[strgazr27]

The problem with this hobby is you get exposed to so many nice setups you realize what you think makes you happy doesn't. After seeing tanks like Jeremy's 120, Tom's 210, Marks 180 etc I knew I wanted a bigger tank. I had always LOVED the Oceanic 120's and set about trying to find one. I got a PM a couple of days ago asking if I was interested in an AGA 120 w dual overflows, stand and canopy. It looked a little rough in the pictures but I went for it. Seller said if I wasn't happy I didn't have to take it. I have to be honest when the garage went up I was like "Oh boy I don't know" It looked ROUGH. But I also had that warm fuzzy feeling and decided to go for it...I'm glad I did. The glass was actually in immaculate shape. The seams were pretty rough and coralline covered everything. I had my work cut out for me. The following pictures are about 30 hours of labor and $75 in supplies. And YES....My arm's look like Popeye's right now LMAO.....

Tools Used:

3" Scraper
Straight Edge scraper
5 GALLONS of vinegar
6 rolls of shop towels
10 pack of pads for my multi sander
2 vacuum cleaner bags
50 pack of razor blades
10 pack of blades for the 3" scraper
Can of acetone
roll of masking tape
1 tube of Momentive RTV103 Black

Here is the tank 10 minutes after I got it in the house. And yes, my wife thought I was CRAZY.....



ACE LOVES me....



We couldn't figure out why the tank was so freakin' heavy. Than I found out. About 30 lbs of sand covering 1" Starboard RTV'd to the bottom. Had to get the sand out to prevent scratching the glass and making a mud pie. I left the board in.



I gave the front glass a quick cleaning and it looked in MINT shape w no scratches !



Still going......Took the black paint off the back.







Now to tackle the overflow boxes. A job I was dreading from the start. It's hard to tell but the coralline on the overflows was an 1/8th inch thick in the biggest area's.





But before that a new background. Seeing Jeremy's tank and Tom's 210 with the blue background made me realize I REALLY liked the look so....





With that done I covered the boxes in paper towels and soaked them in straight vinegar overnight. I would keep wetting them down hoping it would soften the crap underneath.....



But I was wrong. It was time for power tools. Plugged in my multi sander and had at it with 80 grit followed up with 120 grit. Took me about 4 hours. A wipe down with acetone and they now look like this. Pretty happy with how they came out!



After spending about 3 hours removing the old, ragged and in 2 corners missing corner seams and taping it all off it was time to reseal. I picked up a tube of Momentive RTV103 at Grainger in Bohemia for $11. This stuff is SWEET but take my advice. When your applying this stuff inside a tank WEAR A RESPIRATOR. 24 hours later and my head still hurts and my throat is killing me.



Pulled the tape off after I was done and set it upright on the stand. I am THRILLED with how it came out. Yes this is the same tank Lol. The time spent masking everything was well worth it. Nice seams w no mess. I also resealed the starboard to the bottom and filled in any gaps.





With the tank done and the silicone curing it's time to attack the stand. It's in need of some TLC. The canopy needs even more love but it's solid and looks nice on the tank. I plan on a satin black finish. Replacing all the hinges with Euro style hinges and adding some more decorative trim. Here it is before I started the tank.



THANKS for taking the time to look. I will be updating this thread as I go...

[thirty6]

Wow, great job! with all that work you feel like a proud parent when it's all filled up

[jcs11236]

great job! looks brand new!

[garys reef]

That's the same canopy. U showed me? ?

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[njreefer]

awesome job, just the patience and ingenuity this hobby requires

[FMF0331]

Holy crap batman, that looks great !

[greengny]

Great job Bobby. You are one determined reefer bud.

[xxxAngeloxxx]

Wow Bobby the way you cleaned up the tank it looks brand smacking new dude. Good luck on the set up Bobby! =D

[Awibrandy]

Thank God you took the time to take before & after pix! Would be hard to imagine what it looked like before.
You have performed a miracle!

Can't stand the wait on what you will do with it now!!!!!!

[strgazr27]

Thanks everyone. My wife said if she didn't see how much work I put into it she would have sworn I bought a new tank. work for the next 4 days but I'm hoping to find some time here and there to start on the stand.