Used 180g

[moflip78]

I went to check out a 180 gallon tank with sump, cabinet and hood for $100
It hasn't seen water for about 4 years. It has been in a garage. they need to make room in garage, they're in a small apartment.

how hard is it to reseal? and the bottom glass has a seam in the center...is that common? dangerous?

 

[moflip78]

180g

 

[moflip78]

top view

 

[moflip78]

joint?

 

[cshplumber]

Looks homemade. Lots or pieces. Is there any brand name on it?

 

[Daniel@R2R]

#reefsquad can possibly help with this assessment

 

[kschweer]

Any specific reason you want to reseal? I personally would fill it with water and let it sit to check for leaks before considering resealing. It's a time consuming process. Taking the tank apart is very tough usually. I have seen the 2 piece bottom but it's not common.

 

[john.m.cole3]

resealing is not difficult, but very time consuming. The joint on the bottom panel is common on larger builds and is ok/safe to have in place. For $100 I'd jump all over it considering the stand, hood, and reef readiness it has going for it.

as far as resealing is concerned, you'll need painters tape, rubbing alcohol, acetone, lots of razor blades, something to hold the razors in that fits comfortably in your hand and some Momentive RTV 108 silicone. The most time consuming part is removing the old silicone residue. the bulk of silicone that creates the seam in the corners is easy to remove, but it's more tedious to remove the residual residue left behind. that's where the acetone comes in. acetone will soften the residue enough to be scraped off, but be VERY careful not to damge the silicone between the glass panels. The silicone between the glass panels is what holds the tank together. Once you get every single bit of residue off, it's time to reseal. Use the painters tape to create straight lines especially on the sides. If you mess up on the bottom it might not show if you have sand in the tank, but I'd still take my time and do it right the first time. Apply the RTV 108 to the seams and smooth out the silicone with your finger or a tool if you find one you like. It's important to do all seams at once and remove the tape before the silicone can form a skin. Team work would be very advantageous here. Then let the silicone dry for 7 days before doing your first leak test. Voila! You have a like new tank and stand for about $140.

 

[jsker]

Any specific reason you want to reseal? I personally would fill it with water and let it sit to check for leaks before considering resealing. It's a time consuming process. Taking the tank apart is very tough usually. I have seen the 2 piece bottom but it's not common.

+1 and do they have any pictures of tank full, just for prof of life

 

[ReeferBob]

Great price jump on it! I see no need to reseal either. Fill it and let it sit for a month outside.

 

[riche]

Im broke but if it was close to me and you didnt want it I would grab it in a second

Resealing a tank is intimidating but not to hard at all. The hardest part might be the fact that its eurobraced and it will be harder to get into the tank

 

[moflip78]

Thanks everyone! I don't know what brand, but the lady said it's a Dutch Design Aquarium? Not sure what it means.

But because of the fact that it has been sitting in the garage for about 4 years without water, the lady just recommends that I reseal it...the same recommendation was given by many people from theFaceBook group I follow.
I have been watching vids on Youtube and it doesn't look too difficult.
I'm just afraid that since I'm new to this, I might make it worse than the condition it's in now lol

Someone said even if no leaks now, i might as well still reseal it so it will last longer?

Someone also mentioned that due to the large size of the tank, more water mean heavier volume, and it's a disaster waiting to happen?

 

[moflip78]

Great price jump on it! I see no need to reseal either. Fill it and let it sit for a month outside.

Even if it was sitting in a garage for years?

 

[moflip78]

+1 and do they have any pictures of tank full, just for prof of life

they got it two years ago but never got to start it ( i saw that they live in a small apartment) , the guy they got it from had it for two years also with no water. So about 4 years of no water.

 

[moflip78]

resealing is not difficult, but very time consuming. The joint on the bottom panel is common on larger builds and is ok/safe to have in place. For $100 I'd jump all over it considering the stand, hood, and reef readiness it has going for it.

as far as resealing is concerned, you'll need painters tape, rubbing alcohol, acetone, lots of razor blades, something to hold the razors in that fits comfortably in your hand and some Momentive RTV 108 silicone. The most time consuming part is removing the old silicone residue. the bulk of silicone that creates the seam in the corners is easy to remove, but it's more tedious to remove the residual residue left behind. that's where the acetone comes in. acetone will soften the residue enough to be scraped off, but be VERY careful not to damge the silicone between the glass panels. The silicone between the glass panels is what holds the tank together. Once you get every single bit of residue off, it's time to reseal. Use the painters tape to create straight lines especially on the sides. If you mess up on the bottom it might not show if you have sand in the tank, but I'd still take my time and do it right the first time. Apply the RTV 108 to the seams and smooth out the silicone with your finger or a tool if you find one you like. It's important to do all seams at once and remove the tape before the silicone can form a skin. Team work would be very advantageous here. Then let the silicone dry for 7 days before doing your first leak test. Voila! You have a like new tank and stand for about $140.

I thought there was something else that hold glass together aside from silicone....Is silicone really that tough?

Somebody told me that its ok to reseal smaller tanks since water is not as heavy...but with this large size, he said its a disaster waiting to happen?

 

[moflip78]

Any specific reason you want to reseal? I personally would fill it with water and let it sit to check for leaks before considering resealing. It's a time consuming process. Taking the tank apart is very tough usually. I have seen the 2 piece bottom but it's not common.

because it hasn't seen water in years and thought, current seal wouldn't be as safe. some say just to be sure etc.

 

[jsker]

Some time you are to go with what your feeling, and if that feeling is to reseal that tank then do so. Take pictures, mark the glass for a road my for reassembly.

Looking at the pictures, I would do a water test by filling the tank and if there are no leak I would start a reef.

 

[moflip78]

So even if it has been in a garage for 4 yrs it doesn't mean it needs to be resealed?

 

[john.m.cole3]

I reseal any tank I buy without knowing its history 100%. But that's just bme and these other guys that have commented have been doing this longer than me. I was once told that if you can get your fingernail under the silicone, it's time for a reseal.

 

[ReeferBob]

Even if it was sitting in a garage for years?

Sitting in a garage is no reason to automatically need to be resealed. You can look at the seal and see if it is cracked anywhere or has obvious problems. Tanks sit in storage much longer and are fine. Resealing a tank of that size is no joke, VERY time consuming and potentially could be a disaster. First thing is you MUST remove entirely all traces of the old (inner) seal. This means HOURS with a razor blade doing cleanup. You need to be VERY careful that you don't compromise the seal that hold the glass together either or you'll be in a whole new world of hurt. Silicone does not adhere permanently to cured silicone. You then must prep the tank, silicone is VERY messy and does not clean up with water. Wherever you get it, it will be hard/impossible to get off. Then you have to apply ALL of the silicone in one session. This means having probably 7-8 tubes at the ready to get it all done in a minimal amount of time. As someone else mentioned, that euro-bracing is going to make it harder.

I would be WAY more concerned with your reseal being the first time you have done it over a factory silicone seal having sat for a few years.