Is buying a messy tank worth the effort?

[FMF0331]

I would not - save up for another month or so and get yourself a sparkling new tank without the headache of cleaning

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Wait for a better deal. Trust me they are out there. I have an acrylic 180 sitting in my garage that I got for 300. If a deal is good enough I grab it. Even if it has no use fishtanks are pretty easy to flip.

 

[gtrider]

what's the rush? i'd say save up some money and get a new tank. nothing good in this hobby happens fast

 

[BeejReef]

The thing with a big tank like that is it has to sit somewhere... stinking... until you have the plumbing worked out and, presumably, have cured all that old live rock... possibly for months. It depends on if you have a garage, a wife, both or neither I have a 65g empty and stinking in my living room as we speak. The rock has to sit somewhere... stinking... as well. I fig'd tank would come home, immediately fill with diluted vinegar, start cycling two days later. Found suspect plumbing, ordered parts, waiting.

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

In just the used tanks I see here in Boise, the price for that tank and it’s condition seems pretty high. The lfs here has a 125 with stand sump and return pump, for 300 and it has already been cleaned. Bow fronts to me are a little harder to light because of the bow. I would general use strip lights that sit on top of it, but even then, light will be visible. Going with puck style leds will have similar probelms.

Any tank and look amazing but also depends on how much you want to invest into it and your time.

Good luck
Sincerely Sarah

 

[TMB]

I have had a 14 gal bio cube for the last 5+ years and I am thinking about making the jump to a much bigger tank. I am thinking about going used to save thousands. I found a tank that is working, but appears to be filled with slime algae and who knows what else I will find when I look in person. My question is: how much effort will I be putting in to get this thing functional. Will I be strapped with nasty diseases forever and will it be worth the "savings"? Link to tank: https://offerup.com/item/detail/564834272/ I have learned from research it is an Aqueon 72. Not sure what all was done to get to functional for salt or if the lighting will suffice. I assume it will.

Will be interesting if this tank that been for sale for over 3 months sells "all of the sudden"

I would buy a used tank/set-up based on 2 things.
1 - the condition of the tank seals and glass/Acrylic. I want to save money like everyone else, but beat up tanks drive me crazy eventually. So if either of those two are not good, it's a no go for me
2 - the stand needs to be well built, in good shape, and not all rotten and ugly.

Other than that, just about everything can be fixed or replaced, so I would definitely consider a used set-up.

 

[tupes]

I would wait. It might be to good to be true. Just browsing on the link you provided. There is a second posting for the same tank asking for more money

 

[ourcoralreef]

Personally i say no because my time is worth money

If you are willing to work on it getting a used tank at a good price can save you some money if you are buying it as a whole system
Remember most people sell when they fail so you are probably going to tun into the same problems that the previous owner had you might have to add remove or replace items i would only recommend a experienced hobbyist to buy used as you would know what to look for

 

[lapin]

I gots all the time in the world.
My first saltwater tank was a cast off acrylic 120g. Got live rock, sump (55g with no baffles), tank (with scratches & drilled in bottom (which I had to remedy), not so good skimmer and return pump, 2 chinese black box lights, refractometer, and a bunch of other junk. Paid about 500.00 for the mess. Polished all the scratches out, put in a real overflow, fixed the unwanted holes. Baffled the sump. Built a stand, got some new sand and presto, new tank with sump.
Guess I could have got the Red Sea Reefer Deluxe for $3500.
Work til 65? Retire the following year? Early retirement was calling me. The decision was easy.

 

[AquaDaddy]

A couple points to ponder. The tank is up and running so that will hide many of the scratches/flaws. It's not until you've soaked the thing in vinegar that the true tank is revealed. I live in the PNW and have seen that tank posted a few times, so it's been for sale for a while, why? While it may be cheap, bows are hard to light, the rock might be worth it, but you would absolutely have to acid bathe it or cure it somehow. No clue what the stand looks like inside. I'd pass on this one. I personally, would buy a used tank, but would be VERY selective. Or, like someone else mentioned, buy it because it comes with so much other stuff it's worth it. Heck, I'm going to be selling my 93 cube soon. The tank is scratched so I don't expect to get much, but it's a very nice well built stand with a sump, etc.... so for the right person it might be a good deal, but they would probably buy it knowing they should replace and drill a new tank ~ so probably not great for a beginner, but someone who has been around the hobby for a while.

Just some thoughts.

 

[tupes]

By the way I selected "other" it depends o the deal. Do I know who I'm buying from? Is there something hidden they are not telling me which is the reason it's for sale?

 

[BantyRooster97]

I don't think that is a bargain at that price, which is what I would be looking for in that condition. I bought a 90g that hadn't been touched in a long time (algae covered the glass so thick you couldn't see in). I got the tank, 2 older mp40s, Reef Octo 110 skimmer & stand for $300. Plus it was full of fish (9 total). He didn't even know how many fish were in the tank, but needed it gone. I did everything & got a good deal. After I cleaned it up, tank was perfect.

