds to the paranoia factor lol! Just like in the machining world, it is ALL about the prep and setup, the actual operation isn't a big part of the process. Looks like you really took care in cleaning off the old and using the alcohol.

Nice to see another person on here that will just go for it! Well done!

 

[PokeSephiroth]

pbmax, thanks! Hahahaha, yes pretty soon, my house will be a huge swimming pool! Bwahahahaha!!!

Addicted2CAs, thank you! I still remember all the stuff you told me, back when I made that one topic about which silicone sealant to use ([url=/t6788p20-100-gallon-tank-needs-to-be-resealed-which-silicone-sealant]http://www.wafishbox.com/t6788p20-100-gallon-tank-needs-to-be-resealed-which-silicone-sealant[/url]), and I also remember you were willing to help me out on this project, still very thankful for your offer! I ALSO remember you mentioning that I shouldn't worry about adding a brace, because the glass is so thick, but again, there goes my paranoia and I'm still thinking about adding a brace, but I have no idea how to go about by doing this... do I just get a small pane of glass/acrylic and silicone it onto the the edge trimming portion of the tank? Or do I silicone it directly onto the glass (front and back panels) itself, making it look like a bridge? Or.... am I just being way to obsessive over it? =P

 

[BillHN]

pbmax, thanks! Hahahaha, yes pretty soon, my house will be a huge swimming pool! Bwahahahaha!!!

Addicted2CAs, thank you! I still remember all the stuff you told me, back when I made that one topic about which silicone sealant to use ([url=/t6788p20-100-gallon-tank-needs-to-be-resealed-which-silicone-sealant]http://www.wafishbox.com/t6788p20-100-gallon-tank-needs-to-be-resealed-which-silicone-sealant[/url]), and I also remember you were willing to help me out on this project, still very thankful for your offer! I ALSO remember you mentioning that I shouldn't worry about adding a brace, because the glass is so thick, but again, there goes my paranoia and I'm still thinking about adding a brace, but I have no idea how to go about by doing this... do I just get a small pane of glass/acrylic and silicone it onto the the edge trimming portion of the tank? Or do I silicone it directly onto the glass (front and back panels) itself, making it look like a bridge? Or.... am I just being way to obsessive over it? =P

That paranoia is a good thing to have! You're protecting your time that you're investing in that beast! and the trust that lars on put on you to make sure that tank looks awesome!

Really can't wait to see the videos on how you scape out this tank man!

 

[PokeSephiroth]

BillHN, Hahahaha!! Too true! I definitely don't want to have some kind of flash flood effect when I test it for leaks.... y'know, I don't need a huge tsunami in my garage/backyard... LOL

Basically, I don't need THIS...happening to me. =P
[flash=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/v/j6w0olJ6yAw" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true[/flash]

 

[Addicted2CAs]

pbmax, thanks! Hahahaha, yes pretty soon, my house will be a huge swimming pool! Bwahahahaha!!!

Addicted2CAs, thank you! I still remember all the stuff you told me, back when I made that one topic about which silicone sealant to use ([url=/t6788p20-100-gallon-tank-needs-to-be-resealed-which-silicone-sealant]http://www.wafishbox.com/t6788p20-100-gallon-tank-needs-to-be-resealed-which-silicone-sealant[/url]), and I also remember you were willing to help me out on this project, still very thankful for your offer! I ALSO remember you mentioning that I shouldn't worry about adding a brace, because the glass is so thick, but again, there goes my paranoia and I'm still thinking about adding a brace, but I have no idea how to go about by doing this... do I just get a small pane of glass/acrylic and silicone it onto the the edge trimming portion of the tank? Or do I silicone it directly onto the glass (front and back panels) itself, making it look like a bridge? Or.... am I just being way to obsessive over it? =P

I would certainly put a brace in if you've got a bit of paranoia, I did on both the 125 and 160 because I had the feeling as well! I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the aesthetics of those two tanks so they have a welded up brace made from 1/4"x1" steel strap. They fit snug over the outside of the front and back top brace and are over. engineered!

Keep in mind silicone doesn't like adhering to plastics such as acrylic. I would silicone it to the glass directly. You can see the one in the picture but it doesn't work as the previous owner had it siliconed to the plastic rim.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

Addicted2CAs............eenteresting...very very eeeeenteresting. Hmm... I would like a metal brace, unfortunately, I have no access to metal bending machinery! If I gave you the dimensions of my tank, would you be able to fabricate one for me? Do I only need one, for the top, or should there be one at the bottom as well?

