bluealuefish

Can you believe it? I was walking home and I passed this by in front of a store, walked two more blocks before I turned back and asked the store owner if that was free and it was! He said it works and everything too. He said he used to keep 30-35 fish in there and was wondering why they kept dying.. poor fish.

It's a 30 gallon tall with the hood, light, Second Nature Whisper power filter with broken lid, Acura 150W heater, Tetratec AP30 bubbler + wand, gravel cleaner, net, blue gravel and a bag of decorations and fake plants. What do you guys think? How much is all this even worth?

Here are some quick pictures.




Oh yeah, is it okay to reuse the filter's floss? I'm planning to change the filter bags because they're very used and the bacteria probably all died anyway.

Iron waffle

Aren't you lucky? I'd say, if it's all working, around $130

pinkfloydpuffer

Wow, what a find! You are very lucky!

Lucy

Wow! Great deal.

Shawnie

awesome deal ! why cant I get lucky like that LOL

I wouldnt reuse the floss because you never know what was on it or in the tank etc..id buy everything new for the filter ....and for everything free, thats not alot to have to buy for it

Fishies-for-me

You have no idea why the fish died so I would sterilize the tank and all the things that go in it..buy new filter media and cycle the tank...nice find

capekate

Whats a FREE tank and all the goodies to go along with it worth? PRICELESS!
I agree with Shawnie. I would boil and sterilize all the equipment before using it.
Great find!

Red1313

Wow..... why can't I ever find deals like that lol

Allie

Don't you just love when people really don't care about the value of the tanks and just give em away or for really cheap. Great find!

bluealuefish

Good point with the diseases! I will wash everything then and start new. Don't want any sick or dead fish at all.

Fishies-for-me

Do NOT use soap to clean...you can sterilize by useing a weak bleach and water mixture...then in the rinse water use a heavy overdose of cheap declor...when you can't smell bleach anymore you are good.

bluealuefish

Yup I know, no soap ever. Don't worry, I spend hours reading the forum. =D But good to post it so others can learn. Will go the weak bleach + water way.

bluealuefish

I want to post updates on this tank. Please let me know if this is the wrong place to do it but I thought I would continue on this thread.

I finally sterilized and cleaned EVERYTHING today after being away for a week. A mesh colander for cleaning gravel worked great. I used a solution of 19 parts water, 1 part bleach. Rinsing out the bleach smell took forever. Yuck. I will have to rinse the gravel one last time before putting it in the tank.

While cleaning it, I decided that I really should reseal the tank since the caulk was very thin. Better to do it now rather than have a disaster later!

Will go to the store tomorrow to buy new filter floss, filter bags, more dechlorinator/stress coat solution and of course stare at all the pretty fishies.. oh yeah and hopefully find some aquarium caulk.

Here's a pic of the cleaned tank on the DIY stand my dad made. It's ugly but it's sturdy!



I've decided on neon tetras, cherry barbs and panda cories for sure. Not sure what else I want but possibly different types of cories, platies, or maybe even a gourami. Depends on what's available as well but I have time. Whee!!

Lucy

Thanks for the update! The stand isn't ugly, a coat of paint will fix it right up.

Red1313

Haha, I actually like the way that stand looks. At least you have a stand, right now I've got one of my 5's on one of those big hard plastic coolers.

bluealuefish

Yeah, my dad was kind enough to build it for me on his day off. It's a little ugly up close because vertical pieces of wood are actually made of several pieces of wood. A paint job would look nice but that's too messy so I'm just going to sew a cover and stick it around the stand with velcro (so I can change it around if I get tired of that color). I love sewing.

Plastic coolers? Wow, I'm really scared of putting it on plastic. My dad suggested milk crates but I convinced him No.

Thanks for the comments! Will be updating with more pics once I put everything in.

Lucy

Sewing a cover is a great idea! If you make it long enough you can hide supplies underneath.

Red1313

I had the cooler on hand and also it's had things heavier then a 5 gal tank on it before.

Steve113

Why sew? A long tablecloth draped over the top would do nicely, and as Lucy said you could hide your food + other fish junk underneath.

Looks good though.

Darlene

I can't wait to see what you do with the tank. Since it was free you don't have to feel guilty putting the money you need into it.

bluealuefish

I noticed that the silicone on the sides looked suspicious so I stripped them and re-sealed the edges. Left it to cure for 2 days then put everything in today. I also hung a shrimp in there to get the cycle going but I have been soaking the new filters in my ten gallon for 3 days. The filters, some decorations and my three neon tetras will be transferred to the 30 gallon once the temperature is steady and the water tests okay. I should take out the shrimp once I move the fish in right? because they'll be feeding the bacteria.

Here's a pic of the set-up. Haven't had the time to sew a cover yet because I got two new kittens to play with. Will also cover the back with something or another.


Forgot to mention.. the white stuff on the glass are bubbles.

Matt

Awesome Tank, Great Deal.

From Matt

Ransom_NCSU

you are way lucky :-) awesome tank!!!!!!!!!!!

Zoreta

Lucky ducky- I wish my LFS gave me a 35 gal. Between the testing supplies (ours were getting old) and the equipment and the decorations and the tank itself, my little 5 gal has gone clear over a $100.

Great tank!