125 gal salvageable??

[BallinCrew10]

So I have a 125 sitting in my dads barn. Decided to take a closer look today while I was there to get this project rolling. Its an OLD o'dell tank and as you can see in the pics the frame?(not sure if that's what its called) is cracked, falling off, and all in all useless. I cannot afford a new tank as I have a 2 month old and 5yr old daughters. I was really looking forward to cleaning this one up and bringing it back to life. Can I buy a new frame and silicone it on there ? I currently have a 75 that would be upgraded to this tank if at all possible. Thanks for any input.

 

[BallinCrew10]

I've done a little research and found that tank frames are available but not for the size I would need. Biggest one I've found is 48x18. Anyone have experience replacing a frame? From what I've read it can be a real pain.

 

[carey]

I hope you do well on this project, that tank looks rough. lol

Are you going to reseal it while youre at it?

This stuff is way beyond me but I'm curious to see if you can redeem it.

 

[BallinCrew10]

Yea its pretty rough, but I feel like it can be done lol. I am gonna reseal it as its been sitting there for a while. Even if it holds water I don't want to worry about it later when its up and running. I might be in a little over my head as well since I have no experience doing any of this but worst case it sits an I continue to run my 75 lol

 

[carey]

A 125g is a sweet upgrade though, I just finished my build. It makes such a world of difference. I can't wait to get another one for my reef.

There's tons of people on here the DIY type, that I'm sure can walk you through it.

 

[carey]

hey you said you have 5 yr old daughters, you have twins?

 

[mfdrookie516]

Moved to General Hardware/Equipment forum.


I know glasscages sells frames, which is probably where you were looking, but I've never seen a 6' frame. In all reality though, I think you would probably spend so much on the frame and shipping that a new/used tank would be more economical. I see 125g tanks on craigslist all the time. I recently purchased a 125g tank and stand for $200. So, it may be worth it to take a look around and see what you can find. I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable without replacing the frame on that tank though.

 

[Smitty]

I really don't know if it is realistic but I have seen some tanks that don't have frames but on the top have extra bracing on the corners or all the way around the top frame. Just like the bottom glass but only 2" or so wide all the way around. Maybe something like that with two 4" wide middle braces or something might work?

 

[iDream]

That's called Euro-bracing and it's mostly seen on acrylic tanks.

In this case I don't believe that would work, just adding it on like that

 

[BallinCrew10]

hey you said you have 5 yr old daughters, you have twins?

No I have a 5 year old and a 2 month old. A twin of my 5 year old would be a hassle lol

Yea just looking at it empty there's a huge difference.

I did look at glasscages.com and a few other sites but haven't seen any 6' frames.

I have checked craigslist an such for deals but haven't found anything in the area. The selling point on this tank to my fiancé is that I already have it and its free lol. Though if I'm not 100% that it'll work I'm def not risking everything in my 75 in it.

 

[carey]

Well let us know if you find a frame and bring this guy back to life.

 

[BallinCrew10]

Yea I'd like to as its a pretty old tank and I believe o'dell is out of business. Also it would be cool to bring it back from the dead lol. If I can find a frame I'll start a build thread when I get the ball rolling.

 

[barterking85]

ever thought of building one out of wood i have made some nice ones before using pine and your stain of choice

 

[BallinCrew10]

Yea I'll be building the stand as well. My dad has a sawmill and the wood would be free. I would paint it black though, that's what mine is now and I like the black better than stained.

 

[barterking85]

yeah i painted all the stands i built black it seems to look better and you dont have to seal it when your done thats awesome your dad has a sawmill i build tank stuff like crazy free wood would be awesome

 

[BallinCrew10]

Yea the free wood part kinda made the decision for me even though I've never built a stand before lol.

 

[barterking85]

you can take a look at mine in my album in my profile or my gallery check them out comment if you like and i could help you through it

 

[BallinCrew10]

Thanks I'll definatly take a look.