restoring older 55 set up, advise please...

Hi Group,

I posted a few weeks ago about my 29 gal nice tank set up which is now
home to 6 small clown loaches. They are doing very well but hide almost
all the time and they have lots of cover for security. Thanks for the
help on that to the fine group here.

I picked up a 55 gal set up for only $50! Yeehaa! It's an older one
with a center brace and thick plastic frame / molding at top and
bottom. It all came with; wooden stand / cabinet in need of speckle
repaint, gravel, lots of plastic plants, ornaments, rocks, two smaller
fluorescent lamps, one medium fluoroscent lamp, two air pumps, heater,
and a whisper 60, but no hood. It all needed LOTS of cleaning due to
nasty Arizona water deposits. It looked like they just let it all
evaporate out! Cleaned so far is tank, filter, and heater. They are
loookin' nice!

One side of the tank has no silicone bead inside so I plan to reseal
the whole thing just to be thorough and safe.

Q: do I cut out the old silicone from all corners before doing the
reseal? Do I do the same and reseal under the top fram / molding?

Live update! Tank is filled outside and top frame is leaking.

Q: If I want to be a cheap-0 what is a good way to make (or buy) a hood
that I can put the two 10 gal lamps on top of? I want it to look clean
but not fancy. PetCo here has a 55 fluorescent hood for $100, Ouch!

Thanks as always, best wishes, Karl.

On 15 Feb 2006 19:00:42 -0800, wrote:

Hi Group,

I posted a few weeks ago about my 29 gal nice tank set up which is now
home to 6 small clown loaches. They are doing very well but hide almost
all the time and they have lots of cover for security. Thanks for the
help on that to the fine group here.

I picked up a 55 gal set up for only $50! Yeehaa! It's an older one
with a center brace and thick plastic frame / molding at top and
bottom. It all came with; wooden stand / cabinet in need of speckle
repaint, gravel, lots of plastic plants, ornaments, rocks, two smaller
fluorescent lamps, one medium fluoroscent lamp, two air pumps, heater,
and a whisper 60, but no hood. It all needed LOTS of cleaning due to
nasty Arizona water deposits. It looked like they just let it all
evaporate out! Cleaned so far is tank, filter, and heater. They are
loookin' nice!

One side of the tank has no silicone bead inside so I plan to reseal
the whole thing just to be thorough and safe.

Q: do I cut out the old silicone from all corners before doing the
reseal? Do I do the same and reseal under the top fram / molding?

Live update! Tank is filled outside and top frame is leaking.

Q: If I want to be a cheap-0 what is a good way to make (or buy) a hood
that I can put the two 10 gal lamps on top of? I want it to look clean
but not fancy. PetCo here has a 55 fluorescent hood for $100, Ouch!

Thanks as always, best wishes, Karl.



I'd remove all the silicone that I could without disassembling the
tank, then recaulk the seams.

cheap light, a shop light from Home Depot of Lowe's.

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi Group,

I posted a few weeks ago about my 29 gal nice tank set up which is now
home to 6 small clown loaches. They are doing very well but hide almost
all the time and they have lots of cover for security. Thanks for the
help on that to the fine group here.

I picked up a 55 gal set up for only $50! Yeehaa! It's an older one
with a center brace and thick plastic frame / molding at top and
bottom. It all came with; wooden stand / cabinet in need of speckle
repaint, gravel, lots of plastic plants, ornaments, rocks, two smaller
fluorescent lamps, one medium fluoroscent lamp, two air pumps, heater,
and a whisper 60, but no hood. It all needed LOTS of cleaning due to
nasty Arizona water deposits. It looked like they just let it all
evaporate out! Cleaned so far is tank, filter, and heater. They are
loookin' nice!

One side of the tank has no silicone bead inside so I plan to reseal
the whole thing just to be thorough and safe.

Q: do I cut out the old silicone from all corners before doing the
reseal? Do I do the same and reseal under the top fram / molding?

New silicone does not stick to old silicone, so it is always a question
as to where to end the new bead. I would cut away any imbrittled
silicone from the inside and lay a fresh new bead down.

Live update! Tank is filled outside and top frame is leaking.

Top frame don't normally leak, unless you have a capilary action going
on. Might be a leak on the sides, under the top frame? Once cause is
isolated, cut away old silicone (remove top if possible, but often it is
not) and add more silicone.

Q: If I want to be a cheap-0 what is a good way to make (or buy) a hood
that I can put the two 10 gal lamps on top of? I want it to look clean
but not fancy. PetCo here has a 55 fluorescent hood for $100, Ouch!

