[Esteban the fish]

im new to saltwater tanks and am looking into getting one. one of my friends is trying to get rid of thiers and im not sure if its safe to get. its 60 gallons with everything i need. except for the fish and sand. what do you guys suggest?

thanks and this whole forum seems exciting!

[pyromaniac398]

Well depends on the condition of the tank. I know lots of people who buy and keep succesful tanks as used. Post some pictures of it if you can

[Danakor]

I got my tank used from a cousin. I recommend that if you buy it clean and wash everything THOROUGHLY. 9 times outta 10 if they are getting rid of their tank they had problems with it and are not interested in it anymore. You can use Bleach to clean your tank. Just make sure that you wash it out really good.(to make sure no bleech remains do a 100% water change twice a day for a week, at that time the bleech should all be out of it.) That will make sure that none of the creepy crawleys taht were in the tank previously follow you over.

Getting something used is always a good idea if you are on a budget and don't mind doing a little extra work.

[glampka]

Also a good idea if you use bleach to clean the tank to use a declorinator in the rinse water. Use about 5 to 10 times the normal amount. Personally, I'm not fond of bleach to clean a tank. You could use baking soda.

[pogodzib]

The main thing to find out when buying a used tank is if they ever used copper treatment in their tank. If so, you may never be able to keep corals or even some critters alive in the tank because they are so sensitive to copper. Even with cleaning the tank really good, the copper medication won't get removed from the silicone and will leach out over time. If copper hasn't been used, then you should also find out how long the tank has sat empty. The silicone dries out and hardens when the tank is empty much quicker than when the tank has water in it. The drier the silicone gets, the more prone the tank will be to leaking.

[sarha]

if concerned with coppper and bad seals, reseal it cut the old out and clean with acitone use 100% rubber silicone safe for food contact hint use painters tape to make a nice neat cock joint in the corners

[NATIVEVAMAN]

LOwes sells a little tool to make neat corners with caulk or silicone and they work well as long as you dont get wild and use way to much silicone. But if you do use to much you can clean it up with a razor blade.

[Esteban the fish]

i got the used tank. it cleaned up really nice and i cant wait to bring life into it!

[marciemp]

My tank is used and we really like it. I cleaned it out well using salt to scrub any of the really grimy areas. I asked if copper was used in it and also if there were any other medications. We got about $4500 worth with the tank, stand, canopy, lights, filter, rock, protein skimmer for $1000