am i crazy getting an old tank for free?

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matty832012

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 14, 2013
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United States
hello i have just received a free 90 gallon tank stand and cover. i comes with all the goods as well but none of them have been functioning for ten years. the tank has been sitting in this persons basement for that whole time. now i figure ten years is a long time and i will not be able to use all the filtration because it was a reef tank and i am running fresh water but one of my questions is am i nuts to take this project on? can i rebuild a old reef tank from the glass. i believe as soon as i get it i will tape it and take all the silicone out. but what should i do with the calcium deposits on the glass? the whole set up as i was saying has been sitting for ten years and was salt, can i make it all new and fresh water :D
 
Hi.

Firstly you have to clen tank up perfectly well.

One way to do it is using muriatic acid over the glass stains but you have to be very careful acid not to get in touch with silicon otherwise it corrodes it and tank become useless.

Rinse tank two or three times, once it is cleaned and put it on an stand, fill it up and leave it resting for a whole week to see if there aint no leaking.

If there isnt any leaking after a week, give it a go!.
 
No way are you crazy. Do what dude up there said and while you're cleaning pay very close attention to irregularities such as dings, scratches, cracks and knicks. Look for bubbles in the sealant between adjacent panes. If your free tank passes the inspection and said leak test you came up on a good deal. Some purest on here may come along and say 10 years is too long for any tank but hey I bet those guys have quite a bit of money to throw into a brand new 90, hood, stand and filters.

Did you say it came with a sump?:D

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Also how does the sealant feel? Hard and crusty or soft and squishy? What are the temps of the area? If you live somewhere cold I can bet the sealant is still in good condition if hot then it may be questionable unless the basement's temps were regulated.

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The crazy arse is you, I have done it myself actually and there's no problem at all it you it carefully, why you make such a big fuzz???.:wall:

Good deal? what are you talking about, he got the tank for free...:wall:

He was agreeing with you. He wasn't telling the original poster thay he wasn't crazy lol


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He was agreeing with you. He wasn't telling the original poster thay he wasn't crazy lol


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Hahaha. Yeah I was agreeing with you. I've got a few used old tanks I put some love into and they came out just fine. In no way shape or form is the op crazy for trying to salvage that tank. I would do it too. I'm actually jealous he got a 90 gallon set up for free. Even more jealous if it came with a sump.

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Hahaha. Yeah I was agreeing with you. I've got a few used old tanks I put some love into and they came out just fine. In no way shape or form is the op crazy for trying to salvage that tank. I would do it too. I'm actually jealous he got a 90 gallon set up for free. Even more jealous if it came with a sump.

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hey all it does come with the whole set up, sump, wet dry filter, uv sterilizer heaters, lights and all but i was thinking that none of that has been run in 10f years. is there any chance that i will be able to use them at all? i was more concerned if the tank would be good the rest of it would not matter and i have had great incite sofar! no bubbles, good silicone, really good cleaning and week long water test will judge the tank but now for the equipment! thanks for letting me know im not nuts
 
I don't see why you wouldn't be able to use them. It's probably better that they have been sitting for 10 years as 10 years of wear and tear could be a problem with equipment. You're just gonna have to test them out. You could do it while you are doing your leak/stand weight test. It will also help break down any junk inside you will have to clean out. I have been really interested in using a sump for freshwater. Especially the idea of adding a refugium with live plants into the sump.

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