2 X 6-foot tanks saved from being destroyed.

Well after having my 3-foot tank being established for quite a while now I have managed to save 2 x 6-foot ex aquarium fish supplier tanks from being destroyed. The plan is to remove the dividers and get them set up as single 6-foot tanks.

The size of the tanks are,
6-foot x 12 inches x 12 inches, tank 1 (tank at the front of the images)
6-foot x 13 inches x 12 inches, tank 2 (tank at the rear of the images)

They are not very large tanks by depth or height but should prove to be an interesting project.
Firstly I will be removing all the dividers from inside the tanks so they are just single tanks. I may have to replace the glass strips at the top of the tanks and also put a strengthening bar across at 2 points front to rear to ensure they will not burst. I do not think they would burst without strengtheners, as it is not a huge volume of water in them to start with but it is better to be safe than sorry.
Tanks will require a lot of cleaning as they are covered in a lot of limescale plus deposits. Also, the silicone sealant may prove to be a pain in the backside to remove fully from where the glass dividers were located. Research is required to find an easy remedy to remove years old silicone from glass.

I'm also toying with the idea of getting the tanks cut to the same size and getting them joined together to form a fully joined-up corner tank in the shape of an L (not sure yet as I am undecided what direction to take).

I may have to strip them fully down into parts and put them together with some new sealant yet.

Nice! Keep us updated!

Wow, awesome! I bet they will be awesome for maintenance. That would be the perfect tank for small schooling fish like tetras

Well, that took longer than I expected.

1 tank free from any silicone sealant plus limescale buildup on it. it was one hell of a job to do. In the end, I ended up purchasing some decent chemicals to help with the cleaning plus some fine and superfine wire wool. chemicals used are,
1. Zep - calcium/lime and rust stain remover.
2, No-nonsense - sealant remover.

I have also decided on the framework for a stand to hold both tanks one above the other. One order online later of 8 lengths of 25mm angle iron, at 3-meter lengths as the main support frame which is being delivered on the 15th of this month. I will then proceed to weld the frame up to hold both 6-foot tanks stacked as a pair of separate tanks. Once the frame is welded up and powder coated I will then build storage under the tanks then cover it in 18mm birch plywood.

This could take a while to complete as I am a slow worker that likes to get things correct. (measure twice cut once).

Best of luck mate.
Id love a 72x12x12 for my HFs. Priced one up a few months back. £200ish inc vat iirc.

ClownLurch said:

Best of luck mate.
Id love a 72x12x12 for my HFs. Priced one up a few months back. £200ish inc vat iirc.

Click to expand...

I got the pair of these tanks for £100 after persuading the chap not to put a hammer through them.

One tank sorted out, now onto the next one.

I would say the dimensions would be good for nano planted aquariums. A bit narrow,but long enough to give nano fish a good home.
I stay away from repairing or building aquariums but for one 50 gallon over 30 years go. The bottom cracked and it was very simple to replace. Probably the easiest side of any aquarium to save.
I also stay away from wood and glass dream aquariums. In a basement or garage or shed? Sure,might be worth a effort. Never in a home.
I just saw a vid of somebody who took the glass from a 200 gallon aquarium and mated the largest panes to a 700 gallon plywood aquarium. A few months later the glass cracked. So,he lost a 200 gallon aquarium and 700 gallon you might say from one crack.
Glass on big aquariums is always a worry.

Well, that is now a 6-foot tank stand welded up and painted. I have welded some shelve holders into the two end parts, the center is for the tank filter location. The next plan is to encase it in wood and then paint the wood. It took some working out to build as I'm not a welder or even an engineer, I am just an amateur at D.I.Y projects at the best of times.

If its iron,you might want to paint it with some kid of rust proofing. Aquariums can be sneaky and water running or dripping into one spot over months can get by you. I found my floor was wet and when I looked things over? One of the cover glass was taking the water that evaporates,collecting it into a tiny stream..running across the top Acrylic and down the corner. All I had to do was raise that glass a tiny bit to fix the problem.

The frame is being totally encased in a wooden surround that will then be sealed using silicon on every join followed by a yacht varnish for durability and waterproofing. There is also going to be an edging drip strip along the entire upper outer edges. Before it was painted black it was treated with a red oxide undercoat for a bit of rust protection.