Glass plates and then you can fit a variety of hoods on (which just slide
around on top). I pick up dual flourescent lamps systems, complete with
ballasts at reno stores. It isn't pretty, so eventually I get around to
making a nicer wooden box around them.

ps: plastic plants, air pumps, and probably the ornaments and gravel are
what I usually leave in a box somewhere.

have fun!
--
www.NetMax.tk

Thanks as always, best wishes, Karl.

On 15 Feb 2006 19:00:42 -0800, wrote:

Hi Group,

I posted a few weeks ago about my 29 gal nice tank set up which is now
home to 6 small clown loaches. They are doing very well but hide almost
all the time and they have lots of cover for security. Thanks for the
help on that to the fine group here.

I picked up a 55 gal set up for only $50! Yeehaa! It's an older one
with a center brace and thick plastic frame / molding at top and
bottom. It all came with; wooden stand / cabinet in need of speckle
repaint, gravel, lots of plastic plants, ornaments, rocks, two smaller
fluorescent lamps, one medium fluoroscent lamp, two air pumps, heater,
and a whisper 60, but no hood. It all needed LOTS of cleaning due to
nasty Arizona water deposits. It looked like they just let it all
evaporate out! Cleaned so far is tank, filter, and heater. They are
loookin' nice!

One side of the tank has no silicone bead inside so I plan to reseal
the whole thing just to be thorough and safe.

Q: do I cut out the old silicone from all corners before doing the
reseal? Do I do the same and reseal under the top fram / molding?

Live update! Tank is filled outside and top frame is leaking.

Q: If I want to be a cheap-0 what is a good way to make (or buy) a hood
that I can put the two 10 gal lamps on top of? I want it to look clean
but not fancy. PetCo here has a 55 fluorescent hood for $100, Ouch!

Thanks as always, best wishes, Karl.


48" Compact fluorescent 130 watts for 46 bucks. Their shipping charges
are high - around $15 I think. I haven't purchased from them yet, I've
made a few email inquiries and their response was timely. I didn't buy
from them because they didn't have daylight bulb in stock and I was
too impatient to wait. I'll probably buy from them soon, for one of my
smaller tanks.

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...ATS&Category=9

-- Mr Gardener

NetMax wrote:
New silicone does not stick to old silicone, so it is always a question
as to where to end the new bead. I would cut away any imbrittled
silicone from the inside and lay a fresh new bead down.

Thanks, will do and will do the whole thing with out disassembling.

Top frame don't normally leak, unless you have a capilary action going
on.

I think it is because I had it way overfilled (to the very top) to see
if level dropped. It won't normally be *that* full.

Might be a leak on the sides, under the top frame?

I think I have that too, I'll just cut away and resel all sides top and
bottom to be uniform, thorough, and safe. Tank is outside now with a
trail of water running from it over night.


Q: If I want to be a cheap-0 what is a good way to make (or buy) a hood
that I can put the two 10 gal lamps on top of? I want it to look clean
but not fancy. PetCo here has a 55 fluorescent hood for $100, Ouch!

Glass plates and then you can fit a variety of hoods on

I should have said "home made cannopy" as I have a couple lights to put
on it.

Q: Any web sites with plans ideas to make a simple but clean cannopy
from wood or glass or whatever. I can't imagine how to make glass
plates that have a space for (hang on back) filter, heater, etc... I
have lots of cats that are mezmorized by the fish so i can't have very
big gaps at top of tank.

ps: plastic plants, air pumps, and probably the ornaments and gravel are
what I usually leave in a box somewhere.

Hmmm, I find that interesting because if I were to go to WalMart (or
pet/fish store) and bought (about 15) plastic plants, (about 12 med)
rocks, and (about 6) ornaments this stuff would cost well over a
hundred or closer to two hundred bucks! These were not dingy from
algae, just sandy which cleaned off very well.

Thanks all for the fabulous ideas so far, it's going well, the stand is
"tightened up" and repainted with speckle, filter and heater are clean
and been "test" running all night outside. Gravel, plants and ornaments
are clean and ready for the new home.... STay tuned for more "Live"
updates!

GodSpeed, Karl.

wrote in message
oups.com...

NetMax wrote:
New silicone does not stick to old silicone, so it is always a question
as to where to end the new bead. I would cut away any imbrittled
silicone from the inside and lay a fresh new bead down.

Thanks, will do and will do the whole thing with out disassembling.

Top frame don't normally leak, unless you have a capilary action going
on.

I think it is because I had it way overfilled (to the very top) to see
if level dropped. It won't normally be *that* full.

