Setting up a used tank, but first... a quick question?

[Will Perry]

So, I just inherited an Oceanic 42 gallon hexagon aquarium. I have already gone over the plans to build a new stand since the old one has some water damage and I'm just not playing that game. I am going to be setting up a decent sized sump and a protein skimmer that may just be a bit overkill, but why not? I am ordering some lights form another R2R member that will work to grow everything I want to get in the tank. Add some chaeto, and I think I am going to be A-Okay on filtration and lighting! I have a phosban reactor and a great charcoal filter I may setup later, but those may become an afterthought for now.

So, after that long-winded explanation, to the real question: I do not know the history of this hexagon... should I go ahead and redo the silicone seals inside the tank? I believe it was always freshwater, but I do not know if it has ever had any chemical medicines in it. What would you do?

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Water test it first. Then wipe it down. As far as copper or other meds Im sure some others would have some better advice then me.

 

[cracker]

I always liked Hex tanks . If building a new stand use the old one for dimensions & angles. How will You plumb it? As for the seals? How does the tank look over all? If it looks beat up then maybe. If it holds water & looks OK to You, then I'd consider it good to go ! I had a Hex way back. Always wanted a center drain & output .

 

[mike werner]

the only tank I ever had leak was a hex.it's a lot of seams to trust.also the seams are not as easy to get a good new seal on.jmo

 

[Kayotic5011]

One thing I like about silicone is nothing sticks to it...except dirt (I know this from reptile cages)...anywho I don't believe you have to worry about anything medicine wise in that tank being in the silicone unless the person you got it from was just dumping bottles of it it there and the water was more medicine than water in which case the occupants wouldn't have been alive anyway therefore leaving no reason to keep dumping in meds lol....Imo, but just my personal opinion your good as long as the seal is in good enough condition to hold water and its clean.

I like octo tanks myself, great for 360 center reefs.

 

[Will Perry]

I always liked Hex tanks . If building a new stand use the old one for dimensions & angles. How will You plumb it? As for the seals? How does the tank look over all? If it looks beat up then maybe. If it holds water & looks OK to You, then I'd consider it good to go ! I had a Hex way back. Always wanted a center drain & output .

Sadly, I have a small apartment and I will be using an overflow box i was given with the sump. Everything is 2nd hand, but I knew the guy that the sump, overflow, and skimmer came from. I'm actually wanting to do a "second-hang budget tank" section on the build thread. Also, I want to keep the old stand for later... but I am going to just build a basic box stand and this is my first time building anything like this. It's funny how reef keeping with take you in so many "handy-man" directions. First you want fish and corals, next thing you know you become a plumber, electrician, and carpenter just to get SPS in your tank.

Also, the tank looks alright and it was holding water when I took it over. My sister had it setup with freshwater. Her kids decided to dump an entire bottle of fishfood into the tank creating a full crash. She moved the fish that survived into another tank and said "come get it! I'm done! I don't want to mess with it anymore!" So, I did. I've always wanted a hex, myself. A large cube will be my next tank, hopefully!

 

[Kayotic5011]

It's funny how reef keeping with take you in so many "handy-man" directions. First you want fish and corals, next thing you know you become a plumber, electrician, and carpenter just to get SPS in your tank.

lol, that is so true.

Theres nothing wrong with a second tank, I reuse mine all the time, as a matter of fact the 40gallon reef tank i had set up has been rebuilt into a 40 gallon refugium, for my 120 gallon I upgraded to, from that 40 lol. Not to mention the tank, over flow, and sump or refugium which ever one gets is a big part of the cost so thats perfect.....as for building that stand...if there's one bit of advise i can give you its this....support, support, support...you can not go wrong with supports.....example of how much something weights with water ...my 120 gal without water is 215lbs, with water 1400lbs plus I added 160lbs of sand and another 30lbs of rock easy so thats 1590lbs right there....I say this because I got forced into upgrading before I wanted to (but dont regret), the problem was the ganster lean my old tank stand had from holding so many tanks then a 40gallon with sand water and rocks. I was forced to make another stand and with that I decided screw it im going for my upgrade to my 120 and did. Upon taking apart the 40 gallon breeder tank stand I noticed I left out 2 very important supports where I really could have used them. Although I didnt come home to my tank all over my floor thank goodness, but I still could have and that was to close for me.



