• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Metafram stainless steel frame aquariums

S

Synyster1337

New member
Hello all. I acquired a 55 gallon vintage metaframe aquarium from my local specialty pet store over the summer. It looks awesome! Slate bottom and all. I was wondering if the slate bottom would have any adverse effects on heating or the snake itself. I was going to reseal it and use it in place of my current 55 as a heavily-planted tropical community fish tank, but that would be a lot of work, as the sealant is a special type that is made from some hard-to-source ingredients. However, I do think that once it's polished up, it would make a great herp tank, maybe even for two snakes, provided I put a divider in the middle. Have you guys seen anyone do that with the metaframe tanks? A quick google search, I'm sure, would yield many pictures of those kinds of tanks. They really are kind of majestic-looking. I would much appreciate some feedback! I'm thinking it would be relatively simple to just pop the glass out, and reseal it with black aquarium silicone rather than the sealant that is originally used, with possibly a black acrylic divider. UTH on both sides, and the cool spot would be in the middle.
 
Slate is an insulator, you're going to have to experiment with how the heat will transfer. I would also be concerned with how tight you can cover one of those. I bet it's been 30 years since anyone made a slate bottom tank, the screen covers might not be a snug fit. If you can get those two variables covered, it should be just like any other 48" aquarium.
 
OOOHHH, I am jealous! I love those tanks, I remember them at high school.

Chip is right about playing with the temps, make sure it works fine and your temps are good all over before putting a snake in it. Also, if you are dividing it, you could make the middle your warm side and only have to use one UTH, half on each side. I have a large UTH that is split under two tanks side by side.

He is also right about the lid. You may have to have one fabricated especially for your tank. It HAS to be closed tightly or you will lose a snake.

Does it need to be resealed? Since it won't hold water you don't need worry about leaking, but if the seals are broken and need to be replaced I would use regular aquarium sealant.

I want to see pics if it works out!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top