Need tank resealer

[Steve]

Well I'm reachin' out in hopes someone else here knows someone that can take apart and reseal big tanks. My 265g has been sitting for about a year since I started the build of it and the office in the basement and I'm too the point now where it either needs to be up and running, or I'm just gonna dispose of it and basically get out of the hobby for the most part and only keep one 55g with some fish in it.

I know theres that Dan guy Blair knows but to be honest that is becoming a dead end road trying to reach that guy now. He replied back to me last week and I missed his call over the weekend while I was out taking care of some storm damage and now for whatever reason I can not get him to even return a message. Phone calls, emails both go un replied too for whet ever reason. I contacted an aquarium service business in Rochester Hills which I thought might be a means to get someone there to come out and see if they can rebuild it but as my luck goes no dice there either.

I'm pretty much at the end of my rope here now with this to be honest. I was hoping to be able to get someone to get it up and running so I could get fish from the Oct fall auction but time is running out on that now and really my frustration level is running out at an even faster pace.

If anyone knows  ANYONE that does tank rebuilding on larger tanks please let me know before I finally decide to throw in the towel and be done with this.

[GrizzlysDad]

Man Steve, I understand your frustration but keep the faith brother. Many of us are waiting patiently to see your talents expressed with that huge tank. Maybe it's possible that Dan is experiencing power outage issues and just hasn't been able to contact you?
And here's a way to look on the bright side...the winter auction will be right around the corner and usually is bigger/better and you'd have more choices 

[Steve]

Messages were on his cell phone so doubt that's the issue.

Been tryin to keep the faith Tony, but at a certain point it goes from faith to futility, and I'm just about to the later at this point.

[GrizzlysDad]

Feed off of us for continued faith bud  . I'm making some calls to see if I can find someone to do the job. Let me ask you, will you be open to the possibility of having to get the tank moved to a facility if the option for in-home repair isn't available?

[Regalblue]

Dan has always been tough to get a hold of.  His kids & job keep him pretty busy, unless It's the slow time of year for his work. 

If you find somebody let me know.  We still have the aid for you No matter who does the work.

[Steve]

I think in home is gonna be the only way. Mainly because it is so heavy that carrying out up the stairs, then finding a way to load and transport it then carry it back down the stairs would be next to impossible. Plus since I built the wall in front of it I really don't think it would fit through the doorway now to be honest.

There's room to work on it where it is, probably a good 10ft by 8ft area where it sits. And I can get my brother in law and Nephew plus myself to give someone a hand with the lifting and holding during the rebuild. I just need someone with experience/knowledge to head it up so I don't end up with leaks again.

So I can provide some muscle and help with the job as well as whatever the cost is. Just need to hire the knowledge most importantly. If you find someone let me know, you should have my # so just pass it along to them if you find someone.

Thanks Tony.

[Steve]

Someone from a company I contacted today said Great Lakes Aquariums may do reseal jobs since they build tanks. I know I have heard that name here before so before I waste time contacting them figured I'd see if anyone here knows if they do that sort of thing or not?

[jcunningham0295]

Someone from a company I contacted today said Great Lakes Aquariums may do reseal jobs since they build tanks. I know I have heard that name here before so before I waste time contacting them figured I'd see if anyone here knows if they do that sort of thing or not?

I am not sure, but I heard Steve is a good guy to deal with.  Don't give up.  Keep the faith.  It will get there.

[Regalblue]

If they do,  you'll have to bring them the tank. 

[Steve]

If they do,  you'll have to bring them the tank. 

Figures. That rules them out then since I cant get it out of the basement.

Don't give up.  Keep the faith.  It will get there.

Been tryin' not too bud, but I've exhausted just about every lead I've had and they are all dead ends now it seems. I actually just checked and it's been longer than I thought it was that I've had it, I got the tank exactly 18 months ago. I'm seriously just at the end of my rope with this and think I'm just gonna call it quits I believe. When a hobby stops being fun and becomes just stress and let downs then it's just not worth it anymore.