You cant really see the ganster lean in this image but it was there, the whole stand was starting to twist (just had been used so long and it was missing two important supports).

 

[Will Perry]

lol, that is so true.

Theres nothing wrong with a second tank, I reuse mine all the time, as a matter of fact the 40gallon reef tank i had set up has been rebuilt into a 40 gallon refugium, for my 120 gallon I upgraded to, from that 40 lol. Not to mention the tank, over flow, and sump or refugium which ever one gets is a big part of the cost so thats perfect.....as for building that stand...if there's one bit of advise i can give you its this....support, support, support...you can not go wrong with supports.....example of how much something weights with water ...my 120 gal without water is 215lbs, with water 1400lbs plus I added 160lbs of sand and another 30lbs of rock easy so thats 1590lbs right there....I say this because I got forced into upgrading before I wanted to (but dont regret), the problem was the ganster lean my old tank stand had from holding so many tanks then a 40gallon with sand water and rocks. I was forced to make another stand and with that I decided screw it im going for my upgrade to my 120 and did. Upon taking apart the 40 gallon breeder tank stand I noticed I left out 2 very important supports where I really could have used them. Although I didnt come home to my tank all over my floor thank goodness, but I still could have and that was to close for me.



You cant really see the ganster lean in this image but it was there, the whole stand was starting to twist (just had been used so long and it was missing two important supports).

Do you have plans from your new stand or where the two supports should have been in the old stand??

 

[Kayotic5011]

Do you have plans from your new stand or where the two supports should have been in the old stand??

I sure dont, well not laid out in drawing anyway, I do though have a few pics of the 120 strand I built which was just about the same as the 40, let me throw up a couple of those they might have the visual your looking for......welp nvm on that I cant seem to find them, The only one I have found may not help you as much as I was hoping because its just not a proper angle......but in the pic of the old 40 stand tank a look at those legs in front, not the two middle supports but the actual corner legs. Those are 3 2x4's each, one that was the orignal leg to hold the top of the stand up and two more, one on the front and one on the side to add the extra support and rigidity....so just in the front of the stand alone there are 8 2x4's if you count the two middle ones too. The ones I left out were on the back of the stand, I left them out purposely to help implement another idea that never came to light because of getting to busy, so where the front two legs were made of three 2x4's each the back legs of that stand were only two 2x4's and that was enough to cause the eventual "bag n sag" of my stand.....here is a pick of just the frame and hood for the 120 I built

 

[Kayotic5011]

ment to add these two as well......I built this stand to stick off my wall so I can have access to three sides of my reef and technically get 3 sides to display

 

[Kayotic5011]

it now looks like this.

 

[Will Perry]

ment to add these two as well......I built this stand to stick off my wall so I can have access to three sides of my reef and technically get 3 sides to display

That looks seriously amazing!

 

[Kayotic5011]

That looks seriously amazing!

Thank you, very much appreciated. I am enjoying having 3 sides of my tank for viewing pleasures, and reef building fun. Here is a some what recent pic of my tank, though its a lot cleaner now.

I have since taken out those loose rocks only leaving a couple, but the column remains. I'm hoping to build another column this friday for the other side and possibly a bridge connecting the two.

 

[Will Perry]

Thank you, very much appreciated. I am enjoying having 3 sides of my tank for viewing pleasures, and reef building fun. Here is a some what recent pic of my tank, though its a lot cleaner now.

I have since taken out those loose rocks only leaving a couple, but the column remains. I'm hoping to build another column this friday for the other side and possibly a bridge connecting the two.

Nice!! Let me know ow when you have it together with more pics.

 

[Kayotic5011]

OOO! Wanna see one of my newest finds??? I call it a Krypto Raisin, but I'm pretty sure its a Platygyra