Cleaning a second-hand tank

My neighbour kindly gave me a 20 gallong tank he didn't want any more.
I could use it for my goldfish who are outgrowing their 10 gallon
tank. However, it has a bad smell in it, like some kind of solvent
(it's been in his basement for a while). I filled it with water and
let it sit for a while and rinsed it out but the smell remains. A bit
of the sealer in the bottom is kind of sticky too.

I'm wondering if digging out the sealer and replacing it would make it
safe for my fishies? It would save me spending $75 for a new tank but
I don't want to kill the fish.

Any thoughts?

Judy

if you can smell it is organic aromatic and will undoubtedly tox the fish. Ingrid

(JudyK) wrote:

My neighbour kindly gave me a 20 gallong tank he didn't want any more.
I could use it for my goldfish who are outgrowing their 10 gallon
tank. However, it has a bad smell in it, like some kind of solvent
(it's been in his basement for a while). I filled it with water and
let it sit for a while and rinsed it out but the smell remains. A bit
of the sealer in the bottom is kind of sticky too.

I'm wondering if digging out the sealer and replacing it would make it
safe for my fishies? It would save me spending $75 for a new tank but
I don't want to kill the fish.

Any thoughts?

Judy



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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http://puregold.aquaria.net/
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Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
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Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

In article ,
says...
My neighbour kindly gave me a 20 gallong tank he didn't want any more.
I could use it for my goldfish who are outgrowing their 10 gallon
tank. However, it has a bad smell in it, like some kind of solvent
(it's been in his basement for a while). I filled it with water and
let it sit for a while and rinsed it out but the smell remains. A bit
of the sealer in the bottom is kind of sticky too.

I'm wondering if digging out the sealer and replacing it would make it
safe for my fishies? It would save me spending $75 for a new tank but
I don't want to kill the fish.

Any thoughts?


I think you're getting ripped off if someone sells you a 20G
tank for $75! I got one a month ago for less than half that.
(Unless you're getting acrylic, I suppose...)
Yes, I'd remove the old sealant since it sounds like it's
been partially dissolved, yes? But I'd be awfully careful
to learn how to properly reseal it. Try
http://www.howardthehumble.com/aquatic/reseal.html

Gunther

Glass will alos absorb some chemicals. Better to find a new shop and get a
fairly priced tank. Or go garage saleing!
SamB
"JudyK" wrote in message
om...
My neighbour kindly gave me a 20 gallong tank he didn't want any more.
I could use it for my goldfish who are outgrowing their 10 gallon
tank. However, it has a bad smell in it, like some kind of solvent
(it's been in his basement for a while). I filled it with water and
let it sit for a while and rinsed it out but the smell remains. A bit
of the sealer in the bottom is kind of sticky too.

I'm wondering if digging out the sealer and replacing it would make it
safe for my fishies? It would save me spending $75 for a new tank but
I don't want to kill the fish.

Any thoughts?

Judy

Thanks everyone. It sounds like I'd better not use that tank for fish.

As for the $75 tank, it was a PetSmart. And I'm in Canada so that
makes the prices seem a lot higher.

Judy

In article ,
says...
Thanks everyone. It sounds like I'd better not use that tank for fish.

As for the $75 tank, it was a PetSmart. And I'm in Canada so that
makes the prices seem a lot higher.

Judy


Ah....metric dollars. That makes sense, I guess.
Do you guys also use UK/Imperial gallons or have you
gone to liters? It still sounds high.
I just remember several years ago when I tried
Moosehead beer, I got alot more wasted after the
conversion: 1 US sixpack = 13 metric beers.
I just don't see how those McKenzie brothers did it!

Gunther

On 9 Jul 2003 16:22:24 -0700, (JudyK) wrote:

My neighbour kindly gave me a 20 gallong tank he didn't want any more.
I could use it for my goldfish who are outgrowing their 10 gallon
tank. However, it has a bad smell in it, like some kind of solvent
(it's been in his basement for a while). I filled it with water and
let it sit for a while and rinsed it out but the smell remains. A bit
of the sealer in the bottom is kind of sticky too.

I'm wondering if digging out the sealer and replacing it would make it
safe for my fishies? It would save me spending $75 for a new tank but
I don't want to kill the fish.

Any thoughts?

Judy
Try going to Super Pet. I find that their prices are usually better
than the ones at Petsmarts for most things.


Azul

I went back to PetSmart and the $75 tank was one that comes with a
crappy hood and light as well. So that's why the price seemed so high.

I left the donated tank outside in the back yard for a while (while
thinking about what to do with it) and it smelled clean after a couple
of weeks of rain, sun and fresh air. I'm not ready to risk my fish in
it yet but we had a big rainstorm and I got a couple of inches of
rainwater in it so I filled it up with water, plants, snails and muck
from various collecting expeditions to the river and I am using it to
grow mosquito larvae and plants to feed the goldfish. Yes, I cover it
with a screen so the hatched mosquitoes can't get out and spread West
Nile Virus.

Judy