Question On Used Heaters, And Possible Crack In 55 Gallon Tank

[cowgirluntamed]

So I went and bought a used 55 gallon tank with accessories for $120 off of Craigslist. The guy said it never leaked or anything and it didn't have any cracks. Well...it was basically a take out of his car and put it in my car thing and I only really looked at it after I got it home. There is a small crack on one pane of glass in the top 25% of the tank. It is only about 3-4 inches long and does NOT go all the way through the glass. It is on the outside and goes from the edge inwards and down a bit. I suppose it could be a deep scratch but not sure really. Anyway...do I need to repair this as in patch it with another piece of glass on top of it with silicone? Or do I even need to do anything?
 
I can try to get a picture of it if somebody wants one but I did try at first and it just didn't want to focus on it at all. It wanted to look through the tank and not show the crack.
 
I haven't water tested the tank yet as I was also looking at the inside and I need to reseal the entire thing. The silicone looks old and there's also a bunch coming out of the edges on the OUTSIDE of the tank as well. I MAY end up taking it completely apart to redo all of that and get it cleaned up but hopefully just clean the edges and redoing the inside seals should work.
 
My other question is to the two heaters that came with it. I have not tested them out yet as I'm not sure it is safe to do so. The stuff that is on the outside of the heater has rubbed off(almost all on one and a lot on the other). I don't know if that's just for looks or for the function of the heater? Here is a picture of them. I don't know what brand or what wattage. I don't know if I should try these out at all or just go for new heaters? Thanks for any and all help!!
   Kristen
 

 

 

[Ltygress]

I can't say much about the tank itself. But for the heaters, it is something dry and crusty on them? Heaters tend to get a lot of calcium build up on them that other people don't clean off. And many times it won't even show until the heater is dry. If so, it's perfectly fine that it's rubbing off, and you can remove the rest by soaking it in 50% vinegar/50% water solution and then wiping it off.

Or it could be dried algae. If it looks black and flakes off, that may be what it is.

Most heaters (especially these days) have all of their markings either etched into the plastic on the top, or inside of the glass tube. Either way, there's not much that would remove it, which leads me to think yours either has dried algae, or calcium.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

No, this is stuff that is on the heater when it's new. Like on my Marineland heaters has this stuff all around it. That's how my bristlenose got her name Spots...cuz she likes to hide next to it and pretend to be part of it and get all spotty. Lol. I just didn't know if that stuff HAD to be there for functionality or if it was more for looks. I don't know if whoever had the tank before me tried to clean them and this stuff rubbed off with however he was cleaning it or what. But they did originally have this all around them from what I can tell by comparing them to my Marineland brand heaters.
Kristen

 

[Ltygress]

Gotcha. The black paint on the bottom half. No, it's not necessary for heater functionality. The heater should work fine without it. I think it's there to help the heater "blend in" with plants, a background, etc.

 

[Far_King]

My personal preference is to ditch all the old electrical gear and get new stuff.
 
I'd rather invest in something that I have faith in working than keep something that could fail on me at any time and I don't know the history of or how well it's been looked after.
 
The crack/scratch in the glass is difficult to gauge without pictures.  At least with it being at the top of the glass there will be less pressure from the water when it's filled.
The first thing I'd do is sit it down and fill it with water and leave it to check that it is water tight and to see if this crack expands.  Preferably somewhere outside and not in the house

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Any tips on taking pictures of it? Lol. I'll see what I can do...maybe a white life of paper would help....lol. As for the water test to see if it holds it, I was wanting to wait until I can reseal it as the seals look awful. Not nice and smooth but cloudy and peeling. Some of its dry as well.

I kind of agree with you on the equipment...the powerhead that came with it is broken. So that's trash. It came with a couple of HOT magnum pros that only one has intake/output tubes(and part of that is missing). There's a bunch of crusty stuff on the hang on back filters. There are even a couple of undergravel trays that have no connections to anything. Not to mention the air stone was weighted down by ziptying a piece of metal to it. Which has rust on it. The t8 lights seem to work though I'm going to replace the bulbs. That is until I can replace those with a light fixture that I want(finnex planted plus 24-7).

The tank itself seems fairly clean other than some pretty dirty stuff on the bottom. And it looks like its been sitting in a garage somewhere or other place where spiders could get to it partly. Then I; think on one side there's "stuff" from possible filters sitting against the tank(on the outside part) though in feeling it almost feels like silicone! Lol.

Anyway, what wattage heater/s are good for a 55 gallon? I figured 2 would be best since its 4ft long. Thanks for the help everybody!
Kristen

Ps- I also looked at the Rain-X windshield repair stuff for the crack. I know its so so on it actually working due to the pressure of water on the tank. But figured it may be worth a try after resealed and tested maybe?

 

[Ltygress]

I tried that before on a broken 30-gallon tank. I really only wanted SOME water in it, like a natural pool of water for some tree frogs I had. The moment I added water, it split again.

HOWEVER, the crack went all the way up the side. Even the black trim was split, so it didn't help hold the glass together.

I kinda like your idea of attaching another piece of glass on the outside to hold it together. Maybe that with windshield repair would work. Windshield repair to stop leaks, glass to hold it together and avoid pressure issues?

 

[cowgirluntamed]

The crack doesn't go all the way through and its on the outside so shouldn't leak itself unless it gets deeper...hence the windshield repair kit if it would work. But I was still thinking of putting a piece of glass for maybe some extra strength.
Kristen

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Ok, here's a picture! I couldn't get it to focus ON the glass....not sure how to do that with my tablet. The red line sort of shows HOW it goes a bit, and it also does go to the almost very edge of that piece of glass. But as far as I can tell does not go through it completely anywhere.
 

 

[Ltygress]

Yeah I'd say go with the windshield repair and extra piece of glass. Those two should definitely work. This crack looks like it probably happened by the top corner being hit by something - or the tank being held upside down and that corner dropped.

FYI: MAKE SURE THE WINDSHIELD REPAIR RESIN IS COMPLETELY CURED, and then wash it with vinegar afterwards. It is actually resin, which MANY cheaper aquarium ornaments are made out of, but it must be absolutely, 100% cured.

 

[NickAu]

 
My personal preference is to ditch all the old electrical gear and get new stuff.

I would second that, Remember electricity kills, Its just not worth the risk.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Oh yeah, I'll definitely make sure its all cured. Even the silicone when I do that. It's a big project with this tank but I've got the time. ☺ I still have to do build the stand and get the rest of the equipment. It all depends on how much I can scrimp and save each paycheck I get every two weeks. I may post a journal when I start building\cleaning up the tank and stuff to keep track of my progress. Lol.
Kristen

 

[Ltygress]

I very seriously doubt I'm local to you, or I'd help you with the building part.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Lol, thanks Ltygress. I'm gonna have some fun doing it and learn as I go. I also have a project that has to be done before the stand and tank...I have to finish cleaning up a room I don't use...paint it(I want an office lol) and THEN I can start on the tank stuff. It will be the only room where my cats and dogs won't be allowed while I'm working on it.
Kristen

 

[Ltygress]

My "big tank" is doing the opposite. It's a 100-gallon and it's going in the bird/cat room. I wanted it in the living room or even my own bedroom, but there's no way to set it up in either of those and have it sit across more than 2 floor joists (I have a crawl space). An engineer looked under the house and said the floor joists WOULD support it going lengthwise, but it's just better to go across several. So it will be sitting across 4 or 5, depending on exactly where it rests, instead of just 1 or 2. And the only room with that available is the bird/cat room.

But I guess when you're single and have no kids, second bedrooms are perfect for that kind of thing!