Then you could bring it with you whenever you head up to Port Angeles when you visit your parents.

AND AND AND... Then I could also make you a wafishbox nametag, for future Seattle Area Aquarium Swap events! YEAH!!

....BUT WAIT!! WAIT WAIT WAIT (there's more!)
Would it be possible to use galvanized metal? Basically just pound the crap out of it to get the necessary bends, and length of it, so that it fits snug on the aquarium.... if that's the case, then I could do that pretty easily

 

[Addicted2CAs]

Addicted2CAs............eenteresting...very very eeeeenteresting. Hmm... I would like a metal brace, unfortunately, I have no access to metal bending machinery! If I gave you the dimensions of my tank, would you be able to fabricate one for me? Do I only need one, for the top, or should there be one at the bottom as well?

Then you could bring it with you whenever you head up to Port Angeles when you visit your parents.

AND AND AND... Then I could also make you a wafishbox nametag, for future Seattle Area Aquarium Swap events! YEAH!!

....BUT WAIT!! WAIT WAIT WAIT (there's more!)
Would it be possible to use galvanized metal? Basically just pound the crap out of it to get the necessary bends, and length of it, so that it fits snug on the aquarium.... if that's the case, then I could do that pretty easily

I can certainly do this. I will need the most exact measurement you can get from trim to trim on the top, front to back. The better fitting it is the less it will bow when filled. Not sure galvanized will be the best way to go as it is usually a cheap zinc coating made for fence posts, etc. I would be worried about it eventually leaching to the tank water. I can however, throw it in a batch through work for a MIL-SPEC Type II gold zinc which is incredibly durable. The coating on there now is a rubberized undercoating for cars lol. Your choice!

I thought about the bending method and decided against it because unless you have a press to bend it, you can't get a sharp 90* corner on the inside to fit over the trim. There will be a big radius that won't allow it to sit flat on the top. It would work but would look bulkier.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

Addicted2CAs, hmm... interesting, I'll shoot you a PM in a little bit, I thought about the metal not having a 90* angle, and had a feeling that, that would be a problem. I s'pose I shall leave the work up to you! LOL... I'll also give you the measurements ASAP (sometime later today, hopefully before 12noon)

Thanks again!

 

[BillHN]

BillHN, Hahahaha!! Too true! I definitely don't want to have some kind of flash flood effect when I test it for leaks.... y'know, I don't need a huge tsunami in my garage/backyard... LOL

Basically, I don't need THIS...happening to me. =P
[flash=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/v/j6w0olJ6yAw" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true[/flash]

Oh my.. I hope that person taking the picture was okay! (He sure looked okay later on, but Idk) I would've been like "O S!*#$!%!# THE SHARKS!!!!!!!! (ps don't eat me bro")" LOL

@aDDICTED Dude you sure know your stuff o.o

 

[Addicted2CAs]

Addicted2CAs, hmm... interesting, I'll shoot you a PM in a little bit, I thought about the metal not having a 90* angle, and had a feeling that, that would be a problem. I s'pose I shall leave the work up to you! LOL... I'll also give you the measurements ASAP (sometime later today, hopefully before 12noon)

No hurry, whenever you can. I may be able to get it done today or tomorrow and to you this weekend.

Thanks again!

BillHN, Hahahaha!! Too true! I definitely don't want to have some kind of flash flood effect when I test it for leaks.... y'know, I don't need a huge tsunami in my garage/backyard... LOL

Basically, I don't need THIS...happening to me. =P
[flash=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/v/j6w0olJ6yAw" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true[/flash]

Oh my.. I hope that person taking the picture was okay! (He sure looked okay later on, but Idk) I would've been like "O S!*#$!%!# THE SHARKS!!!!!!!! (ps don't eat me bro")" LOL

@aDDICTED Dude you sure know your stuff o.o

Thats what I said! The hell with the water rushing at you, what is going to be sitting in your lap when you stop sliding across the floor lol!

Thanks bill. And the offer stands for anyone on the box who may need some help with anything metal related!

 

[PokeSephiroth]

Addicted2CAs, looks like the upper trim from the outer most measurement from front to back is 18.5"

Here's a picture, for ya:

 

[jrmakawoody]

thats a pretty looking silicone job. People who say they use more than one tube, are probably just sloppy with it. I have caulked windows before, sealing is an art haha