Tropical Fish Keeping banner

Suggestions on what to look for when buying a used tank and stand

4K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  gmate 
#1 ·
Taking a risk buying a tank off craigslist, any particular things I should watch out for?

Buying this little baby off craigslist:





Ex-saltwater tank, owner upgraded. Looks pretty nasty. I see a blanket between the stand and tank which makes me weary...as if something was trying to be hidden. Could purely be for asthetic reasons. The tank itself is pretty grimey...I know with some dedicated scrubbing it'll come off. Is there a limit to the amount of crud I should be okay with ? I'm willing to put some old fashioned elbow-grease in.

I already have aquarium-safe silicon, so I'll probably reseal it anyway. Regardless, I'll be asking him to fill it with water prior to my purchasing.

What do you guys think I should be 'looking out for' when I buy this and the stand? I'm paying 200...and I know for that much I can get a 40 breeder and stand from petco for about the same price if not cheaper (and new, at that). I like the bowfront aspect though, good for stacking coral in my display (likely to be a salt tank). My only downfall would be if my 30 long didn't fit under it for a sump.
 
See less See more
2
#2 ·
well if you want to use it as a show tank just make sure it is in good condition. I wouldn't reseal it unless the seal are in poor shape. Build up you can generally get off its just the time and effort you have to put in to get it off.

As far as the price I think its way high. But prices depend on location too. And you already said you prefer bow-front. I personally don't. Judging by its height I don't think your gonna get a 30L underneath it.
 
#3 ·
I think $200 is way high. I bought my brand spankin new 60g Marineland ensemble (tank, hood/lights, cabinet stand) at Petsmart for $249. (and it looked alot better than that tank!).
 
#4 ·
Scratches....Bow front must mean acrylic, right? You will need to be very careful cleaning the inside that nothing abrasive gets between your cleaning cloth or sponge and the acrylic. A few grains of sand or some grit and suddenly you're using sandpaper on plastic. Looks like it was a saltwater tank so grit is a definite possibility. I have three acrylic tanks and learned the hard way. Scratches esp. on the front are distracting, and detract from the appearance of the tank. Hopefully the seller was careful about this, as well.
 
#7 ·
I think still too high, what if it has a leaky seal (the blanket). I prefer something a lot cleaner and that I know holds water when I buy off craigslist. I have found that if you wait a better deal usually comes along and I shop craigslist a lot, just ask my wife how many tanks too many we have, LOL.
 
#9 ·
I wouldn't I purchased my beautiful bow front not acrylic 40 gallon for 50$$ that came with tons of fish, plants anything you could think of it's a beautiful tank. ok there was no stand but...I got one for 40$ try kijiji I've never found anything on that craig list
 
#10 ·
Looking at a 55g Bowfront, Stand, coralife hood, remoraC protein skimmer, heater, and fluval canister filter for my salt setup in about an hour. All for 300, would save me a ton of money if it works out. Hoping!
Posted via Mobile Device
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top