Dad's abandoned saltwater tank...

tombili

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Hi everyone,

Without going into too much detail... myself and my siblings have been in the process of cleaning out and fixing my dad's house in order to sell it for the past year or so. We all knew there was a saltwater tank in one of the bedrooms in the basement but no one has wanted to deal with it (there are no fish or coral in it) and we have all just been working around it. It has gotten to the point where we have to do something about it. Myself and my sister have had freshwater tanks but neither of us would consider ourselves experts, and none of us really know anything about salt water fish tanks. The fish tank has been sitting in this basement unplugged, no filter, heater etc for about a year - so i wanted to make sure its going to be safe to take down. My main concern is the sand bed being stirred up after all this time. Everything that was in there has essentially just been stagnating and breaking down and I'm envisioning myself being gassed by hydrogen sulfide... Also if anyone has any recommendations on how best to approach taking down a fish tank that has been abandoned and stagnating for a long time and is frankly gross, I would be grateful.

Thank you
 

lapin

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You could have a septic tank person come out and suck all that stuff out.

Or sell it as is for a $1.00 and let some one else take care of it.
 

DeniseAndy

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IT will be pretty nasty. Get good ventilated masks and suck it out with a shop vac, or get sometone else to come do it. How big is it? May make a difference in which I would recommend.
 
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tombili

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IT will be pretty nasty. Get good ventilated masks and suck it out with a shop vac, or get sometone else to come do it. How big is it? May make a difference in which I would recommend.
A mask is a really good idea! it's 30 gallons
 

Cell

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It's not mostly evaporated by now?
 

Cell

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During dry times, like winter or when I have the AC cranked in the summer, my basement tanks suck up ATO water like crazy. Is there a glass lid on it maybe? Humid environment? I can't believe a 30 gallon tank isn't almost empty just sitting for a year in a basement with no top offs.
 
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tombili

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During dry times, like winter or when I have the AC cranked in the summer, my basement tanks suck up ATO water like crazy. Is there a glass lid on it maybe? Humid environment? I can't believe a 30 gallon tank isn't almost empty just sitting for a year in a basement with no top offs.
Its one of those cube shaped tanks with the compartment on the back and a big lid with the lighting inside. I think the fact that the heater and lights haven't been on probably also contributed.
 

DeniseAndy

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Yep, evaporation just went right back in. WIth 30g, you should be okay to do it yourself. As stated, get a good mask and gloves and eye protection just in case.

Drain the water and see if you can pick up the tank and bring outside with all water gone. Then, if you can, get a hose ready and spray out the sand onto a screen to prevent it all going down the drain. If you have a place in the yard that needs some sand (behind retaining wall, near a drain pipe, etc, try to run it off there.

Then you can use vinegar and water to clean out the tank itself (or just toss or sell as is).

If you cannot pick it up to get outside, carefully put the sand in buckets and then bring tank outside when you can lift it. Then toss the sand the same way.

Good luck!
 
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tombili

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Yep, evaporation just went right back in. WIth 30g, you should be okay to do it yourself. As stated, get a good mask and gloves and eye protection just in case.

Drain the water and see if you can pick up the tank and bring outside with all water gone. Then, if you can, get a hose ready and spray out the sand onto a screen to prevent it all going down the drain. If you have a place in the yard that needs some sand (behind retaining wall, near a drain pipe, etc, try to run it off there.

Then you can use vinegar and water to clean out the tank itself (or just toss or sell as is).

If you cannot pick it up to get outside, carefully put the sand in buckets and then bring tank outside when you can lift it. Then toss the sand the same way.

Good luck!

Thank you so much! You're a life saver. Maybe I'll be back posting one day with my own saltwater tank. ;)
 

Lost in the Sauce

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Thank you so much! You're a life saver. Maybe I'll be back posting one day with my own saltwater tank. ;)
Looks like you've gotten good information above.

Just stopped by to say hi. Warmest wishes for your family. If the point comes and you are ready to set a tank up or even that cube from your dad, This is the place with the most helpful people.

Welcome to R2R
 

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