I picked up a slate bottomed, chromed frame 55gal for 10 bucks. It leaks. I filled it up and it slowly leaked away. All glass is fine and slate is not cracked. I have already scraped off the 4 different layers of caulking that was in there. There are small pieces of very old silicone(or whatever was used to seal this thing) still stuck to the bottom of the tank, on the slate. I have scarped and used a razor blade but to no avail. I don't want to just silicone over these, I want it done right the first time. Would a heat gun work? Or is there something else that will take this crap off?
Resealing a slate bottom tank. Have ?????'s
- Thread starter oddball_freak
- Start date
try some sand paper on the slate bottom or a rough scotchgard pad. i've done this in the past to an old slate bottom tank. then i used standard aquarium sealant and it worked fine.
Thanks. I going to try the sand paper before the acetone. I dont really want to try any chemical remover.
Hey everyone.. Can someone explain to me what a slate bottom fish tank is? Does it mean that instead of glass on the bottom, it has a big piece of slate (rock). Also, can someone post a picture. I've never heard of or seen one. Also, what's the advantage of using slate. Thanks, The Doctor.
Dr_Shakalu;1666791; said:
Ah, the young wanting to learn...it's nice.
I'd like to say I remember but it's more like a nitemare (resealing)!
This was the norm from the very early '70's back.
It was cheaper to use slate (3/16" - 1/4") and it didn't break as readily as glass.
Sorry for the hijack...
oddball_freak the sealer is/tar based. You can use a heat gun on low and slowly heat the area (bringing a larger area than what you need up to temp) and the sealer will soften. If you in a cold location do this part indoos to keep an even temp on the tank.
Now I didn't say this will make it easier to remove
, but you shouldn't crack the slate or glass when scraping, When finished, clean with alcohol or acetone and rinse well then silicone like you would an all glass tank.Dr Joe
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Thanks Dr. Joe. The heat gun worked well.
DR. Shakalu I will post pics when it is done. I really like these kind of tanks. They are old, but it is completely framed with chromed sheet metal. I plan on building a stand and hood out of metal. Since I am too cheap to actually chrome the stand and canopy, I will probably just spray paint it chrome as well.
DR. Shakalu I will post pics when it is done. I really like these kind of tanks. They are old, but it is completely framed with chromed sheet metal. I plan on building a stand and hood out of metal. Since I am too cheap to actually chrome the stand and canopy, I will probably just spray paint it chrome as well.