Why not use an old reptile tank for fish?

[gmate]

If I bleach bath, vinegar bath it, blah blah several times over. If I clean it out thoroughly. The only possible problem I see is that reptile tanks may be constructed with 'weaker' thin glass than tanks designed for fish. If the thickness is right, what does it matter?

The dimensions of the tank I am looking to purchase is 6ft by 1.5ft x 1.5ft. How thick should this glass be? There is a brace in the center of the tank for additional support across the top.

For the price, it's worth it. Leak tested with freshwater, and it definitely holds water. Needs a good cleaning and some TLC. I want to do a shallow tang tank with some basic coral but nothing too crazy, possibly FOWLR.

[am3gross]

"shallow tang tank"? That is going to get some ones attention! Lol...

Now on to the question... The seals of a reptile tank will or could hold ammonia in them from the urine of the reptiles.. My advice is to fill that sum b up and let it run and test for ammonia.. My belief is though that the ammonia will eventually start to leach out.

[gmate]

Hmmm...

[csmfish]

U better make sure that glass is thick enough and it has a good silicone bead on it!

[_BAMF_]

I'd say 3/8ths thick glass should be fine. But if ammonia leaching out from the silicon is a concern why not just reseal the tank?

[wrxreefer823]

I would honestly scrap the reptile tank all together... I know they aren't built as sturdy as fish tanks... If something goes wrong with it, ie- ammonia from the reptiles, glass not being thick enough and possibly cracking or something like that, you'd kick yourself in the butt for not spending the extra few bucks on a new tank. In the grand scheme of things, the tank's probably the least expensive piece of equipment you'll buy for your set up. Good luck though!

[chilwil84]

every fish we put in our tanks leach ammonia everytime they breath and release waste thats what our live rock is for. the main problem (if it was originally designed to hold water) i see with a reptile tank is that most are used/maintained in a low humidity/ high heat setup so the silicone seals may not be in great shape

[00Warpig00]

I have a reptile tank. The tags attached on the tank bottom clearly read "DO NOT FILL WITH WATER". Sucks cuz the tank is the size of a 40 Breeder.

Nick

[Pcrain]

I wouldnt do it
Really the livestock alone will be worth way more then a tank.
And karma will strike it will hold water fine for 2 years then the day you go out of town for a week it will blow a bottom seal.
Tread with caution

[tkeracer619]

The safety factor just isn't there. The tank will hold water but is more fragile.

The factory bracing is usually not enough.

I would not risk it. Too much at stake for a few bucks.

[geaux xman]

the silicone that is used in reptile tanks might not be strong enough to hold all the water pressure.

shop around and be patient. check the local reef boards or CL. i see cheap 4-6ft tanks all the time.

[Khemul]

The whole silicone strength and glass thickness thing is going to depend on if this was actually built to be a reptile tank. The OP obviously isn't sure, based on the questions asked. The height is right for a reptile-specific tank, but plenty of people use standard aquariums for reptiles.

The key differences tend to be glass thickness and center bracing. Reptiles tanks don't really need either as much. A dead giveaway would be if the tank isn't braced in any way (usually past 40g is). Then glass thickness. Google should be able to give you an indication on proper glass thickness.