Cleaning outside of tank

[Brent]

Do you know the brand name // company name?

[xrayjeeper83]

Ill have to see if i can make it out when I get home.

[JRC3]

Somebody gave me an old one back in the early 80's when I was like 12 years old but it was only a 5 or 10g. I've been thinking about one of these tanks off and on for a while and this has rekindled my want. A guy like me would restore one if I could find one that had good metal. If I ever see one on craigslist I will be buying it. I want to say the brand name started with an S and ended with an O.

[xrayjeeper83]

here is a pic of the tank

If you look at my thread about Bloat in the giant species part there is a better pic, for some reason this one didnt come across well

[xrayjeeper83]

it says planteimporten on the side of the tank

[RTR]

My oldest and heaviest is a chromed steel,double polished beveled plate glass (to minimize sealant exposure) tank and castered stand made in Chicago in the early 50's. It has an opaque glass bottom over a 1" slate base. I suspect that it weighs more empty than a modern 50 when full. It was my first "big" tank - LOL - now just a midsized tank. I have been offered a lot of money for it, including from a couple of film studios..

[Brent]

http://www.planteimporten.dk/

Thanks X-ray.

It must look pretty fine Rob, for a film studio to want it...

[xrayjeeper83]

cool site Brent, to bad I cant read it LOL

[Brent]

Google translated it for me.

[J-P]

the backgrounds on that site are awesome!!

[Brent]

Yeah they are! They must be made of treated styrofoam or something... very real looking.

[pufferpuggirl]

Hey, I finally remembered what that other German aquarium manufacturer is ... it's "AkvaStabil". However, I'm now not sure that it is German, but it might be Dutch. Anyway, when we were talking about German made fish tanks, I was trying to think of the AkvaStabil, but couldn't remember it at the time. My brain does work, it's just on a time-delay.

[soggydrysuit]

I think the reason why slate was used instead of glass for a tank base was that in the old days a paraffin heater could be sited under the tank to heat it. No submersible heaters then. And window putty instead of silicone!

My first tanks from thirty years ago were glass and angle iron...

[RTR]

Slate bases provided stability. They did also allow the use of exposed-flame heaters, as already mentioned. Prior to the advent of modern engineering and sealants, the glass was far more expensive than the slate. Other than the use of under-tank heaters,slate was stronger and cheaper as well. Tanks in that era were conservatory or greenhouse items, and tended to be free-standing out ion the space, not abutting or aligned with a wall on at least one side as is common practice. today.

The putty was not window putty, similar but quite not the same. The older editions of Innes' book on tropical fish do have the recipe. My oldest in-use tank has that putty.

[JRC3]

Look at a Craigslist item I found in Columbus, OH. I don't have the time right now to go get it but maybe someone else is closer to it.

http://columbus.craigslist.org/hsh/1959490090.html

It even has the original lights...And it has some good accessories.