# Restoring Vintage 10 Gallon Tank



## chevybow (Feb 10, 2009)

*tank*

The tank is probally Odell(sp). and you don't need black silicone you need Pecora....Donny


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

thanks! do you have an idea of when it might have been manufactured? i am guessing early 60's.

here is the Pecora product page with "Construction Sealants". 

http://www.pecora.com/Productcat.asp?CatsId=1

some of these sound like they might be easier to work with than silicone. can you suggest which product to use


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## doug105 (Feb 16, 2006)

"Metaframe" was probably the biggest manufacturer of these type of aquariums.

Doug


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## omboocat (Nov 3, 2005)

I have one similar to this - the tank, hood and the stand, mine was made by metaframe. I have the thermometer, heater and old belt driven pump. 
wilma


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## Dryn (Jan 22, 2009)

Mine looks just like that. I removed and resealed the entire tank. My grandmother has a 30 gallon tall in her basement with a metal frame and a mirror backing! It is only 9inches in depth! (30"x9"x~36"). I've thought about asking for it, but I don't really want it. The mirror would be cool for plants but horrid for the fish.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

thanks everybody! i looked around and it does appear to be a Metaframe. 

does anybody have any suggestions for a sealant to use?

and is there an easy(ier) way to disassemble it?


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## chevybow (Feb 10, 2009)

*tank*

you will have to use putty knives and flat blade screw drivers to cut the bottom out first then you will have to decide which of the other pieces of glass come out first, the 2 ends or the two sides. The pecora that you use to seal a tank comes in a can. I used to heat it in hot water and roll out a strip as long as the length that you are working with and place on metal and overlap at corners put some weight on it and let set overnight and do another side tomorrow.. You will have to scrape the matal very clean and use some thinner to get it very clean before re assembly..Donny


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## mithrius (Apr 28, 2009)

pretty awsome score!! i love vintage stuff, it looks like its in really good shape too!

 youll have to show us restored pix! before and after side by side


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

chevybow said:


> you will have to use putty knives and flat blade screw drivers to cut the bottom out first then you will have to decide which of the other pieces of glass come out first, the 2 ends or the two sides. The pecora that you use to seal a tank comes in a can. I used to heat it in hot water and roll out a strip as long as the length that you are working with and place on metal and overlap at corners put some weight on it and let set overnight and do another side tomorrow.. You will have to scrape the matal very clean and use some thinner to get it very clean before re assembly..Donny





mithrius said:


> pretty awsome score!! i love vintage stuff, it looks like its in really good shape too!
> 
> youll have to show us restored pix! before and after side by side




thanks! i hope that i can get a start on this next week. i might be posting lots of pictures and asking lots of questions.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

i have gotten as far as cleaning the tank out. here is a shot form this evening.










now, how do i take it apart? i think that my biggest challenge will be to disassemble without bending the metal.

i made an interesting discovery. this is stamped into the frame along a bottom edge.










i did a search for "sternco aquarium", which returned a number of citations listing Sternco as a manufacturer and patent holder. a little more digging turned up this interesting article, about Hartz Mountain Corporation.

http://www.answers.com/topic/the-hartz-mountain-corporation

here are a few lines quoted from that reference.



> In the late 1950s, Leonard and his brother Stanley purchased two failing companies involved in the fish and fish supply business--Aquarium Supply Co. and Long Life Fish Food Products--and created a new company named Sternco Industries, which they then took public in 1962 after achieving nearly the same success in the fish and fish supply business as their father had in the bird and bird supply business. Shortly after taking Sternco Industries public, Stanley Stern left the company to pursue his interests in the real estate business.
> 
> _*— Jeffrey L. Covell; Updated by Ed Dinger*_
> 
> *http://www.answers.com/topic/the-hartz-mountain-corporation*


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

Nice, a metaframe tank! To take it apart, _don't_ bend the metal. Soak the tank in some warm/ hot water (but don't shock the glass into cracking, make sure it isn't cold when you put it in the warmish water.) The warm water will soften the tar that holds the tank together. Then you can use a razor blade to scrape the tar off. Good luck!