[Steve]

Well after doing a lot of thinking and searching tonight and research on how guys build & seal plywood aquariums it got me to thinking. Since I did an all 3D backgrounds on this tank with the entire back of the tank and both sides of the tank are all covered where you can't see them, plus the tank being built into the rock wall there's a 2" edge around the whole front viewing glass that is covered by the wall. So basically it's in essence the same as most plywood tanks are with only the front panel viewable, so there's no reason I can't treat it as a plywood tank.

Meaning  this...I found this product which guys use for plywood tank building to seal seams to make plywood tanks watertight http://liquidrubber.ca/collections/frontpage/products/liquid-rubber-waterproof-sealant

They also have a tape you can put down before the coating to add even more insurance when you use it on glass http://liquidrubber.ca/collections/products-page/products/seam-tape

If I can't get anyone to seal this thing then I really have nothing to lose by trying this myself. At least then I'll have done absolutely everything I possibly could to get this darn thing up and running. Going to do a bit more research on it and if it seems like it might work then this may be last hurrah try at this tank before I call it quits.

[GrizzlysDad]

That's the spirit Steve! Just like fishing...."ah, just one more cast". 

I heard back from one of my contacts and he said almost all the companies that did this work gave up several years ago when their liability insurance went from $320 to $5000 per year.

[Ron]

They also have a tape you can put down before the coating to add even more insurance when you use it on glass http://liquidrubber.ca/collections/products-page/products/seam-tape

Where did it specifically mention glass? I looked at the link and it mentioned a number of things, but glass wasn't one of them. I'd be worried that if you used it in a tank you'll have various air gaps between the tape and the seam. Personally, I'd rather have a solid bead with no air.

I've found with my car hobby, sometimes things go really poorly, but it's better to let things sit until you feel interested in working on them again. Put rods through the block - didn't drive it for over a year. 1-2 years after it was back on the road, what should have been a simple fuel upgrade turned into a full on redo - sat for a year, I've been working on it this year, and another snafu has led it probably not being driven until next spring. 

I get that there's a nagging reminder of an unfinished project, but unless you need money out of it or the space for something else, I'd take some time.

[Steve]

Trust me I know all about just walking away and taking time from a project Ron  As a car guy myself I've been working on my 69 GTO for 13 yrs now and still have probably a few more yrs to go on it, so patience is one thing I do have  But after 18 months and one failed reseal attempt already, and now finding out there is no one that will reseal it for me, I've basically run out of options now.

This is where they mention glass. Someone asks in the FAQ's about sealing the glass window on a plywood tank and they say the tape first then sealer is the best way. The section where they mention glass is right here at this link http://support.liquidrubber.ca/hc/en-us/articles/200473219-How-can-I-seal-glass-to-your-product

Check out the video of how they do the corner in this link with the tape then liquid rubber sealer, it's the 2nd video down http://liquidrubber.ca/collections/products-page/products/seam-tape now of course you want to try to avoid any air bubbles or gaps, but the thing I have found about this liquid rubber so far (from what I can find) is that it is much "tougher" than silicone. So as long as you have the tape in the corners and seam, then seal over it with the liquid sealer then even if you did have a small bubble or gap it wont leak.  To be honest I actually think for someone like myself that is not experienced at siliconing huge tanks there is much more of a chance to have air/gaps in silicone than there is this stuff. For an experienced tank builder that may not be the case, but for someone that doesn't have that experience I believe this may be easier to get a good seal with. The fact that the liquid rubber is brushed on, is tougher, and can be applied a bit thicker seems like it may be the best option for me to get this thing watertight.

It's some pretty impressive stuff, check out this link where some guy tests making a cardboard box watertight with it (there's two follow up vids as well where it still hasn't leaked a week later) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmvqU_3qM64

BTW Ron, didn't know you were a car guy as well. What do you have you are working on?

[jcunningham0295]

That's the spirit Steve! Just like fishing...."ah, just one more cast". 

I heard back from one of my contacts and he said almost all the companies that did this work gave up several years ago when their liability insurance went from $320 to $5000 per year.

I got the same thing from some of my contacts as well.  Do you know exactly where the tank is leaking from?