Have you guys had good luck with buying tanks used off craigslist? Any tips for deciding what tanks to buy? I tried buying my first used tank and it turned into a royal disaster. My cousin has bought multiple used tanks from craigslist sellers and the tanks all turned out fine, so I decided to try finding a good priced tank myself. I ended up finding a very beautiful Oceanic 90 bowfront for $300 from a guy who assured me the tank would hold water. First of all, he said the tank was 120 gallons but after getting it home I realized it was a 90 thanks to the manufacturers stickers on the stand. When I picked it up he had the tank in his garage full of water to show it didn't leak. He told me he had re-sealed the tank once. I could see he had done a sloppy job of it but in my excitement to get the tank up and running and seeing no leaking in his garage, I chose not to re-seal. After about a week the tank started leaking from the back-middle on the bottom. I tore it all down and completely re-sealed it let it sit for a few days and got it back running again. After a few hours, it leaked again. Thinking I had not waited long enough to add water, I tore it all down and re-sealed again and made sure to do an extremely good job of it and waited plenty of time to let the sealant cure this go around before filling the tank again. Everything went good for about a month and I thought the problem was solved until one morning at around 4 am I woke up to the sound of leaking water. After some damage to my wood floors I gave up on the tank and went out and bought a brand new 110 gallon. After the whole ordeal I'm afraid to try buying anything off craigslist ever again.
Buying Used on Craigslist - Your Experiences and Advice?
- Thread starter ksage15
- Start date
90gal for 300? thats steep. I even dislike bowfronts as the view underwater inside the tank displaces the view for the fish which can be really hard for them to adapt to. I know of silvers and jardini's that just couldnt handle it and would constantly freak out.
But to your questions, I get all my tanks off craigslist. I've bought multiple 40 gallon breeders for 30 bucks with lights/lids/ugf's, two 75's for 50 each litterally brand new with stickers still on, 2 240gallons for around 300 each with lights lids sump heaters etc. Craigslist has been very good to me but I know exactly what your talking about.
It can be very sketchy but I think of it as I'm just basically buying panels of glass. You're gonna have to eventually reseal it lol. Just inspect the seals and if its still malleable it should be fine for a couple of years at least.
But to your questions, I get all my tanks off craigslist. I've bought multiple 40 gallon breeders for 30 bucks with lights/lids/ugf's, two 75's for 50 each litterally brand new with stickers still on, 2 240gallons for around 300 each with lights lids sump heaters etc. Craigslist has been very good to me but I know exactly what your talking about.
It can be very sketchy but I think of it as I'm just basically buying panels of glass. You're gonna have to eventually reseal it lol. Just inspect the seals and if its still malleable it should be fine for a couple of years at least.
The price was pretty steep but I live in an area where you won't find many aquariums on craigslist available at all. It was the largest tank I had found in my area so I went for it. For the tank and stand it was the cheapest thing I was going to find. That was my first experience with a bowfront. I never considered the view for the fish, thats a good point.
I could never figure out what exactly the issue was with the leak, unfortunately. After two re-sealing jobs and it still not holding up I just gave up on it. I may have missed something on sealing it but to the best of my knowledge it was all done correctly.
I could never figure out what exactly the issue was with the leak, unfortunately. After two re-sealing jobs and it still not holding up I just gave up on it. I may have missed something on sealing it but to the best of my knowledge it was all done correctly.
It takes time haha, I made this picture for people resealing tanks a couple years ago. I think its the biggest problem when people reseal tanks.
But if there was a leak the panel should be removed and then siliconed. Old silicone doesnt stick well to new silicone so there is a good chance there will be a leak. That picture is mostly for tanks that dont leak but the seals are showing wear and tear.
But if there was a leak the panel should be removed and then siliconed. Old silicone doesnt stick well to new silicone so there is a good chance there will be a leak. That picture is mostly for tanks that dont leak but the seals are showing wear and tear.
Not sure where in Ohio you live but I live in Ohio as well and see them on there all day long... $300 for a 90 gallon tank is way,way too much!!! And not trying to be mean but it sounds to me like this is all your fault, if you noticed the sticker when you got home you should have noticed it before you bought it because you should never buy anything before you check it out good and I don't care how cheap it is!!! I have found great deals on Craigslist all the time but if it is not a super good deal ( dirt cheap) I just don't mess with it.. I bought a 360 gallon acrylic tank off there that had all the lights, décor, huge sump with pumps, heaters and everything for $150 and was still there checking everything out for 40 minutes before I paid for it!! I bought a 300 gallon off there for $200 and made the guy fill it with water before I paid for it and then still talked him down to $200 because he wanted $300 for it!!! I don't care if someone had a 1000 gallon tank on there for $100 I would still check it out good and try to talk them down to $80!!! LOL...
No one yet has addressed the stand!
I bought a BRAND NEW 125G and within a month the plastic frame on the bottom developed a stress crack. You see I sat the new tank on a used stand that was not 100% plum and level across the surface the tank sat on. It was only off about 1/8", but with 125g of water it deflected some(steel tank stand) even after beefing up the stand (welding on it) it still deflects some. Beware of non-straight stands!
I bought a BRAND NEW 125G and within a month the plastic frame on the bottom developed a stress crack. You see I sat the new tank on a used stand that was not 100% plum and level across the surface the tank sat on. It was only off about 1/8", but with 125g of water it deflected some(steel tank stand) even after beefing up the stand (welding on it) it still deflects some. Beware of non-straight stands!
I paid $300 for a brand new 90g.
The Craigslist in my area is so out of hand that new tanks are most of the time cheaper.
I've bought a couple tanks off Craigslist, both needed the center braces replaced because some idiot needed to cut them off.
There's no real advice I can give. Buying used is always a gamble. If the tank is set up or the seller has pictures of it setup and running on the ad, that's a good sign. The newer the better, also it's fair to ask why they broke it down and how long its been empty.
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The Craigslist in my area is so out of hand that new tanks are most of the time cheaper.
I've bought a couple tanks off Craigslist, both needed the center braces replaced because some idiot needed to cut them off.
There's no real advice I can give. Buying used is always a gamble. If the tank is set up or the seller has pictures of it setup and running on the ad, that's a good sign. The newer the better, also it's fair to ask why they broke it down and how long its been empty.
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I've also bought all my tanks off craigslist. Never had a bad experience with it. My recent purchase was a 120 acrylic gallon tru vu rounded edge tank. Tank and stand needed a little work but not much. Painted the stand and buffed out the tank. Looks a lot better than before. Filled the tank and no leaks what so ever.
Like people said it's a hit or miss.
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Like people said it's a hit or miss.
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I bought 2 large tanks on craigslist and so far, no problems at all. Just look for chips and bad seals.
