Buying used tanks...

[JonoB]

Does the thought of buying used tanks scare you?

My first tank was a 30g long tank that was awesome and I loved it. I bought it used for a great deal and it got my jumpstarted into this hobby. Unfortunately, shortly after we returned home with my first child, I caught it leaking. I was able to save everything but it kind of freaked me out.

I have had my stuff in a tank that I had used for a hospital tank. Everything is in there still and doing fine (other than my clowns dying today :( ). I've been wanting to upgrade for a long time and think I'm going to pull the trigger soon, but that's where this conversation comes up.

I love some of the sleek, fancy new tanks, but daggum are they proud of them ;)

I've been shopping around for a nice used tank, but don't know what I should look for to avoid what happened before. I know you can't avoid everything, but what are your thoughts on this? I have found a local 60g Marineland cube that looks real nice, but if that much water leaks out, I'll be in bigggggg trouble.

 

[JoshH]

What kind of budget are you working with, and what size of tank would you like to get yourself into?

Lots of people buy used tanks and have them for many many years and on the flip side, many people buy brand new tanks and have issues instantly. Are you taking more risk with a used tank, possibly. When looking at used tanks, look at the silicone seams for bubbles, loose or missing silicone or any other potential weak spots. Take a good look at the stand it was on if you can, was it an appropriate stand for the tank? Is there any bowing or warping that could indicate a poor stand and therefore a tank that was more than likely under stress when filled. How was the tank set up? Lots of HOB equipment that might have caused undo stress to the edges(while very unlikely to cause an issue, still something to keep in the back of your mind). Take a look at you can at the sellers other equipment, what kind of shape is it in? Does it looked well cared for or not so much. What kind of tank is It, who's the manufacturer, what's the history of that particular tank longevity wise.

 

[BradB]

No reason to believe a used tank is more likely to leak than a new one. Small tanks are unlikely to leak, your 30 being an exception

 

[dugthefish]

I've owned two used tanks in my life. One had/developed a small leak, and one had a catastrophic failure (corner seam split). Will not be buying used ever again. $.02

 

[Geebs19]

I just got back into the hobby within the last year and bought a used tank to get me back into it.

 

[jent]

I have never had a used tank leak, and I have had many, probably close to 8, of sizes ranging from 30 to 180. I have so far had only one new tank and it developed a leak. So from my anadotal experience used tanks are more reliable (obviously that's not the whole story). I think if the tank is built right, treated well, and on a good stand, it should last a very long time. I would buy used again, but these days want dimensions that are hard to find used.

 

[Rjukan]

I've bought a 50g, 75g, 34g, and 60g all used over the years and knock on wood I didnt have an issue with any of them. Currently I'm running the 34 and the 60 which I've gotten in the past year, I really rolled the dice and didnt even leak test them outside lol.

A good question to ask the seller is how long since the tank was running. In my case both of these were only dry for a couple months. It's when the tank has been sitting a year or 2 that you have to worry.

 

[Sorcha2]

I haven't ever bought a new tank and I have never had any problems. I would say inspect the silicone and the glass well and then make sure that the tank is well supported and leveled when you install it. Then don't lean stuff on the walls of the tank. I also commonly put a little craft foam under the tank and equipment to help reduce vibrations.

 

[Williamson’s Reef]

I’ve had a lot of new and used tanks. None of them have ever leaked. I never move a tank unless it’s completely empty. My biggest tank is a 245 I bought used. I saved a ton of money. Only to spend thousands on equipment for it...lol.

 

[dutch27]

Almost every tank I ever had was used. My first, a 75g I used for cichlids, was at least 20 years old when I turned it into an aquarium. It had been used for an iguana for years prior, and my original intent was snakes until I saw it held water fine when I was cleaning it. Used tanks are fine, check them over for chips and issues with the silicone. Make sure the silicone doesn't appear to be drying out.

 

[Burrito]

ive had used and new, like above, both seem to have the same chance to leak or not, everything else is more expensive than the tank anyway lol

 

[Coralmaniac21]

I alwats buy used tanks. I did have a 44g pentagon leak bout 15 gallons of water on the floor though.. oin hoke leak formed near the bottom and when i went up to go to ved my whole room was wet and it leaked thrpugh the ceiling. The tank was 11 years old.

After thst i decided to learn how to reseal tanks and now i resesl any tank i buy that has old feeling seals that lift up when you rub thrm dry. i resealed that 44g tank and it never leaked again but thrn i sold it once i bought my 92g corner bowfront. I didnt reseal it because thr silicone was fine but ill probly reseal it when i tear it down in the future.

I alao resealed my moms 23 year old 30g long tank lol the seals were horrrible.. resealed my 27g hexagon when i first started reefkeeping 4 months ago that tank is like 17 years old, these two are the only tanks weve gotten when they were new

The biggest tank i have is my 135g 6 foot tank. It was built in 1982 i got it 2 years ago from an older guy in his 70s.. original owner... been sitting in his basement empty for 10 years he said. I got it and the custom built angle iron stand for 100$. I had 4 people who called before me but he went with me because i was going to restore the stand and reseal the tank. The others were just going to fill it up..

I resealed and restored it. And its been running for 2 years and hasnt leaked. Its 40 years old almost now pretty much. I love this tank. Glass is 1/2 inch thick.. and it has no center braces because of its thickness compared to modern 125s. I probably have one of the oldest tanks on this forum lol.. I just wish i knew the maker they only put a sept 12 1982 sticker on it with a ship anchor symbol and thats it

So yea i would always buy used.. just reseal them its 10x cheaper then buying new. And tbh the quality of new tanks todsy is meh... have you walked into petsmart and inspected the seals on those tanks ?? Thier 150g is scary. The inner seals are paper thin.. really thin seals like that will fail in a few years... ailicone needs to be as thick as the glass itself for inner seals.. ive read many reviews of those 150s leaking in a year online.

No thanks

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Does the thought of buying used tanks scare you?

My first tank was a 30g long tank that was awesome and I loved it. I bought it used for a great deal and it got my jumpstarted into this hobby. Unfortunately, shortly after we returned home with my first child, I caught it leaking. I was able to save everything but it kind of freaked me out.

I have had my stuff in a tank that I had used for a hospital tank. Everything is in there still and doing fine (other than my clowns dying today :( ). I've been wanting to upgrade for a long time and think I'm going to pull the trigger soon, but that's where this conversation comes up.

I love some of the sleek, fancy new tanks, but daggum are they proud of them ;)

I've been shopping around for a nice used tank, but don't know what I should look for to avoid what happened before. I know you can't avoid everything, but what are your thoughts on this? I have found a local 60g Marineland cube that looks real nice, but if that much water leaks out, I'll be in bigggggg trouble.

Always had used tanks, I clean them , resilicone and fill them up with water, let them sit for 3 for days after silicon drys first,never had a leak.

 

[jonespkp]

I bought my 135 gallon tank used three years ago. No issues yet but it’s always in the back of my mind that a seam will split.

 

[Coralmaniac21]

Scariest thing with my 40 year old 135 is not a seem or it leaking as i resealed it and all seems look fine.

Its one of the main panels. It bows out empty... lol i noticed after i resealed it 2 years ago standing over the tank on the end.. one of the large panels was perm bowed from decades of use. I took a flat level used it as a straight edge and checked.. and its like 1.3 of an inch bowed out... when filled the panel is about 1.2 an inch bowed.

I wont be adding braces though. I fear adding braces to a peice of glass that thats bowed already will cause stress points on the glass where the braces are and make it worse.