 

[Todd A.]

I voted "other". About 4 years ago I bought used 55 gal acrylic tank, stand w/light, sump etc. for about $300 thinking that was a cheaper way into the hobby and never even filled it with water. After trying to deal with scratches and piecing together used parts & pieces I gave up and bought all new. I'm sure there are great deals on used tanks that are worth the effort, but it's not for me. That 55 set-up is still sitting in my Tuff Shed collecting dust, and I just upgraded from my original 90 gal setup to 210! So once I'm finished using my "old" 90 to QT a few fish for the new DT, looks like I'll have a couple of used tanks to sell. Any takers?

 

[vetteguy53081]

For me..... it may change the price. If very messy- will ask seller to semi clean it so I can at least look for scratches and imperfections

 

[DarkSky]

I'm going to go against the grain and say it totally can be worth it. The tank size and specs I wanted were being quoted close to $4k USD - someone locally happened to post a dirty used tank for $200 that had exactly what I was looking for. 6'x30"x24"T.

Dirty:

Elbow grease:

There are diamonds in the rough out there. Just need to know what's a deal and what isn't!

 

[BeejReef]

I'm going to go against the grain and say it totally can be worth it. The tank size and specs I wanted were being quoted close to $4k USD - someone locally happened to post a dirty used tank for $200 that had exactly what I was looking for. 6'x30"x24"T.

Dirty:

Elbow grease:

There are diamonds in the rough out there. Just need to know what's a deal and what isn't!

Nice work!

 

[Biokabe]

I vote no.

I inherited a dirty old freshwater tank from a relative. After hours and hours and *hours* of cleaning, the thing was still messy. Even had the stand not been the most inconveniently sized thing ever (I didn't think you could make a 50g tank be that narrow), the glass was permanently caked with hard water deposits. I literally soaked the tank in vinegar for days, tried bleach, tried scraping with a razor. Still permanently filmy and dirty.

Now it sits in my garage and a new tank sits in its place. There are deals to be had, for sure, but make sure you know what you're in for before you hand over money for an old tank.

 

[PiscesPower]

I have had a 14 gal bio cube for the last 5+ years and I am thinking about making the jump to a much bigger tank. I am thinking about going used to save thousands. I found a tank that is working, but appears to be filled with slime algae and who knows what else I will find when I look in person. My question is: how much effort will I be putting in to get this thing functional. Will I be strapped with nasty diseases forever and will it be worth the "savings"? Link to tank: https://offerup.com/item/detail/564834272/ I have learned from research it is an Aqueon 72. Not sure what all was done to get to functional for salt or if the lighting will suffice. I assume it will.
Will be interesting if this tank that been for sale for over 3 months sells "all of the sudden"

Welcome to the forum! I see you are in my neck of the woods.

Are you a member of some of the local FB groups? Some really nice tanks go on sale, or you can post a looking for post.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/338254062979515/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/478944852142473/

Also don't miss Reefworx Seattle February 23rd at the Doubletree SeaTac.

https://www.facebook.com/events/2252332375010197/

 

[rknott]

I used to be an aquarium tech and at times was faced with reclaiming a tank like that. If the glass is not all scratched up and if the center brace is the newer reinforced (they used to be just the standard center brace then they added more bracing at the bowfront side because the added pressure of the water against the bowed glass was causing the glass to pull away from the bracing), I would definitely try to get a good deal and make an offer.

I scrubbed tanks like that out with bleach. It kills all disease and it rinses without any residue. It appears to be soft plumbed which is pretty easy to redo. That has the potential to be a great tank and I would not be afraid of it..

Thanks for the tips. Making a check list of things to look for:
1. Is glass scratched. Given it doesn't appear to have ever been cleaned I am guessing no, but I will check for sure.
2. Look at the center brace and see if it is reinforced around the bowfront side. Not sure what I am looking for, but I will look.

 

[rknott]

I vote no.

I inherited a dirty old freshwater tank from a relative. After hours and hours and *hours* of cleaning, the thing was still messy. Even had the stand not been the most inconveniently sized thing ever (I didn't think you could make a 50g tank be that narrow), the glass was permanently caked with hard water deposits. I literally soaked the tank in vinegar for days, tried bleach, tried scraping with a razor. Still permanently filmy and dirty.

Now it sits in my garage and a new tank sits in its place. There are deals to be had, for sure, but make sure you know what you're in for before you hand over money for an old tank.

This is interesting. Not sure how I would know if the water spots will come out. Would really suck if they don't. First check is to see if it was ever used for fresh. I am guessing no, but I don't know.