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

thanks man! that is great to know. i imagined that it would be difficult to work it apart without damaging the frame, but softening the sealant sounds like a much better tack to follow.

so do you think that Sternco had anything to do with Metaframe? were they the same company? i found this thing about Sternco, but i still haven't turned up anything about Metaframe.


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## CL (Mar 13, 2008)

> In 1969 Mattel, Inc., a toy company, purchased Metaframe Corp. and San Francisco Bay Brand. Mattel ran the Metaframe Company for several years. The company made some great strides and even advertised in LIFE magazine. Things went well until a dock strike changed Mattel's fortunes in the middle of the 1970's and Mattel divested all of the divisions of Metaframe by 1979 leaving San Francisco Bay Brand under the Schmidt family ownership.


http://www.pwpets.com/sanfranciscobaybrand.html


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## Porkchop (Feb 9, 2009)

My Grandma had a tank just like that...it's what got me into this hobby so many years ago. My Uncle bought her a 30 and then he threw that 10 away...I was so mad at him...I wanted that tank. I've looked for years to find one and so far, nothing. Good score for you but it makes me jealous..hahaha.

Keep us updated, I'd love to see it finished and full of water. God, I want one so bad...


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Porkchop said:


> My Grandma had a tank just like that...it's what got me into this hobby so many years ago. My Uncle bought her a 30 and then he threw that 10 away...I was so mad at him...I wanted that tank. I've looked for years to find one and so far, nothing. Good score for you but it makes me jealous..hahaha.
> 
> Keep us updated, I'd love to see it finished and full of water. God, I want one so bad...


look!

http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-SLATE-BOTTOM-AQUARIUM-FISH-TANK-NO-LEAKS_W0QQitemZ120421598260QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090517?IMSfp=TL090517121003r30443


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## Porkchop (Feb 9, 2009)

HOLY MOLEY!!! Thanks!!! All I'd need then would be the top like yours...cool. I'll keep my eye on that...

I had no realized until now that the tank has a slate bottom in it...that is wild. I don't remember what hers had, I was very young when it was removed. I appreciate that find...let's see how many people outbid me...hahaha.


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## JDowns (Mar 6, 2008)

I have a 2.65 gallon that I haven't gotten around to restoring yet. 14.5" x 6.5" x 6.5". Great dimensions for a nano project. Removing the glass was fairly easy. The tar was already toast, so it just crumbled out.


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Porkchop said:


> HOLY MOLEY!!! Thanks!!! All I'd need then would be the top like yours...cool. I'll keep my eye on that...
> 
> I had no realized until now that the tank has a slate bottom in it...that is wild. I don't remember what hers had, I was very young when it was removed. I appreciate that find...let's see how many people outbid me...hahaha.


good luck with that. i think that that auction might have been for pickup only. i have heard that the 10 gallons are relatively easy to come by.

you know one place to look might be university or high school science class storage rooms. i remember one place where i worked at the university they had a whole room full of these. i don't know if they would have sold any to me or not. 

the slate bottom is most definitely a cool feature. i imagine that a tank like this would be very costly to put together today. it looks likes a lot more assembly than modern tanks with plastic frames.



JDowns said:


> I have a 2.65 gallon that I haven't gotten around to restoring yet. 14.5" x 6.5" x 6.5". Great dimensions for a nano project. Removing the glass was fairly easy. The tar was already toast, so it just crumbled out.


good luck with that. that one has an interesting, different shape. you ought to start a photo journal here.


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## Cactus Mike (Jan 24, 2012)

*Metaframe tanks*

~ Bump ~ 

I hope you realize the treasure that you have. Please do not soften and remove tar! You may want it sometime later. Check the Facebook page for Metaframe tanks. 

And if I am not too bold or brash, I would love to get any metaframe tanks that any of you may care to part with. Or, even better, I will buy any lids, lights, or other equipment if you do not want or need it! That stuff sells on its own or helps to finish a restored tank. 

My sister had a wonderful aquatic garden growing in her tanks, as do some pet stores. 

I love these old tanks and so do some other folks. Hope yours is still looking good! I have seen them used in other decorating motifs in other websites as well. Here is one way to use them in your home decor:
http://www.junkmarketstyle.com/item/20488/vintage-fish-tank
Just click on the pictures to enlarge them.

This is my first post. When I saw this thread, I HAD to join in.


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