fish tank...WOOT

FoxyWench

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#1
so id just about given up on my search for an uber cheap (LARGE 55-75 gallon) fishtank...when tonight i was browsing my local freecycle and a lady had JUST listed a 75 gallon leak free tank in need of a good cleaning only 30 mins from me...i NEVER get to freecycle in time to snatch up the good postings but i figured why not, dropped her an email and sure enough still avaialble! i whent and picked it up tonight its HUGE im so excited, tomorrow will be getting it out of its box and starting the cleaning process and the DIY rocky background/caves, and the proces of finding a stand for the thing now starts. my rooms not done yet so ive got plenty of time before i can put it in its home, but yeah...
sooo happy.

planning on doing an all male peacock tank...oooo ahhh perdy!

but well see! 75 gallons is alot of space to do something cool with!

and hey, it may need a cleaning but it was FREE!
 

Lilavati

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#2
so id just about given up on my search for an uber cheap (LARGE 55-75 gallon) fishtank...when tonight i was browsing my local freecycle and a lady had JUST listed a 75 gallon leak free tank in need of a good cleaning only 30 mins from me...i NEVER get to freecycle in time to snatch up the good postings but i figured why not, dropped her an email and sure enough still avaialble! i whent and picked it up tonight its HUGE im so excited, tomorrow will be getting it out of its box and starting the cleaning process and the DIY rocky background/caves, and the proces of finding a stand for the thing now starts. my rooms not done yet so ive got plenty of time before i can put it in its home, but yeah...
sooo happy.

planning on doing an all male peacock tank...oooo ahhh perdy!

but well see! 75 gallons is alot of space to do something cool with!

and hey, it may need a cleaning but it was FREE!
This should be obvious . . . but . . . check for leaks . . .
And clean it THROUGHLY with a thin Clorox solution (Then rinse throughly and add lots of dechlor) . . .
Second hand tanks are great, but precautions are needed.
 

FoxyWench

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#3
oh yeah i know, it needs a very through cleaning and its oging to be about 3 months before i cna even set it up, so for now its on a thick sheet of cardboard on my patio full of water (leak check) assuming no leaks over the next couple of days itll need full limescale removal (it was sat with water evaporation out of it for a while), then itll get bleached to ensure no ickies...then THOROUGHLY washed... then ill make my diy foam rocks again (i made some for the 29 gal that came out freeking awsome so im going to repeat the process!) then, because i prefer not to use concrete (instead i use acrylic paint and marine epoxy (i dont use styrafoam i use high density foam board so no baubles to cover with cement) thatll get silaconed into place, the silacone has to cure, THEN the tank gets refilled and the marine epoxy left to cure for at least 2 weeks....with frequent water changes during this process...by the time all thats done the room should be ready to dump the water out, move the tank into place, refill and start cycling, im using an existing canister filter with used (but safe) media that i was running on the 30 (its rated for 100 gals but has a flow control woot!) and not untill all water testing comes up correct will fish be going in there, i want peacocks, peacockks are expensive, i aint rushing this lol!
 

iluvdogs

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#4
Wow...free!!...that's good!!

Make sure you post pics when its up and running! :)

When I first started my fish tank up, I also bought a used one...It lasted a few years, then the pet store was having a super good deal on tanks...So I went and bought a new one. ( since the used one came with everything..all I needed was the tank )
 

Lilavati

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#5
Really good tanks, like Oceanics, can last longer than you will . . . but second hand tanks can have glitches :D My big tanks are all second or third hand . . . but I've dealt with rotten ones too.
 

FoxyWench

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#6
it can be a real crapshoot, my 29 gal was a freecycle find, tank stand and light, good find too, i had to replace the filter and pup and bulbs but nothing nasty, setit up like i always do (even with brand new tanks) outside on cardboard and fill totally, leave for a couple days with water in (cover the top so no dorwning birds lol) and wait...my 29 gal ended up having a slow leak in one corner (the carboard helps show you where *grins* and all i had to do was empty the tank, let it dry and redo the silaocne on the seam.

i started doing this when i bought a brand new 10 gallon and it spurng a leak in the first 3 days, now i check ALL my tanks simply because i know what these things go through in transport form the warehouse to the distributor then to the shop then to your home..

this ones an all glass brand tank, ive had great luck with them thus far and i checked the silaonce and it LOOKS very tight...(usually leaks you can get some idea of on older tanks cause the silacone will have started to peel) and very clean (no bluing or yellowing) the lady said shed had the tank for 1 year, it had water in it for 6 months while she built her bigger bond, she kept 2 small koi in there form her old small craked pond, after the pond was done it sat for a while some of the water evaporated and limescaled it, she dumped it out and its been sat in her garage since...

so fingers crossed!

it looks solid, not even a scratch on the glass or plastic top or bottom rim...other than the limescale it looks new!

im not counting my chickens, and have all the supplies needed to fix it if nessicary...
but im corssing everything cause itll look awsome! its going to be a diving wall between my studio aparmtnet bedroom and living room, so im on the search now for a stand that will bring the tank just a little lower than the back of the couch height... and because itll be seen from both sides it wont block light! woot...but it means i have t be creative with setting it up, so heaters and filtration will go on the ends where it can be hidden behind a small fake rock wall and then there will be fake rocks piled in the center of the tank to make a nice cichlid rock pile witout sacirficing the vewi from either side...

LOTS of caves need to be made lol.
 

iheartsammy

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#7
I got a 10 gallon tank for xmas..smaller then I wanted, but guess it's good for a begginer(sp?)...

I hope the tank works out and there arn't any leaks..

