Stress Testing a Used Tank

[northfacehiker]

Hi All,

As some of you already know, I will be purchasing an awesome flat-back 65 gallon hex tank setup tomorrow morning. As it will be my first used tank purchase, I was wondering what steps I need to go through to test the tank out?

I was considering filling it to the top with water to make sure there are no leaks and to ensure the stand is sturdy enough to support the fully-loaded tank.

Beyond that, does anyone have any tips or suggestions? Are there any other procedures I should use to test the integrity of the tank?

Thanks

[Damon]

I usually make them fill the tank up and sit for at least 2 hrs on larger tanks (Dont really worry about 10 gallon stress testing as they are cheap enough).

[JustOneMore20]

I've heard that you should let them sit for atleast a week, filled up. That will make sure you don't set the tank up and it leak a week or two later. That would suck.
I'd put the tank on some newspaper. That way you can check for any water leaks....sometimes you can't see the small ones.

[northfacehiker]

That's a big difference: 2 hours vs. a week.

I was considering doing it for about 24 hours, but I can let it sit longer if that's better. I don't want to buy all the goodies, set it all up, and then come home to 65 gallons of water soaked into my carpet.

[JustOneMore20]

I don't want to buy all the goodies, set it all up, and then come home to 65 gallons of water soaked into my carpet

Right. That's why I suggested 1-2 weeks. That will be a better test. If it doesn't leak at all in 2 weeks, then you should be good.

And if you haven't bought all the equipment yet, then you can just let it sit while you gather everything up. Which reminds me, I should be doing this for my 55g!

[northfacehiker]

I don't think I have the patience to wait a week. I'll probably give it 2 days or so while I'm out gathering supplies. 3 weeks for the nitrogen cycle to set in will be long enough to wait. I don't think I can be patient for an extra two weeks just to see if the tank leaks.

[Christine]

I pulled a 20g out of my basement last year that had been sitting for 10-13 years. I set it up in the bathtub for 24hrs to check for leaks and there were none. I set it up in the foyer and about a week later it developed a slow leak. Of course what that meant for me was... "honey, I have to have a new tank... now!". Followed by me repairing the old tank... "hey honey, now I have 2 tanks!". And so it began again!

[harif87]

Originally Posted by northfacehiker

I don't think I have the patience to wait a week. I'll probably give it 2 days or so while I'm out gathering supplies. 3 weeks for the nitrogen cycle to set in will be long enough to wait. I don't think I can be patient for an extra two weeks just to see if the tank leaks.

Why dont you just do a fishless cycle and since its going to be set up for a while use that as your testing time....

[vinimack720]

im glad to see that tank worked out for you. have you ever been to waldo pets over on the missouri side? if not you should check it out, probably the best pet store around, its at 8011 Wornall.

[Damon]

I dont know any seller willing to let you return a used tank after a week of ownership.

[BDawg364]

I don't know any seller who is willing to wait more than 10 minutes with a used full tank you came over to buy. Check the seals really well, and see if you can fill it up and watch for leaks for about 15 minutes. If if doesn't leak immediately, then any leak it will have later should be repairable with a $5 tube of aquarium silicone and a few hours.

[northfacehiker]

Thanks to all for your replies. I got over to the guy's house and check it out. He tried to rip me off. He took one of the biowheel filters off and said that it was $20 extra, and the hood was in extremely poor condition.

So not only was he not fully truthful about the tank, he wanted to rip me on the 2nd filter. What a jerk. I'm not jaded about finding a 2nd tank. I definintely want one. Just not from that guy...

[book_em_danio]

As someone who has many used and freecycle tanks, most don't leak at all. Some leak slightly. Most people sell used tanks for the same reason. Unwillingness to commit to the proper care of the living creatures inside.

[northfacehiker]

I actually found a 55 gallon tank and oak stand and bought it. The tank is now sitting outside with 55 gallons of water in it. It'll be sitting for 48 hours and hopefully will still be full of water!

[wildtiger]

I too buy alot of used tanks. If I'm buying anything with angles it automatically gets resealed, older tanks that look like they have been sitting for any length of time also get resealed. The 180 gallon which had previously been setup before I bought it, also got resealed, just couldn't see 180 gallon worth or water on my floor.

Resealing....$5.00
Waiting time...24 hrs or so
Not having to replace the carpet/flooring....priceless