Contemplating buying a used tank.

[Minato93]

This tank has been sitting for about a month without water. Any precautions I should take ? Or things I should look for when i check it out before buying it.?

 

[Rlreefing]

look at the seals around the corners and make sure they have some elasticity and do not crumble to the touch. If you plan on making it a reef tank ask the owner if they used copper medication in it (if so not advised to use for reef).

 

[Minato93]

look at the seals around the corners and make sure they have some elasticity and do not crumble to the touch. If you plan on making it a reef tank ask the owner if they used copper medication in it (if so not advised to use for reef).

If they used copper there is no way to clean the tank well enough for a reef?. As far as the seals is there a way to reseal them incase they are going bad?

 

[Dilan Patel]

check for any major scratches as well as chips/cracks. Also see what is included with the tank such as lights, heaters, etc. Rlreefing brings up a good point on medication that has been used in the tank. Copper being the most important if you plan to have a reef tank. If copper has ever been used I would advise to just stay away do not take that chance. Also if it comes with rock or sand I would pitch the sand and either keep the rock and cycle it or toss it and start fresh. Always do a water test when . yu get it home for a few days to make sure the seams and such can hold up

 

[Dilan Patel]

Basically the only way to do a good reseal job is to basically cut away the silicone from both panes clean the glass and then rebond with an aquarium safe silicone. Most likely not worth the trouble .

 

[Rlreefing]

you can reseal there are many tutorials that can assist you with that. It is a safer option to not use a system that has copper in it for a reef. Some argue that professional sterilization will do it, but there could be residual copper in seals or plastics. Best practices to not risk copper poisoning a reef system.