# cleaning second hand tank -should i do more?



## sephnroth (Jul 30, 2013)

hi guys! as I said else where I picked up a new bigger tank the other day. It has been dorment for about a year and a half according to previous owner - the fish that were kept in it were all healthy no diseases and he sold them all when his work started involving frequent and long term travel.

i properly looked at tank today and it had some dry water stains, a little mould i think in places and residue of sand substrate around the edges. I've taken everything apart (filter, heater, etc) and scrubbed them by hand with warm water. Then I put the tank in the bath and scrubbed it until there were no marks left and rinsed it with the shower head several times, scrubbed again and rinsed again.

I'm wondering if most people would consider it ok to now think about placing it where I want it, laying gravel etc and adding water to prepare for a fishless cycle? or should I be cleaning the thing with something stronger than just water? very reluctant to use any kind of chemical without expert advice!


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## Ty (Jun 21, 2013)

Some people say you can use bleach as long as you rinse it REALLY well. But I bought a used set up and did the same thing you've done and everything has been fine.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If it looks clean then you're good to go,BUT you may want to fill it in the garage (or somewhere safe) to make sure it doesn't leak!.Other than that many use vinnegar to remove hard water stains ,but often they disappear anyway once under water.
Enjoy!
Being empty for so long there is no chance of disease making it from then to now!


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## sephnroth (Jul 30, 2013)

thanks guys - think I will avoid the bleach cuz otherwise i'll be rinsing it forever never satisfied i've got it all out and if anything happened to my fish i'd automatically blame myself for bleaching even if it was something else!

now i get to do the fun bit


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

Except for like a ten G I prefer to fill them outside first to check for leaks. Not anything but water and check to see
if the tank is on flat ground/cement etc by trying to rock it. If it's solid, then fill and check for leaks.
If it's in a "safe" place you might even leave it for one day because it's used and if it's still in one piece the next
day it's good to go.


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