Might be a leak on the sides, under the top frame?

I think I have that too, I'll just cut away and resel all sides top and
bottom to be uniform, thorough, and safe. Tank is outside now with a
trail of water running from it over night.


Q: If I want to be a cheap-0 what is a good way to make (or buy) a hood
that I can put the two 10 gal lamps on top of? I want it to look clean
but not fancy. PetCo here has a 55 fluorescent hood for $100, Ouch!

Glass plates and then you can fit a variety of hoods on

I should have said "home made cannopy" as I have a couple lights to put
on it.

Q: Any web sites with plans ideas to make a simple but clean cannopy
from wood or glass or whatever. I can't imagine how to make glass
plates that have a space for (hang on back) filter, heater, etc... I
have lots of cats that are mezmorized by the fish so i can't have very
big gaps at top of tank.

Regarding the glass plates, many pet shops sell plastic strips, 3" wide,
sold by the foot. You attach that to the glass, and make cut-outs for your
equipment. The glass panel 'grid' includes some fixed plates with a small
glass 'shelf' to hold the other plates, which slide, angle or are partials
with the aformentioned plastic strips. I have some designs on my web site,
but my server is down right now. Visiting an LFS will give you some ideas
on their construction. They are quite cat-proof.

ps: plastic plants, air pumps, and probably the ornaments and gravel are
what I usually leave in a box somewhere.

Hmmm, I find that interesting because if I were to go to WalMart (or
pet/fish store) and bought (about 15) plastic plants, (about 12 med)
rocks, and (about 6) ornaments this stuff would cost well over a
hundred or closer to two hundred bucks! These were not dingy from
algae, just sandy which cleaned off very well.

Usually (ime) free tanks come with huge rainbow coloured flourescent gravel
and plastic plants which only remotely look like plants ;~). I do have a
box of plastic plants which I dig into periodically, to hide some feature in
a dimly lit corner. I prefer silk plants if they will be more visible, but
whatever works for you.
--
www.NetMax.tk

Thanks all for the fabulous ideas so far, it's going well, the stand is
"tightened up" and repainted with speckle, filter and heater are clean
and been "test" running all night outside. Gravel, plants and ornaments
are clean and ready for the new home.... STay tuned for more "Live"
updates!

GodSpeed, Karl.

On 16 Feb 2006 11:19:14 -0800, wrote:


NetMax wrote:
New silicone does not stick to old silicone, so it is always a question
as to where to end the new bead. I would cut away any imbrittled
silicone from the inside and lay a fresh new bead down.

Thanks, will do and will do the whole thing with out disassembling.

Top frame don't normally leak, unless you have a capilary action going
on.

I think it is because I had it way overfilled (to the very top) to see
if level dropped. It won't normally be *that* full.

Might be a leak on the sides, under the top frame?

I think I have that too, I'll just cut away and resel all sides top and
bottom to be uniform, thorough, and safe. Tank is outside now with a
trail of water running from it over night.


Q: If I want to be a cheap-0 what is a good way to make (or buy) a hood
that I can put the two 10 gal lamps on top of? I want it to look clean
but not fancy. PetCo here has a 55 fluorescent hood for $100, Ouch!

Glass plates and then you can fit a variety of hoods on

I should have said "home made cannopy" as I have a couple lights to put
on it.

Q: Any web sites with plans ideas to make a simple but clean cannopy
from wood or glass or whatever. I can't imagine how to make glass
plates that have a space for (hang on back) filter, heater, etc... I
have lots of cats that are mezmorized by the fish so i can't have very
big gaps at top of tank.

ps: plastic plants, air pumps, and probably the ornaments and gravel are
what I usually leave in a box somewhere.

Hmmm, I find that interesting because if I were to go to WalMart (or
pet/fish store) and bought (about 15) plastic plants, (about 12 med)
rocks, and (about 6) ornaments this stuff would cost well over a
hundred or closer to two hundred bucks! These were not dingy from
algae, just sandy which cleaned off very well.

Thanks all for the fabulous ideas so far, it's going well, the stand is
"tightened up" and repainted with speckle, filter and heater are clean
and been "test" running all night outside. Gravel, plants and ornaments
are clean and ready for the new home.... STay tuned for more "Live"
updates!

GodSpeed, Karl.


Canopy plans:

http://www.ahsupply.com/diy.htm

For the back where the heaters and air lines go, you can buy just the
plastic part that goes with the normal glass tops. I got some from
either

www.petsolutions.com

or

www.thatfishplace.com

I can't remember which.

