Squirrel_reefer
Call me Squirrel
They said it couldn't be done!!!!
They might actually be right......
So it all started with a deal that was too good to pass up, two (2)... TWO 75 gallon tanks for $25!!!
Picked em up from a local hobbyist/LFS worker after putting out an ad ISO: a 75g tank. He told me that they were in rough shape and needed to be "resealed". Now for whatever reason, 75's in my area are worth their weight in gold and everyone seems to want one right now. I have had at least 2 tanks bought out from underneath me because of the demand for them. So when this opportunity came up I jumped on it like a hair in a biscuit.
When I saw the tanks I thought they looked ... well... pretty rough. They're both drilled which caught my eye right away and I was super pleased by what I saw. The Silly Cone in one tank was definitely trashed, it was an old school tank and the silly cone looked about 20 years old, definitely shot (crap). The second tank acutally had some promise. Thick beads of silly cone, a few chips out of the corner glass but it actually might hold water.
When I started to fill it up as you see above the reality of the situation hit me.... there is a separated seam on one corner
I immediately jumped on here to see if this is something that can be fixed... and the responses were less than desirable. None-the-less I started to think on it and decided to try it anyway. worst case scenario I can reseal it and sell it as a reptile tank to a local for like 400% profit, so whats the worst that can happen. This is where the grand experiment begins.
I setup shop to begin stripping out the old silly cone and begin the resealing process. I decided to strip only a portion of that corner in order to preserve the quality of the other seams.
I removed the silly cone from the inside of the seam as well to get as much fresh silly cone in there as possible, this made it possible to see just how separated the seam really was... and this is where I started to lose confidence
Regardless I had my friend put some pressure on the glass to open up the seam and I unloaded on it, Im talking apocalypse level silly cone. Once I had removed the tape and applied another bead to the inside AND outside. I clamped it up and let it sit for a week solid
So now I've moved the tank to my place from my buddies, where I did the reseal, and we threw together a "plug" for the drilled hole. Put some water in it while we crossed our fingers. Lowe and behold ....
This was yesterday afternoon, as of this morning it was still intact, leak free.
So at this point the plan is to let this badboy sit for a week, if it doesn't explode... I'll throw a wave maker in it and run it for another week. If it doesn't explode then... I just might make it my new DT build! build thread title possibilities include but are not limited too...."The Ticking Time Bomb", "Risky Bidness", "The Corner Stone", and "Holy Crap, They Were Right!, The Corner Blew Out!!!!"
Before you start commenting here are some disclaimers...
Have I been told this wont hold? -Yes I have been thoroughly informed
Do I have confidence it will hold long term? -Not really
This tank was technically 12.50$... if it doesnt work out Im not going to be upset about it. Be sure to follow along to see if it blows out! LET THE GRAND EXPERIMENT BEGIN
They might actually be right......
So it all started with a deal that was too good to pass up, two (2)... TWO 75 gallon tanks for $25!!!
Picked em up from a local hobbyist/LFS worker after putting out an ad ISO: a 75g tank. He told me that they were in rough shape and needed to be "resealed". Now for whatever reason, 75's in my area are worth their weight in gold and everyone seems to want one right now. I have had at least 2 tanks bought out from underneath me because of the demand for them. So when this opportunity came up I jumped on it like a hair in a biscuit.
When I saw the tanks I thought they looked ... well... pretty rough. They're both drilled which caught my eye right away and I was super pleased by what I saw. The Silly Cone in one tank was definitely trashed, it was an old school tank and the silly cone looked about 20 years old, definitely shot (crap). The second tank acutally had some promise. Thick beads of silly cone, a few chips out of the corner glass but it actually might hold water.
When I started to fill it up as you see above the reality of the situation hit me.... there is a separated seam on one corner
I immediately jumped on here to see if this is something that can be fixed... and the responses were less than desirable. None-the-less I started to think on it and decided to try it anyway. worst case scenario I can reseal it and sell it as a reptile tank to a local for like 400% profit, so whats the worst that can happen. This is where the grand experiment begins.
I setup shop to begin stripping out the old silly cone and begin the resealing process. I decided to strip only a portion of that corner in order to preserve the quality of the other seams.
I removed the silly cone from the inside of the seam as well to get as much fresh silly cone in there as possible, this made it possible to see just how separated the seam really was... and this is where I started to lose confidence
Regardless I had my friend put some pressure on the glass to open up the seam and I unloaded on it, Im talking apocalypse level silly cone. Once I had removed the tape and applied another bead to the inside AND outside. I clamped it up and let it sit for a week solid
So now I've moved the tank to my place from my buddies, where I did the reseal, and we threw together a "plug" for the drilled hole. Put some water in it while we crossed our fingers. Lowe and behold ....
This was yesterday afternoon, as of this morning it was still intact, leak free.
So at this point the plan is to let this badboy sit for a week, if it doesn't explode... I'll throw a wave maker in it and run it for another week. If it doesn't explode then... I just might make it my new DT build! build thread title possibilities include but are not limited too...."The Ticking Time Bomb", "Risky Bidness", "The Corner Stone", and "Holy Crap, They Were Right!, The Corner Blew Out!!!!"
Before you start commenting here are some disclaimers...
Have I been told this wont hold? -Yes I have been thoroughly informed
Do I have confidence it will hold long term? -Not really
This tank was technically 12.50$... if it doesnt work out Im not going to be upset about it. Be sure to follow along to see if it blows out! LET THE GRAND EXPERIMENT BEGIN
