Restoration Project i found at a yard sale

[Doc345]

basicly i was browsing around and saw a siqn that said big fish tank 10$ at this yard sale inquired basicly the guy said follow me and i followed him into a room he showed my the tank it had a little water in it he said get it out of his house for him and he will sell it to me for 10 bucks i gave him 10$,
Here are some pictures of it i was wondering if anyone could give me some advise on how to restore it? and get rid of all the salt that covers it?

picture of the tank
Im thinking of useing Wood primer on the stand to make it stand out
but im not sure on how to get that blasted salt off.
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This is the salt that is on it
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These where taken before i removed it from the room.

[MrDrums]

First, LOTS of hot water and a clean brush for scubbing - NO soap. That should get the tank looking pretty good. What equipment did it come with?

[Doc345]

everything in the picture

[korith]

Like said in the previous post, hot water works on the tank. If you need a bit more cleaning power, use some vinegar that works well on those white deposits. You can get some cleaning pads, just make sure they won't scratch the tank. If all else fails you could use a bit of bleach and water and let it sit for a while, then scrub and rinse really well until the bleach smell is gone.

Looks like a great find. Just a bit of work to clean it up.

Oh just a bit warning, resist the temptation to use a power washer! Saw a post on some other forum where someone took a power washer to a tank and blew the bottom out:hmm3grin2orange:

[Doc345]

That would be bad im considering redoing the silicone but i have never done it

[korith]

That would be bad im considering redoing the silicone but i have never done it

If you are gonna redo it, that's a lot more work. New silicone won't stick to old silicone. You can take the trim off the tank using a putty knife or another flat edge. Then it's just a matter of scraping/peeling off all the old silicone. Any old silicone residue left on glass will need to cleaned up using some alcohol. GE 1 silicone will work. Avoid any silicone that has mold fungicides and such in it.

Maybe easier just cleaning the tank up and selling it a reptile tank, then buying a used tank in better condition.

[Doc345]

yeah im deffentiltly considering fliping it but i will figure that out once im done

[Dave66]

Shouldn't be any problem cleaning up the tank and using it, and no real need to redo the silicone unless the tank leaks. I use sea salt and a plastic brillo pad to get the goop off, then take the tank outside and use a garden hose to wash everything down. Tank is big enough to need it, get a friend to help you move the tank, dump the water out, etc.

Isn't hard to clean up a 'yard sale' tank, since I've done it many times back in my starving college student day. It just takes work. You could sand down the stand and stain and water proof it (with polyurethane) to suit you, and with a little elbow grease, that tank set up could be as good as new.

Dave

[Doc345]

Im not to worryed about moving the tank im a big guy, the water is out its in my room now but what is a plastic brillo pad?

[korith]

Im not to worryed about moving the tank im a big guy, the water is out its in my room now but what is a plastic brillo pad?

One of those plastic frilly scrubby things you clean pots and pans with to remove stuff that is caked on. Not a metal one which will scratch the glass.

[i_am_511]

I was thinking about you could take it to a car wash and spray it down but i guess thats the same as a power washer.....I was just thinking the speed without holding the wand in

[gadget228]

My thirty looked like that when I first got it, with mine I took it outside when the weather was still warm and laid it down on its side and poured enough vinegar to cover the glass and let it sit for a couple hours then scrubbed it with a stiff brush. Once I got one side clean I flipped it to another side and did it again. Took it awhile and have a couple small spots that have a haze to the glass but it looks good enough for a free used tank.