Got a used 150 gallon for free. Restoration advice needed.

[TimeTwister]

So this week a coworker of mine offered me a free 150 gallon, used, glass tank with center overflow. I knew it was old, sat un-used for many, many years, but at that size and being free I was willing to put some work into it. Now that I have it in my possession I'd like your opinions on my path forward.

First, here a full tank shot as is when it got dropped off:

Concern 1: Center Braces
Here is a couple shots of the braces. It looks like the wood trim is mostly not structural, at least not the cross pieces but the large glass pieces do look structural. So I have two questions, is the wood trim structural at all, or based on the thickness of glass can I just get rid of them? As for the glass braces will those greatly impact lighting? I don't like the look of them, but will stick with the "if it aint broke don't fix it" mentality if they work. If it is an impact what are my options? I was thinking maybe euro brace or a single, center brace so I can hang a 32'' led on both sides without obstruction

Concern 2: Overflow and Bulkheads
The overflow is dead center which I don't like the visual of, but can live with it. The box seems a little small for a tank this size and the two bulkheads appear to be for 3/4'' piping, definitely too small. With as small as the overflow box is and the bulkheads being kind of close is there enough room to drill the holes bigger? I was thinking i would removes the overflow box and re-drill the holes bigger and make a wider overflow if needed. Second idea was to remove the box and seal the holes with either capped bulkheads or silicon a piece of glass over the holes. I can then get a glass holes kit and drill the back of the tank or if i am feeling particularly confident in my DIY skills an external overflow.

Concern 3: Silicone
This one is really not my biggest concern. Assuming the tank holds water it looks like i will need to cut away the silicon and reseal it. Any opinion on clear vs. black? Any other suggestions/comments?

Here are some pictures of other items i got with it. The sump (20 long maybe) looks like they had some kind of trickle filter setup based on the tower and the other items just look like in-line filters of some sort. Will probably trash all the PVC and fittings and get a larger tank (40 breeder) to make a typical 3 section sump.

 

[Sk8r]

Nice! Go to Costco or Sams and get a box of white vinegar...cheapest there is. Straight white vinegar on a cloth can wipe down glass, but for real crust, you may have to let vinegar stand in the spot 24 hours. You can also run pumps in pure white vinegar and clean them, or skimmers, or whatever. It's harmless in saltwater. I regularly dose a double shot of it (in the sump) to keep my nitrates down.

 

[kmbyrnes]

Congrats on a great score. Can't beat the price. This could be a nice tank with a little TLC.
1. The glass does appear to be structural. Structural braces will be properly siliconed to the opposite side glass underneath the trim. If the are not, then it it likely the tank leaked at one point and they are partial 'repairs'.
2. The overflow can work on a 150. But you can also remove it and plug the holes. I wouldn't try to enlarge the current holes. It doesn't look like there is enough space between them. If you feel comfortable, I'd go with the new overflow setup.
3. This is purely cosmetic and I'd leave it alone IF the tank holds water as it is now. If you are going to redo the tank, do all of the seams. I have no experience there, so I'll let other offer advice.
Overall, a nice deal and with a little elbow grease and some time this can be a beautiful tank again.
Good luck.

 

[TimeTwister]

Thanks for the input. The glass braces do look well mounted, not something added as an afterthought. There are small strips of glass mounted below the braces as a shelf/support and then the large glass braces are on top of those and siliconed to both the "shelves" and sides of the tank under the trim. They actually look over-engineered and I would like to reduce them to one center brace to reduce impact to lighting and also for cosmetic reasons since i like an open top tank. However, with this much water involved i am hesitant to make it less secure. Waiting to get some more feedback before I do anything there.

As for the overflow i am thinking i will just use bulkheads meant to seal a hole and re-use the overflow glass to make an overflow box along the back wall and drill some new holes.

 

[clsanchez77]

I had a tank braced like that once, the glass is structural. The trim *probably* is not, but I am one that believes if you buy the tank with the trim, keep the trim. If you do remove it, I would completely remove all bracing and go full Euro-brace. I would not mix and match.

On the bulkheads, I actually think you will be fine. The calculations used on this site for capacity of a bulkhead opening have some conservative assumptions. What flow rate were you planning on anyway? The calculations are true if you do a Ghost type overflow and the bulkheads are at the top. But at the bottom, you have a chance to build up some head and this increases flow through.

Having said that...if it were me, I would drill the back of the tank for a Ghost type overflow. I would then use the two 3/4" holes in there for the return plumbing.

Do not remove the overflow structure unless you are going to reseal the tank.

Nice score!

 

[TimeTwister]

I thought about doing a euro-brace, just need to research the pros vs cons. As for the overflow structure why would i need to reseal the whole tank if i remove it? Is the concern that i would weaken the seam where the bottom two points meet the back and bottom seam?

 

[cymen]

I too would drill the back for an overflow and cap off the bottom holes. I've read enough threads where there were leaks/issues with plumbing at the bottom that required full tank drain and/or caused livestock death. Certainly, some people have great success with it so make up your own mind but it is something to consider.