re sealing of 9ft tank

hi all

i was just wondering how long would you leave tank to set/cure before you start backfilling, i am in the process of resealing by 9 ft tank , had a luck escape ONLY A SMALL LEAK , not bad after 20 years.
i hadn't seen the bottom of the tank in 10 years, so i can't complain.

i was just wondering what your thoughts on reusing old media ( all the bugs in sand) or should i start afresh

i am open to suggestions on media ( i have Malawi cichlid stock) was using white aquarium sand and small amount of gravel with large rock display- issue here is that white sand discolours with was ( i am forever snorkeling sand to keep clean.

another though i might do is to set a sump in bottom of tank ( how easy is this to do in 1/2 plate glass - no reinforced/meshed) have been using FX 5 UNITS for last few years.

any suggestions would be great, as i have the opportunity to do changes now.

thanks

Graham

Hi , i would sudjest you contact Bart about this he is on the forum , i have his number if you want , he recently built my 350 litre coldwater tank with a sump , a great job . Something is telling me he said the silicone takes one day to dry for every milimeter thickness of glass , eg 10mil glass 10 days to dry . I have reused gravel after giving it a good wash without any problem , Robert

in my opinion re using sand is fine, as long as it has a good wash before hand like robert said.

Silicone resealing you should give it the 1 day for every mil like robert said but give it an extra 2 days on top to make sure it cures, so for 10mil 12 days, 8mil 10 days etc. I would always want to be safe than sorry lol.

Changing to a sump system can be done in a few ways. First is by getting someone in to drill it for an overflow which i always feel is the best way to do it. Bart has great backing from everyone who has gotten tanks done by him. The overflow would also help hide all piping and return from the sump so its my preferred way of doing it.

Next way is getting an overflow box, which hangs on the side of the aquarium and brings water down to the sump underneath. Its fine as long as you don't mind things on the outside/back of the tank. You would still be organizing someone to build you a sump as well.

Hope that helps out abit, cant really help you with the sand as i do marine as dont have enough knowledge on freshwater.

Being that your tank is that big you will need to check what sort of glass the bottom of the tank is.
You mention that it's not reinforced or meshed, but toughened glass can't be drilled. Also depending on how old the tank is. I am not sure if glass has a 'best before date' for drilling, and will be to brittle to drill now. 20 years seems to me that this could be the case, but Bart will guide you on that.
He may suggest that you just get a new bottom bit of glass and reuse the sides, or even get optiwhite for the front now as well.
If it can't be drilled you will have to go with a hang on overflow.
have a sump on my tank and am so pleased with it. I have a Blau pump on mine, and because it's controllable (from 1-99%) you can control it so precisely that you get no noise whatsoever. This makes wife very happy! As for the gravel, change it for new. After 20 years you have had your money's worth, and do you want to risk bring any nasty stuff with you?
Hope this helps.

hi robert

could you PM me Barts Number, want to contact him to ask about possibility of drilling sump in tank- feasible in old glass.
thanks Graham

Hi Barts number is 0851681733 , one very sound guy ,am sure he will be able to help you . Robert

hi all

have finally finished sealing of tank.
left for a week , and topped up in quarters till full. THANK GOD NO LEAKS.

I HAVE SET OLD PUMPS BACK UP ,and am just wondering how long will new tank (80% new water)
will take before introduction of fish back again.

is there any tips on remedies to add to mature water , as i don't want to loose any fish after all the bother of resealing tank.

all comments welcome

Were you able to save and keep alive any of the old filter media ? If not its really like cycling a new tank . Have you thought about using Organic Aqua , this would enable you to restock the tank straight away . I used this on my 420 litre coldwater tank for three months just comming off it now to use the filter media in the sump , its great stuff and certainly works . This is just my imput am sure more knowledgable people will add their advise and help .

Just as a matter or interest what did you use to seal it

Cycling a tank has nothing to do with aged water....Its all about building a proper colony of Ammonia and NitrIte eating bacteria in your filter media...

If its a brand new filter with brand new media your tank will need to go through the cycling process before it is fit for the introduction of fish...

Now if you have another tank running simply take some of the established filter media from that filter and put it in the new filter....This is technically an instant cyle BUT "DO NOT" add too many fish initially...Along with the filter media from the established tank dose the tank with Tetra Safe Start good bacteria in a bottle (not to be confused with Aquasafe which is dechlorintaor)..........Seeding a new filter with media from an established tank along with dosing Safe Start bacteria has NEVER failed me for an instant tank cycle....Just like I said stock the tank gradually for the first while....

I reckon you can double the stocking level weekly without any chances of Mini Cycle issues (ONLY once you are 100% sure your tank is cycled already) Meaning zero Ammonia and Zero NitrIte and readable NitrAtes...

Organic Aqua definitely works but my opinion is that the lack of water changes isnt good for the fish....Weekly water changes are not just to dilute NitrAtes, The new water replaces essential minerals important for long term fish health aswell.....Also the other issue I have with Organic Aqua is what do you do if your fish get sick (Whitespot etc) Large water changes are a must when dealing with disease....

Hence the reason i am now taking my coldwater tank off organic aqua , also reckon that water change increase the growth rate of the fish

hi robert

i had bought Tech 7, BUT thought better of it. and went with proper silicone that i bought in Seahouse. only €5.00 in the difference so wasn't to expensive . 2 tubes done the whole lot. with some to spare.

hi gunnered

i bought an API QUICK START bottle in pet shop today. hopefully will do the job. had cycled old pumps with good bacteria into new tank and have put a few fish in to see the results, i am waiting for a few days before i put my larger ( more expensive ) fish in tank.

Often wondered about tec 7 great product we use it in the motor trade a good bit , they say its fish safe but i wonder , you did the right thing and used the seahorse product . So thats tank sealed for another 10 years job well done

ya. once you read into product details on tech 7 it says that silicone is always flexible, not a good idea with big tank, proper fish silicone goes hard over a few days.

any photos or video updates on the 9ft tank ?
do you still have all the african cichlids or did you change the setup.

How did you handle such a big very heavy tank, I've a 9 ft tank and it took 6 men to lift it on the cabinet. My fear is how much longer my now ageing cabinet will last, I've night mares about having to move the tank to install a new cabinet.

hi

still have the african cichlid set up, have developed a mature group over the last 5 years and couldn't give them up. although i was thinking of a big change ( salt water setup) for a while until i thought of the cost it would take to start from scratch.

Fish are in tank i have just lumped in stone/ bog wood( i known PH issues) and am going to set up over next few days. have set air stone and grids so i will have fun messing around to get the best effect. i have sourced a good supply of coral sand to correct PH .

old set up picture
i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj552/cichl...0203_zps5e0513ec.jpg


i am going for a different more open plan design this time around
start of new setup

i1267.photobucket.com/albums/jj552/cichl...6531_zpsny1hrpvq.jpg

hi paul

tank has only been moved once ( initial set up on metal frame), i done the resealing in place ( the wife gave out about the smell of silcone for days). i wasn't going to take the risk of moving it outside( as you said 6 men and a younger back the last time).
the next move hopefully in a few years will be and upgrade to a custom built job for salties. ( when i win the lotto).