Can't wait to see pics! ;)
 
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#8
OK, SO, i was i put and ad up( on craigslist and ksl) for some tanks for my 4 red eared sliders and my newest addition capt jack, well, i got an email that said to call this guy named robert..... and HOLY FREAKING COW JACKPOT BABY!!! we got to talking and he lives in Logan ( JOJO you know where that is) and

he said he has 3 90 gallon tanks 2 are glass and 1 is acrylic.. MY BABIES ARE MOVING ON UP!!! tongue.gif


and the best part is >>>>> THEY ARE TOTALLY FREE FREE FREE FREE, he is coming Saterday early morning to deliver them!!! OMG i am soo excited here is what i am going to do with them:

1st Capt Jack is going to get his own 90 gallon tank.( with basking area)

2nd Capt. Jack's old tank will be the 4 goldfish's new home ( they live in a cramped 10 gallon tank)

3rd i am going to put Mikey and Ralphie in one of the other 90 gallon tanks ( with a new basking area)

4th i am leaving the 90 gallon tank i have now for Spunky and Baby "T" ( they already have a basking area)

I HAVE no clue what to use the last 90 gallon tank for... any ideas ?? suggestions???

we plan on moving Jack into the living room for a wonderful display.. and if there is room ( because they all come with stands) we will also move the the 4 Red Eared Sliders in the living room as well. I am sooo excited i can not wait.

he asked me if there was anything else i needed for the tanks and i told him i need a filter for them he said DONE!!! ** squeals**



so, if anyone has any suggestions for the last 90 gallon tank let me know thanks!!!
 

Lilavati

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#9
I got a 10 gallon tank for xmas..smaller then I wanted, but guess it's good for a begginer(sp?)...

I hope the tank works out and there arn't any leaks..

Can't wait to see pics! ;)
I'd start with a 20, but a 10 is what you have, so enjoy! Just remember that a 10 isn't actually that big, so be carefully not to overstock it and change the water frequently. (That's why I try to start people on 20s . . . they are more forgiving). But I started with a 10, as did most of the fish people that I know.
 

skittledoo

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#10
I want a 20 to start with. I've been keeping an eye out on craigslist for a used one, but probably wont get one until I'm settled into the new place since I don't want to have to add more stuff to my packup and move pile. I've been wanting one for a little while though.
 

FoxyWench

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#11
puppy! congrats, craigslist and freecycle are 2 of my most favoritist places in the world!
the last 90 gallon could be used for ANYTHING, in a 90 you can pretty muhc keep 90% of whats availabel to botht eh fish and reptile world, it realy does depend on what YOU like...you could put together a GORGEOUS cichlid, discus, angel or community tank in a 90 (a saltwater tank would go great too but rather expensive) or go with reptiles...

OR if youd rather not have any pets, set it up with dirst instead of water, hang growlights above it and tada a gorgeous terrerium...

realy want to do something uber cool, look into the diy backgrouns for a half and half tank, half land, half water, and do a biotropoc tank with say newts and fish, or treefrogs and fish (just make sure fishies are too big to be eaten by anything else and too small to eat anything else...

that would make a freeking AWSOME anile tank too, you could turn it into a real jungle a bunch of small lizards and that could look very cool...

or keep it aside for a just in case tank:)

10 gals is a good starter size, its better to go larger on any tank simply because the more water in the tank the les likely to fluctuate and easier it is to keep your paremeters safe, HOWEVER 10 gals is also a very managable size, the equiptment to run it is CHEAD (overdo the filtreation whever possible, my first 10 came with a hob filter, i hooked up a second Hang on back for 20 gals of filtrration, so i could get away with a touch of overstock.

for smaller tanks i like to go with 1 key specimine (dwarf gourami do well in 10 gals, (blues/threespots and godlds tend to get too big but neon blues and flames as there most commonly called stay smaller, gourami cn be VERY territorial so go with 1 pair of a single. then a nice school of dither fish, something to add activity, zebra danios make a great addtiion becuase i swear there impossible to kill lol! they have no isolated genese in zebras that cause vivid flourescant colors Glofish are simply neopn colored zebras, these unlike many other funny colored fish (ie strawberry tertrs) are NOT tattooed or "painted" ior chemically treated/special food, they are genetically those colors so shouldnt fade, they are active enought to add movment, fast enough to keep out of a gouramis way and small eough you could easily put a nice sized school in there. cardinal and black neon tetras are also nice, regular neons are gorgoues however tend to be VERY fragile...
harlequin rasbora are nice too.

finnish the tank with 3 cory and some ottos for clean up and algea control

lest thats what id do...

there are many DWARF cichlids known as shell dwellers that are fun and cool.

another nice option would be a single pair of german blue rams (or bolivians, gorgous SMALL cichlids with beutifull color and pleasent personalities, you could even add more dither fish to a 10.

good luck, fish keeping is lots of fun, and watching your fish just swmi around in a natrual environment is sooooo nice and relazing...but it can be an expensive and addictive hobby...

right now im already planning my big tank and planning on what to do with the 29 gallon once the big tank is done and ready to go (im thinking im going to do an angel fish/community if i can find the right set up lol. (and an angel that wont eat everyone once full grown lol!)
 

iheartsammy

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#12
I'd start with a 20, but a 10 is what you have, so enjoy! Just remember that a 10 isn't actually that big, so be carefully not to overstock it and change the water frequently. (That's why I try to start people on 20s . . . they are more forgiving). But I started with a 10, as did most of the fish people that I know.
I wanted a 20, but beggers can't be choosers..:p

Once I move in about 6 months though, not only am I planning on buying a bigger tank, but my step-dad also wants to make a huge pond on our propery.
 

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