# old metal frame tanks



## starrfish71

I have 4 metal frame tanks ranging from 5gal to 40 gal. They are in various states of disrepair. (all need resealing, some need new glass panels) I have experience resealing tanks, but I am not sure how to clean up and shine the metal with out "poisoning" the tank...

Can anyone give advice on how to do this? 

Also, once refurbished, I haven't figured out just yet how to cover them. They don't have the "lip" for lids like modern tanks. 

Any advice would be appreciated.


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## mousey

so how did you fix your tank issues?
there are a number of web site for people who make tank frames out of wood. maybe you can finish them that way.
mouse


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## fishboy

to polish metal, steel wool and time


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## leveldrummer

im not familiar with metal frames, but if they are like the new plastic ones, the tank is inside them and any way you polish them, there shouldnt be anything getting in the water, maybe just a little around the top. be careful, steel wool will definatly clean it unless its really rusty. then you probably dont want to use it anyway, you dont know what kinda damage has been done to the stuctural integrity.


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## TheOldSalt

Sorry I missed this thread when it was new.
Any metal polish will work for shining the outside frames, as long as you're careful to keep it out of the inside of the tank. 
Replace the black/tan goo sealer with modern silicone sealer. Cut out the old sealer and cover the corners with a liberal amount of silicone. This will not only waterproof the tank, it will detoxify it and keep noxious stuff like metal polish from leaking into the tank from the outside frame.


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## fishboy

were's u get metal framed tanks anyway? I was talking to my grandpa who had them when he was little, yours must be very old


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## mousey

you kids would have a fit!
My first tanks had metal frames and when we got leaks or cracks,my dad replaced the glass with window putty.(black sticky stuff).
he even built me my first heater. he worked in electronics in the 60's and had access to thermostats. he used a copper pipe with a fry pan heater and thermostat to make it. he built my light fixture too.
it was a metal frame with tin over top and an electric bulb inside. 
i had the greenest water around! i cleaned the tank annually and did a total strip down. We knew nothing of cycling a tank in those days. When i got the tank cleaned out i was always surprised to find I had some new fish and some old.
my first fish was given to me by a teenage boy as a reward for feeding his fish when he was on holiday.
The bug took hold!.
I took a goldfish with me when I went to university. When i got married i had a puppy ,a kitten, a tank, and 13 white mice. my husband made me get rid of them as he said i was not spending enough time with the babies.
We went for 35 years with no fish--just cats.
Now i have 2 cats,a dog, 3 tanks and 7 bettas.
mousey


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## starrfish71

Finally! I was beginning to think no one knew what to do here. Thanks, Old Salt. 
Should I reseal them first, then, before cleaning up the metal?

They are all very old tanks. The 20 long has a cracked slate bottom. The largest is a 40 breeder, and it only needs resealing and clean up of the metal frame. Then there is the 20 long, and a 10 gallon, both which need glass panels added, and to be sealed, and a two or five gallon with a slate bottom, which I have discovered actually holds water- I just don't know what kind of sealant was used, so I'll have to reseal it anyway.

there are varying levels of rust, so I think a combo of steel wool and metal polish will be the way I go.

I still can't figure out lids. 

I have an idea for the 40g: I was thinking of siliconing around the inside of the top lip a glass extension (maybe 4 or 5 inches high), so I can have plants that are partially submerged, like dwarf papyrus, lucky bamboo,and maybe a peace lily, and just fitting a glass piece to the middle of the tank, to keep my birds and cats out, mostly; and having a hanging light over the tank. My initial idea is to keep fancy goldfish in it, make it kind of asian style....


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## Midnighttrain

I know this thread isnt that recent but I wanted to comment on the lids anyway. I have a 29g metaframe and was lucky enough to also have the original hood for it. Instead of sitting inside on a lip like modern hoods it sits on top of the metal frame and the hood itself has a lip on the inside to keep it from sliding around.
I know this probably doesn't help much unless you can get ahold of an old lid though.  

Good luck with your tanks.
By the way, I had trouble with my tank leaking at first. The old black sealant had gotten dried out. I tried to reseal it with silicone until someone mentioned that silicone wont stick to slate  and they told me to fill it up and wait, because the black junk will work again once it's been wet a while. And this did work for me.


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## captaineddie

I have an old 29 gallon Metaframe aquarium that I recently resealed using silicone, and the sealer did seem to stick to the slate bottom. I haven't tested it yet for leakage and may find that the silicone didn't stick, and therefore, won't hold water. I guess I'll find out. . .


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## OldTanks

fishboy said:


> were's u get metal framed tanks anyway? I was talking to my grandpa who had them when he was little, yours must be very old


*They were from approx. late 1920's to the 1960's, and mostly made from stainless steel*


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## Mikaila31

There were a couple metal frame tanks at the last aquarium auction I was at. They are interesting things. The ones at the auction looked very nice and had original hoods. I wasn't surprised to see them go for more than a brand new tank.


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## TheOldSalt

There is a fish store down in Florida.. I can't remember where, but it's been running since around 1970. That in itself is pretty amazing since most fish & pet stores don't last very long, but the cool thing is that everything is still original. All the tanks in the place, oodles of them, are metaframes. I found the place on accident once and popped in for a look, and couldn't believe my eyes. It was like going back in time, and it was awesome.
The fish were in impeccable condition, too, and most of the tanks were planted!
Man, I wish I could remember where it is, since I'd love to go back and take some pictures of it. Do any of you florida people know this place?


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