Old Tank

[Phage]

Hello everyone I have a question. I found an old 55USG tank in the alley. The sticker says it was put together in 1992. Do you think it is safe to use?

I've filled it up outside and it has been holding water for 2 days. I don't see any visible cracks. Think the silicon is still good?

Thanks

 

[bae1994]

yeah id go for it ive read of people using 30+ year old tanks aslong as it holds water i think it will be fine

the only problem i can see is whats been put in the tank that could of soaked into the silicone

 

[Phage]

Oh, I see. I never thought of that. I used bleach to clean the inside. Filled up the tank all the way with water and added a little bleach. Will that be bad?

 

[Phage]

Ok I noticed a chip. There are no cracks. Doesn't seem deep and it's not where the 2 panes are sealed together. Should I worry?

Should I reseal it?

 

[BigIan]

I`d use it mate, Lucky find......


Although i`d play it safe and not stick any of your fave fish in there for a while.

 

[Phage]

Lol thanks I love all my fish equally.

 

[alex.wardle]

What a find.
I would leave the bleach water in the for a week to kill any contaimnts and to check for leaks. After this i would drain the tank rinse and wipe with a part water part viniger solution, then rinse with water, empty, fill, empty then you are good to go.
Thats what i would do

 

[OldMan47]

When it comes to old tanks, my present 120 gallon tank is one I bought used in about 1980. The previous owner had removed the outer plastic frame which also removed the center braces. I have it sitting on a solid wood frame and have custom built a new top frame and bracing from some 1x2 lumber. The end result is that the 1/2 inch thick glass no longer bows out over an inch in the center like it did when I first filled it. My fish have no idea that the tank they live in is at least 30 years old and probably quite a bit older. It is not likely to be over 40 years old because it is built of all glass held together with silicone, which only started to happen about 40 years ago. I also have a 40 long that is from about the same era made by O'Dell. I have not seen a new O'Dell tank in at least 25 years. The top brace on that old tank is the glass piece in the middle of the top of the tank. It is also about a 30 years or older tank but was a fairly recent design when I got it, again around 1980.

 

[rjohnson67]

Looks to be in good condition, and the silicone looks intact. I'd use it.

 

[the biffster]

found this just in case
you want to reseal it
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-gS7gp-ehM

 

[OldMan47]

If your old tank is a leaker, be careful following the instructions that the Biffster has linked to. It is fine for resealing a tank that is structurally sound, but a tank that has a significant leak probably has started to separate a piece of glass from the other pieces. That kind of situation is not just a leak but is a break down of the actual structural strength of the tank. The only good way to reseal a tank that has seams starting to fail is by rebuilding the tank. There are lots of similar blog posts on how to build a tank from scratch that would be far more pertinent in that situation. Removing all of the old silicone and the plastic frame could be done in much the same manner as that strip showed but the goal would be to strip all the way down to nothing but raw pieces of glass and build a new tank with some old parts, like the glass and the plastic frame. The closest I have come to doing that was to replace a broken front glass on one of my old tanks. I got the tank for almost nothing since the front glass was cracked all the way across. A new piece of glass and plenty of gutsy assembly by a total tyro gave me a tank that has served me well for about 30 years now. I presently have a 60 gallon tank that started to come apart in place and has been replaced. When I find the time, I will be constructing a new tank from that old one. I finally found a tool that will let me remove the old plastic top frame from the glass ends and sides so that is one obstacle that I have overcome. It means that the new tank can use the same frame as the one that came off it in the first place.
The tool I found is not designed for aquariums at all but is intended to use for finishing grout joints in concrete work. The fact that I can use it to separate the plastic trim from the glass is something I determined while I was in the DIY shop thinking about the tool design that I needed and when I got it home it seemed to work fine for that.

 

[mw1982]

How lucky, what a find. personally I would use it and thank my blessings.

@ OldMan47...Thank you for the information about how long tanks can potentially last, I've always wondered how long people have owned tanks for. 30 years is amazing
I just hope my tanks last half that long.

Regards

Mark

 

[the biffster]

well this is how i have always
sealed tanks and one with leaks

 

[raptorrex]

well this is how i have always
sealed tanks and one with leaks

as i said in the other thread. this is not, too, good of a way to solve a split seam. using this method, only puts a thin cover over the hole/split. now it may well last a while, but its not a permanent solution.

what is actually holding the tank together, is not the bead you replaced in the video method. but the silicone in between the two sheets of glass. I'm sure you can see, this solution, does nothing to repair that. one of the best reasons not to do it is, as OM47 and myself said in the other thread, old and new silicone do not bond, well, together.

 

[the biffster]

i remove all the old silicone
before i do the reseal like this