First Monster Tank

[spitz006]

Hi. I’m being gifted a 220 that a guy doesn’t use anymore. He had discus but it’s been sitting in his house empty for a few years now and he said I could have it.

I have Two Men and a Truck coming to move it to my place. I’m concerned about leaking. What should I do?

 

[Chefken]

Make sure the seams are strong......fill it at least half way up outside to check it out. Congrats!!!!!!! Does it have a stand and any filtration??

 

[kno4te]

Glass or acrylic? Where was it left? How long was it left not used? Suggest leaving in backyard or garage and fill with water. Place somewhere that won’t get water damage and easily cleaned.

 

[spitz006]

I’m worried that placing it somewhere not flat will be very bad for it.

it’s glass. He said it was extra thick glass. It has been sitting in his home for a few years.

 

[Red Cichlids]

Congratulations! That sounds like fun! Just a little jealous here...

The tank should still be holding water. It sounds like having the people there to move it is an issue, so I would just move it into the house where you want it and fill it maybe 1/3 of the way and watch for leaks. Add another third the next day, and top it off the third day. If it starts to leak, just drain it. Most likely it will be fine. Large glass tanks will sometimes have leaks around the top rim, so watch for that when it is completely full.

By the way, I used to use a garden hose to fill and drain my big tanks. To drain it, put the hose in the tank with a rock or brick to hold it down, turn the water on for 15 seconds, then take the hose off the spigot and it will drain pretty fast into the yard. If you have two or three hoses you can empty it in no time.

 

[Dalfrey86]

Congratulations! That sounds like fun! Just a little jealous here...

The tank should still be holding water. It sounds like having the people there to move it is an issue, so I would just move it into the house where you want it and fill it maybe 1/3 of the way and watch for leaks. Add another third the next day, and top it off the third day. If it starts to leak, just drain it. Most likely it will be fine. Large glass tanks will sometimes have leaks around the top rim, so watch for that when it is completely full.

By the way, I used to use a garden hose to fill and drain my big tanks. To drain it, put the hose in the tank with a rock or brick to hold it down, turn the water on for 15 seconds, then take the hose off the spigot and it will drain pretty fast into the yard. If you have two or three hoses you can empty it in no time.

So much better than the suck the hose until you pass out method.

 

[Bluesandtwo]

It's only natural to be concerned about leaking with any second hand tank. But I echo the advice here, get it indoors and fill it up with the hose... There is only one-way to find out. Personally I would go 25% every 24 hours and monitor closely. It will most likely be fine if kept indoors.

 

[Gourami Swami]

I would definitely make sure it is level and shim it until it is. Make the guys with the van stay with you until it's level because it may be tough to shim alone. Should only take a few minutes to level it with a bubble level and some help.

On the integrity of the tank; what I usually do if I have a used tank that holds water but I'm iffy about how long, is trim away any visible excess old silicon inside the tank with a razor, and run new silicon beads all around. Maybe it's overkill sometimes but it's a hell of a lot easier than repairing wooden floors.

 

[Backfromthedead]

Good advice from everyone else. Leak test it before taking it inside, make sure its level on the stand. Even a small canter can cause problems when you start dealing with larger tanks.

If it was kept inside a garage or otherwise indoors out of the sun, the seals should be just fine but it never hurts to take precautions like leak testing.