On Sat, 18 Feb 2006 10:15:59 GMT, "Zathoros"
wrote:


48" Compact fluorescent 130 watts for 46 bucks. Their shipping charges
are high - around $15 I think. I haven't purchased from them yet, I've
made a few email inquiries and their response was timely. I didn't buy
from them because they didn't have daylight bulb in stock and I was
too impatient to wait. I'll probably buy from them soon, for one of my
smaller tanks.

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...ATS&Category=9

-- Mr Gardener

I didn't get my lights from them, but I bought an overflow from them a few
months ago. I haven't gotten arround to plumbing it yet, though I do have a
29g aquarium I am going to use as my sump. The prices on their overflows and
sumps are very good. Assuming you don't want the kind of sump you can put
more creatures in.

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...TS&Category=36

Their prices are almost too low - low enough to make me cautious.
Though they do make up for it some with their high shipping fees. I
got the feeling from the emails we exchanged that they are growing
much faster than they had anticipated.

-- Mr Gardener

wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi Group,

I posted a few weeks ago about my 29 gal nice tank set up which is now
home to 6 small clown loaches. They are doing very well but hide almost
all the time and they have lots of cover for security. Thanks for the
help on that to the fine group here.

I picked up a 55 gal set up for only $50! Yeehaa! It's an older one
with a center brace and thick plastic frame / molding at top and
bottom. It all came with; wooden stand / cabinet in need of speckle
repaint, gravel, lots of plastic plants, ornaments, rocks, two smaller
fluorescent lamps, one medium fluoroscent lamp, two air pumps, heater,
and a whisper 60, but no hood. It all needed LOTS of cleaning due to
nasty Arizona water deposits. It looked like they just let it all
evaporate out! Cleaned so far is tank, filter, and heater. They are
loookin' nice!

One side of the tank has no silicone bead inside so I plan to reseal
the whole thing just to be thorough and safe.

Q: do I cut out the old silicone from all corners before doing the
reseal? Do I do the same and reseal under the top fram / molding?

Live update! Tank is filled outside and top frame is leaking.

Q: If I want to be a cheap-0 what is a good way to make (or buy) a hood
that I can put the two 10 gal lamps on top of? I want it to look clean
but not fancy. PetCo here has a 55 fluorescent hood for $100, Ouch!

Someone in the group mentioned making a lamp hood from a plastic rain gutter
with end caps from the home depot. sounded like a neat and cheap idea.

Brad

On Sun, 19 Feb 2006 17:30:43 -0500, "URBANFLAGE"
wrote:

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Group,

I posted a few weeks ago about my 29 gal nice tank set up which is now
home to 6 small clown loaches. They are doing very well but hide almost
all the time and they have lots of cover for security. Thanks for the
help on that to the fine group here.

I picked up a 55 gal set up for only $50! Yeehaa! It's an older one
with a center brace and thick plastic frame / molding at top and
bottom. It all came with; wooden stand / cabinet in need of speckle
repaint, gravel, lots of plastic plants, ornaments, rocks, two smaller
fluorescent lamps, one medium fluoroscent lamp, two air pumps, heater,
and a whisper 60, but no hood. It all needed LOTS of cleaning due to
nasty Arizona water deposits. It looked like they just let it all
evaporate out! Cleaned so far is tank, filter, and heater. They are
loookin' nice!

One side of the tank has no silicone bead inside so I plan to reseal
the whole thing just to be thorough and safe.

Q: do I cut out the old silicone from all corners before doing the
reseal? Do I do the same and reseal under the top fram / molding?

Live update! Tank is filled outside and top frame is leaking.

Q: If I want to be a cheap-0 what is a good way to make (or buy) a hood
that I can put the two 10 gal lamps on top of? I want it to look clean
but not fancy. PetCo here has a 55 fluorescent hood for $100, Ouch!

Someone in the group mentioned making a lamp hood from a plastic rain gutter
with end caps from the home depot. sounded like a neat and cheap idea.

Brad

That must have been me. It's a cheap way to go, and if you put a
little care into it, it looks nice. I couldn't get the rain gutter in
less than 10 foot lengths, but that was less than 5 dollars. Next time
I'm going to lightly sand the outside of it before spray painting it,
to help the paint cling tighter. The 2 socket light bulb holder with
the chain switch was about two bucks. I drilled a single hole for the
stem and chain and the nut that came with the sockets screws it right
tight to the gutter hood. Drs Foster & Smith sell three different
temperatures of full spectrum mini compact fluorescents. 10 watts
equals 50 watts of good quality light. I'm proud of my design.

-- Mr Gardener