when buying a used acrylic tank....
- Thread starter peekaboo
- Start date
Honestly, I'd make them fill it up. There's more to it than the price, if that thing cracks in the middle of the night you are going to do horrible things to the floor. Ask if there's any bowing, or cracks, or lines, or anything like that. Who originally made the tank? How old is it? Things of that nature. I wouldn't trust anybody that isn't willing to, or doesn't know the answer to any of those questions. Good luck with your tank.
Ask if the tank has been stored outside. A acrylic tank stored outside will weaken due to hot weather. That's all I can come up with.
I would ask for him/her to fill it before you get there, that way you aren't standing around for an hour waiting for it to fill and then another hour to drain the thing. Then just check all the joints to make sure there isn't any leaks. The good thing about acrylic is "most" of the time small leaks are easy to fix, at least they were on a couple i bought.
It's not out of the ordinary to ask the seller to fill it up. If he's not willing to do that, then he/she is probably has something to hide. I would inspect all of the seams to make sure they are clear. Keep an eye out for crazing or stress fractures. As someone mentioned, the thickness of the acrylic is important. Anything up to 24" tall should be made of .5" thick acrylic. Up to 30" should probably be .75", but I have seen some that were made of .5" that didn't bow that much.