Local fish tank gurus, I need help!

GrimmJeeper

GrimmJeeper

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Gardena, CA
Well, after 2 attempts at resealing my vintage stainless steel framed fish tank, it still leaks :( Looks like I'm going to have to completely tear it down and reseal the entire thing. Problem is, I've never done this before and I'm worried about breaking the 50 year old glass. If anyone local has redone a tank like this and wouldn't mind giving me some help, let me know. I'd gladly pay you for your time.

It's an antique tank made by Pemco. I don't have the original hoods for the lights but the tank is in decent shape for how old it is. Some of these older tanks had a slate bottom. Mine does not, but it is one of the "Premium" models because the stainless steel frame is non-magnetic (according to the interweb). That places my tank somewhere between 1963-1969. I'd really like to save this old tank. HELP!

Here is a pic of one that has been restored and resealed. Mine isn't this shiny... yet :D

TankFinished.jpg
 
You are replacing the bottom, Right?
What material are you trying to use?
Is the bottom accessable, or does the frame have to come apart to get at it to seal it to the other four panels?

Another Question, did the aquarium use tar to seal the bottom?
 
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The frame doesn't come apart, its spotwelded together, and the glass goes in from the inside with (back then...) this black tar like crap. problem is when they sit empty for years (like mine did) the tar cracks and leaks.

The bad news is the bottom glass has a crack in it, that the previous owner covered with PVC plastic sheeting glued down. It was holding water when I got it, but that was 10 years ago and its been empty since. I tried to re-silicone the inside but silicone doesn't stick to PVC (found that out the hard way :doh:). So I drained it and put a plexiglass bottom in it (over the old broken glass) and siliconed all they way around the edges of it then stuck it down and siliconed it again from the top side.

still leaks :dunno: The fish tank forum guys say these tanks are notorious for being hard to seal up without completely tearing it down. This is what I think I have to do.

here is one torn down

Strippedsideview.jpg
 
I forgot to mention this tank weighs close to 200lbs empty, so I can't just toss it in the saturn and go driving around with it to get it repaired.
 
Mike on sepulvida across from the toys r us and petsmart there use to be a aquatics store I did cleanings for back in the day when I worked at petsmart(its changed names a couple times and I'm not even sure they are still there now). We were able to get the black sealant that ish worked awsome trick was to use a super fine grit sand paper and scuff the sealing surfaces and clean with rubbing alcohol before putting the sealand down. Worst part is cleaning up the old sealant. Just seal it up really good and let it sit a minimum of 3 days with the humidity it will still be uncured but feel dry. Good luck hit me up if you have more questions
 
i think I need to just give up and replace the bottom, I don't think covering it with a new piece is going to work. From what I read online the tar crap they used to put these old tanks together is a real pain to remove. I sure hope none of the glass breaks there is no way I can afford to re-glass it :( I did however find out that DOW silicone #795 is what the big aquarium builders use to hold them together, (think long beach aquarium, disneyland's submarine ride, etc) the stuff is supposed to work great.
 
If you want to remove the Tar crap, you can use a hairdrier to heat it up a bit and then scrape it off.
How much would it cost to get new glass for just the bottom?
 
GrimmJeeper said:
i think I need to just give up and replace the bottom, I don't think covering it with a new piece is going to work. From what I read online the tar crap they used to put these old tanks together is a real pain to remove. I sure hope none of the glass breaks there is no way I can afford to re-glass it :( I did however find out that DOW silicone #795 is what the big aquarium builders use to hold them together, (think long beach aquarium, disneyland's submarine ride, etc) the stuff is supposed to work great.
Click to expand...

Mike, is this raw or tempered glass? How thick? I'm an 'ol glazier, I still have my tools. If You decide to re-glass it, and it's raw glass, We could do it pretty cheap. Try a map gas torch on the tar. :)
 
its the original glass that was in the tank, from what Im reading online its 3/8ths thick and its got lead. Some people who refinish these tanks replace it with starphire glass which is completely clear, but I like the bluish green tint the old glass has, I think it goes well with the look of the tank which is why I want to avoid breaking it if at all possible.
 
Oh and my father was a glass man as well, I can walk into the shop he worked at for 30 years and probably get the glass cut for free, but the glass itself is what I can't afford. ;)
 
what are the dims of the glass you need? i built a coulple tanks and sumps for my saltwater buddies and have some glass in the garage you could have if you need it, just far away?
 
If it's 3/8" it should be hard to break. Just spread out any pressure You may exert on the glass. In other words, and I am sure You know this, don't pry with a screw driver. Use a heat gun or torch (carefully) to soften up the sealer, cut or scrape it away, careful of the edges of the glass, the offending sealer. When I installed sky lights, to keep them from leaking (because I didn't want to go back), I used Vulkem 116. It's suitable for continual immersion in water.
 
can you just get a new piece of glass cut for the bottom and seal the sides with edges with a waterproof cocking/sealant? ive made little frog tanks and lizard cages and its not too expensive to get a piece cut to size. like 10 or 15 bucks
 
I have almost a full tube of some super duper aircraft stuff that I can just about guarantee will not leak if installed properly. You are welcome to it. (no it's not pro-seal)
 
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