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View Full Version : Buying a used tank, is copper use a prob?


Rack Ops
12/29/2008, 11:03 AM
So I'm thinking about buying an aquarium. A used tank seems to be one way to keep costs down.

As I've been reading, one of the things that caught my attention was the warning that if you use a copper solution in a tank, you can't EVER keep certain animals in it (inverts, I think).


Does that rule apply if the tank has been drained, dried, and cleaned? If it does....it might be too much of a risk for me to buy one

Fats71
12/29/2008, 11:12 AM
Glass is porous so it would be reason to believe it would hold the copper in it long after it has been drained & cleaned.

Sk8r
12/29/2008, 11:12 AM
Inverts include the bacteria that make a reef tank possible. And drying doesn't help.
The best way to buy safely is to buy from somebody, say, on RC, who is breaking down a tank in your area or within driving distance. You can sometimes snag somebody folding an entire system, and if you know your equipment, you can do very well with used stuff.
Just calcium deposit---cleans immaculately overnight with white vinegar.
Things that do tend to wear out: lightbulbs and pumps and small motor-driven devices. Things that tend not to wear out: skimmers, reactors, light kits; sumps, dursos. Ballasts---depends on how they're treated.
Best to buy a reef system, anyway: if you can get a pre-drilled reef-ready tank, you're way ahead; if you can get it with the piping and a sump of adequate size you will be SOOOO much happier, and then can keep anything.
Your lights determine what you CAN keep. MH lights are expensive and only needed for the fussiest acros and clams. T5s are generally able to keep about anything. Plan on replacing bulbs about 2x a year, so never rely on what came with used equipment: it's not that they burn out, it's that they change spectrum.
And NO sane reefer who's run a good system has ever used copper in his tank---so just be careful of your sources and buying used is a good thing. You'll notice there is a forum for selling used stuff on RC, there is another for making your own gear, and we also, of course, have our sponsors, listed above.

There are two threads marked with an * in the Newbie forum: read those entirely and it will save you making expensive mistakes. It will discuss equipment and various issues. Take notes.

Rack Ops
12/29/2008, 11:29 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14034956#post14034956 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
[B]Inverts include the bacteria that make a reef tank possible. And drying doesn't help.
The best way to buy safely is to buy from somebody, say, on RC, who is breaking down a tank in your area or within driving distance.

Thanks for this suggestion. I have no idea as to prices...Is 200 bucks for a 75 gallon reef-ready tank a good buy?

jenglish
12/29/2008, 11:45 AM
there is a media... seachem I think makes it... like cupragen or something like that that is supposed to absorb copper. I have never used it so I cannot verify its effectiveness. A heavily copper dosed tank may even discolor the silicone sealant. It is unlikely that a 75 gallon RR would be dosed with copper but one can never say for sure. I have known people to buy a big display tank, load it w/ inverts, get ich and throw copper in the whole system so it is not unheard of. I have considered using a batch of FW feeder shrimp as a canary to test for copper in a used tank as they should be just as sensitive as a SW invert but have never tried this methodology

Sk8r
12/29/2008, 03:48 PM
I think it would be a good buy---BUT---is it:
acrylic? does it have scratches and where?
glass? How thick? Thickest at that size goes up to almost 1/2 inch. Less is ok, but I would not get a tank that has notably thin glass---and I have seen some that are downright scary: with as much sharp rock and sand as we use plus the water and the high temps (80 degrees) tank fractures are a problem with thin glass. Hint: you can protect yourself by laying down eggcrate lighting grid before laying your rock; then sand. That assures at least 1 sharp point isn't resting on the bottom glass.

I prefer a glass tank: MUCH easier to deal with algae and coralline overgrowth, and less prone to scratch; but getting my tank up a flight of stairs is a job. My 54g tank, dry, weighs 83 lbs. Asking about the weight of a glass tank can tell you a lot about the glass thickness.

If that is a reefready in good condition with adequate glass thickness (quarter inch and above) that is a good price.

marioensf
12/29/2008, 10:19 PM
I would be safe, if copper has been used at some point, steer the other way.
Even that at some point I bought a bottle of Cuppramine, it's still brand new, unopened.

slimy fish
12/30/2008, 02:25 AM
I also agree, don't buy it if it had copper in it.

Tswifty
12/30/2008, 02:42 AM
^^^

Welcome to Reef Tank Myth #whatever you want it to be.

If you're THAT worried you can run Poly-filters or CupriSorb on the the tank. The tank should be fine though... barring it doesn't leak or have some other crazy defect.

Substrate or rock on the other hand that was in a tank while copper was used... TOAST!