Aquarium Repair and Modifications in Calgary

[lockrookie]

just my 2 cents there are a few ppl selling some really great tanks on here for a steal. my suggestion is contact them .. one isnt even built yet so you can have it customozed to your liking... i too am budget minded and purchaced a 180g tank off used regina with a cracked pane.. which i ordered teh glass myself and repaired myself.. it can be done if you are patient. as well as i understand how much glass costs as i have just experianced it.

my questions for you are these.

if you reseal the tank and use it as is would you be happy with it or would you wish you had waited and gone another way

is it worth the hastle to cut up the tank and resize it or get the perfect size for your space. (thought about doing this and the wife talked me out of it thank gawd)

how bad will those scratches look after you have set up an amazing system but if that one scratch just wasnt right there collecting algea.....(personally effected on this note)

and lastly do you want to set up a tank that you knowingly will not be happy with just to have a bigger tank. rather than take your time save a few pennies and get something you and your family will enjoy (and stress over at times lol) for many years to come.

this hobby's key aspects are patience, research, patience, reasearch, some procrastination but mostly patience and reasearch. take the time to plan the spot to have it the lighting the tank every aspect. and in the end you can sit back and enjoy your creation without haveing theafter thoughts ,, if only i had thought of that then... i rushed my first tank.. made huge mistakes.. and ask questions we are here to help.

[muck]

Tony is correct. Tempered glass will shatter into millions of pieces if you try cut or drill it.

[sphelps]

This is how people develop hoarding problems, when they assume something has value when in reality it does not, hence why it just "showed up". The cost of disposal is likely more than it's value.

However with that said I can also offer some more useful information.
First others are correct tempered glass can not be modified in anyway no matter where you take it. However how do you know it's tempered? It's unlikely the whole tank would be unless it's some kind of special build but virtually no tanks are ever fully tempered, some tanks do have tempered bases but that's usually as for as it goes. So if you're planning anything relating to using the tank, first confirm if it's tempered.

If the tank is something you want to use then consider just replacing the viewable sides with new glass (doesn't have to be tempered provided thickness is correct. You can reseal the the rest of the tank without disassembly, simply remove the silicone bead from the inside and reseal with the correct silicone. However don't go down this road unless the current tank size is something you desire. If you'd prefer something closer to 100 gallons consider buying a new 90 gallon, brand new price is typically $300 or less for a standard 90 gallon. You can get used ones in good shape for half that or less. It's much cheaper to buy standard tanks than build custom ones yourself.

[sphelps]

New 90 gallon with stand in Calgary for $275.
http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-pets-acce...AdIdZ362970359

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by lockrookie

and ask questions we are here to help.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, and to get me thinking critically about it.

In the event it didn't work out as an aquarium, it would be back to "Plan A" with it: to turn it into a terrarium for tropical plants. I've got three plant terrariums in the house, and I'm looking to do a larger one (not necessarily this big, though).

Terrariums are a bit more forgiving then aquariums in a lot of ways. Even an open terrarium can really increase the variety of plants that we can have in our dry homes. All of my plant terrariums are aquariums that were badly damaged and no longer held water. It is okay if I get sloppy with the silicone on those, as the silicone isn't as noticeable when the aquarium is 1/4 full of soil.

Originally Posted by sphelps

This is how people develop hoarding problems, when they assume something has value when in reality it does not, hence why it just "showed up". The cost of disposal is likely more than it's value.

Well, it was a little more complicated then that. Trust me, the gory details (or what I said to hubby) are not required.

Originally Posted by sphelps

However with that said I can also offer some more useful information.
First others are correct tempered glass can not be modified in anyway no matter where you take it. However how do you know it's tempered?

Umm . . . Hubby said so. Sorry. Best answer I can give. I will be questioning him further about this when I get home this evening.

You've given me some great ideas. Thanks!

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by sphelps

New 90 gallon with stand in Calgary for $275.
http://calgary.kijiji.ca/c-pets-acce...AdIdZ362970359

Thanks! That does look like good value.

It will be a couple of years before I go up to something big. My little 10 gallon will probably be moved into something around 40 gallons or so as an intermediate step.

[globaldesigns]

Welcome to Canreef!

I personally would go larger... 10 gallon won't last you long, and I will give you 1-2 months before you want bigger. I speak from experience, starting with a 28 gallon, and most reefers here can probably agree with me.

I am not saying go HUGE... But you should maybe consider larger, how big depends on you, your location, etc. But the bigger you go, means you can do more... More choice for coral, if you are thinking this... More choice for fish. Easier to take care of.

Just my 2 cents. Have fun!

[lockrookie]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

Welcome to Canreef!

I personally would go larger... 10 gallon won't last you long, and I will give you 1-2 months before you want bigger. I speak from experience, starting with a 28 gallon, and most reefers here can probably agree with me.

I am not saying go HUGE... But you should maybe consider larger, how big depends on you, your location, etc. But the bigger you go, means you can do more... More choice for coral, if you are thinking this... More choice for fish. Easier to take care of.

Just my 2 cents. Have fun!

+100

[Enigma]

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I personally would go larger... 10 gallon won't last you long, and I will give you 1-2 months before you want bigger. I speak from experience, starting with a 28 gallon, and most reefers here can probably agree with me.

I can't go bigger until my credit card recovers a bit. Even setting up a 10 gallon has been very, very, costly . . . and I've yet to add any livestock beyond a couple of snails. I do have some marco rock to get seeded for the next size up, though.

[Enigma]

Well, the 150 gallon tank has been picked up by a friend of a friend, to become a reptile terrarium. It should work very well for that.