Project - Re-Sealing Fish Tank (Image Heavy)

The tank has not cost that much for what it is even when I include the cost of silicone & acrylic it has probably cost around £120 which is next to nothing seeing as a new tank of this size with cabinet would be £800 - £1000. It has also been an interesting project & will be quite satisfying once finished and the fish is in & has been a better use of a week off that sitting around not doing much.
 
I also know now that if there ever is a leak in the future I can seal it properly, and could probably build a tank from scratch if I ever needed a bigger 1 in the future.
 
I have been leaving the tank the last few days for the silicone to set properly before leak testing, but will be getting all the tape off this evening if its not raining & will try to get some more pictures up (still cant find the battery charger).

I was going to wait until there are a few days with no rain forcast to leak test outside, but that doesn't seem likely to be soon, so will probably fill the tank, cover the top with plastic sheets, or bin bags to stop water loss due to evaporation, then leave it a couple of days and see if the water level has dropped.

I am aiming to have the tank leak tested & all set up inside by the weekend.
 
I got all the tape off the tank when I got in this evening & gave it a clean then filled it to leak test. Due to the fact that it will probably rain I have put some tape at the water line & covered the top so water is not lost due to evaporation. I will check it tomorrow once I get in and see if the water level has dropped & if there are any obvious leaks. If not then I will get it inside over the weekend & set it up.

Couple of pics of the tank filled (they are not great as it was dark, but will get better ones up tomorrow):



 
The tank has been leak tested for 24 hours & the water level has not dropped and no signs of leaks, or wet silicone on the outside so all is good :D. I will drain it today, stick the top and bottom black strips on and then give it a final clean tomorrow & get it inside and filled up.

Couple of pics with better lighting than yesterday:



 
Looking nice, I see you are putting cold water fish in... I remember when I was considering a second hand tank for Marine fish, I was warned that IF I brought one that had been used for tropicals and any treatments had been used copper could absorb into the silicone and make the tank useless for Marines.
 
Thanks for all the replys it have been a time consuming but interesting project.

mrbell1984 the parcel tape left a little residue in places, but that came off easily with some sterilising swabs I got from the chemist (none for the 4 locally had Isopropyl alcohol & hadnt been able to get any for months so I had to make do with the swabs that were pre soaked in it).

Last couple of pics for today with the top and bottom strips put on (tape is stopping the middle of the top strip bowing until the silicone is set). Will take the last few once it is inside & set up:






Now to start looking at what plants I can put in that the goldfish wont eat or destroy.
 
Last edited:
Good work. I seriously don't envy your task of scraping all that silicone off. Horrible stuff. Dedication skillZ.
 
Thanks Jonny69. I'm glad I got it during my week off otherwise it would probably have take over a month if I had only been able to do an hour or so every evening when I got in from work. I got quite lucky with the weather as well as it only rained for a couple of days after the silicone had dried.
 
The tank is all set up now and cycling before I add the fish so though I would add a couple of pics to show the end result:



 
Nice tank. What about a flatscreen at the back with the 1990's Sherman's Lagoon screensaver playing? :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom