# Vintage 30-gallon Metaframe Setup



## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

I just finished getting a new tank mostly set up here in the living room. This one is a 30-gallon Metaframe-type tank that I found in the barn at my mother's place. It was in surprisingly good shape--the glass had very few scratches--but the old tar seems were obviously not going to hold water. I cleaned the interior glass surface and re-sealed the four corners and the bottom seems. The tank had the original slate (heavy!) bottom. Silicone does not adhere to slate very well, so I siliconed a piece of 3/16" plate glass into the bottom so that I could get a tight seal all the way around.










I fixed up the old rusty stand that I found with the tank with a coat of spray paint and.










Here is the tank post-leak test. Everything looks good so far.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Very nice job! I've been keeping my eye out for some of these. I guess the older you get, the more you want to relive some of the early days of fishkeeping.

What are you planning on stocking the tank with? How difficult was it to remove the old 'tar' sealant?


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## bntbrl (Apr 23, 2009)

The tar is onthe outside of the glass. Id recemmend not removing it as it makes a terrible mess. I did the same thing as above and siliconed the insides. I lucked up and found a hood that matched it for a 10 gallon once. I gave the tank to a buddy that really wanted it. I wish I had that tank back now lol. Brings back memories of being a kid with a metaframe tank.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Yep that's just what I did and it is working out great so far--knock on wood.

I have gotten some plants in there now. I am using tank planters for all of the plants and mainly sticking with swords and crypts. In this shot from a few weeks ago you can see my inside seams pretty well.










Right now the tank is experiencing a wild greenwater bloom, so it's not really picture-ready. I hope to have some more updates coming up pretty soon.


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## redblufffishguy (Jul 16, 2009)

I have always wanted an old metal frame tank! I have yet to find on here in Nor. Cal!


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

Still a thick greenwater bloom in this setup, so I don't have nay recent picture updates. I imagine that the greenwater will subside in another week or two.


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## front-fan (Nov 2, 2005)

So far, I have 3. A ten that my LFS didn't want, a 20 long that I bought at my local club auction, and a 55 that someone had "free for pickup". Love them all! I needed to reseal the 20, but the others are just fine.
I heard a tip at a club meeting for sealing them. If all of the 'tar' is in place you can just full them up with really hot water and it will soften the tar and allow it to reseal. I haven't tried it myself, and I'd want to be really careful with the water not to crack a glass, but it sounds like it might work. Anybody out there with experience on this?

--- Front-fan a.k.a. Dave


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

I think that I wouldn't trust that old tar to re-seal very well. It's not so hard to just clean it up good on the inside and apply new silicone seams.


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## hydrophyte (Dec 16, 2009)

I have a quick picture update. There was a wild greenwater bloom in here for a while but now there is almost no algae at all.










I added some gravel, but still have the planters sitting up on top while I settle on a layout. I want to let the plants grow up bigger first. The plants are all doing well, but growing slowly. I think it will all look good when they have filled in about 1/2 as much more. I still don't have CO2 set up but I am dosing Excel.

The fish are doing well. My favorite new fish is the pike cichlid. I have been feeding him extra livebearer fry and he is an amazingly quick hunter.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

The tank is looking very nice. Are you running with an open top or did you figure a way to fit a lid on the tank?


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## maddyfish (Jul 23, 2004)

Sharp, I have a 2.5 or so gallon metaframe that I use for Paradise fish


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## naegling23 (Jan 4, 2008)

I really like this.

I guess I'm going to have to finally get around to sealing my 20 gallon metal framed tank. I dont want to rip out the slate bottom though, is there anything that will seal it? I dont care about aesthetics since the bottom would be covered with the substrate anyway.


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