Noob restoration/salvage

[MrWing]

Hi Guys

I was a fish keeper (addict) many years ago. Kept p-bass, rays and other odd balls. Been out of the hobby many years. My young daughters wanted a fish tank (so you can imagine how little convincing i needed)

Picked up a bow front tank with a lovely stand. Only issue is the bow front side has some really deep scracthes where the previous owner attacked it with a razor blade.

My plan is to have the bowed (curved) side as the back so the flat glass is the front as it unscratched. There is an ugly internal plastic box siliconed into the back corner (which will now be the front of the tank so it needs to go.

Any suggestions/advice on the best way to remove it please without damaging the glass?

The money we saved on the aquarium being free, we have ordered an FX6 so the filtration will be external.

Any advice much appreciated. This will be the kids first aquarium so want to make it as nice as possible (while being on a limited budget.

Thanks

P

 

[tlindsey]

Hi Guys

I was a fish keeper (addict) many years ago. Kept p-bass, rays and other odd balls. Been out of the hobby many years. My young daughters wanted a fish tank (so you can imagine how little convincing i needed)

Picked up a bow front tank with a lovely stand. Only issue is the bow front side has some really deep scracthes where the previous owner attacked it with a razor blade.

My plan is to have the bowed (curved) side as the back so the flat glass is the front as it unscratched. There is an ugly internal plastic box siliconed into the back corner (which will now be the front of the tank so it needs to go.

Any suggestions/advice on the best way to remove it please without damaging the glass?

The money we saved on the aquarium being free, we have ordered an FX6 so the filtration will be external.

Any advice much appreciated. This will be the kids first aquarium so want to make it as nice as possible (while being on a limited budget.

Thanks

P

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Welcome back!
Tagging a couple of members who may have the answer for you.
wednesday13
jjohnwm

 

[wednesday13]

Theres polishing kits for glass… be a shame to not enjoy the bow front. For the filter box… it looks like its just on there with some circular dabs of silicone. Id sneak a guitar string behind and cut it off then a razor to get the rest once its out.

My only worry would be if the box was installed/made with the tank and attached to the tank seam. If so, you’ll have to do a full reseal inside the tank after u remove it.

 

[jjohnwm]

Congrats on finding the perfect excuse for re-entering the hobby!

Hard to tell from those pics, but it looks like that filter box is adhered to the side and the back (now front) panes? And that it's not just a simple bead running around the edge of the box, but rather a layer of silicone covering the entire sides of the box? If that's the case, I think I'd just abandon the idea of reversing the tank back-to-front.

I've heard some folks say that there are chemical agents that help remove old silicone; acetone, maybe? Don't know, never tried anything other than plain old elbow grease and sharp razor blades myself. Even if such a chemical exists and can be sourced, you'd be risking damage to the tank's silicone seals if you slather it on to weaken the stuff you want removed. I personally think you should break the box into small pieces and then cut each one off with a razor. When you get to the interior corner where the front and side panes meet, you'll need to be careful not to damage that structural seam while cutting off the plastic hunks. It won't be that difficult to remove all the junk, but it will take some effort not to make it an ugly dog's breakfast along the corner seam, to the point where you will need to replace the whole interior bead. That's another PITA and you are likely to create scratches yourself during this endeavour.

IMHO you should remove that plastic box as best you can...you'll want it gone whichever way you situate the tank...but expect to re-think your plan regarding front and back. The bowfront doesn't look bad in those pics, and the curved glass is a cool aspect that your kid will enjoy. I'll bet you're the only person who will even notice the scratches, so the question is "Can I delude myself into not seeing them?"

In any case, you're lucky; that tank is made of glass, much easier to work with than that Godawful plastic stuff that wednesday13 loves so much...

Good luck, keep us posted!

Edited to add: just read Russ's post. I hadn't realized that those roundish things were small blobs of silicone holding the box up. If that's what they are it will be a snap to remove as he stated.

 

[wednesday13]

jjohnwm i enjoy being a glasshole just the same . Glass is just heavy.