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hi guys, yesterday i got offered to buy a 44 gal,well the lady says as far as she knows its water tight,i can seal it up if it isnt,but,she used to keep mice in it,i only considered this because the tank is dirt cheap.do yous think that if i cleaned it out with my preasure cleaner,and just gave it a genral clean up,do you think it will then be ok to keep fish inive never had a tank where mice were kept in it first,im just not sure about this,so i thought id ask first,b4 comiting to buying it.

I don't think I would use a pressure washer on it as that could possibly damage the seals. If you just clean it with a very strong bleach/water solution that should take care of any potential problems.

After cleaning it, just make sure you water test it for leaks in a safe location.

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

I wouldnt even suggest a strong bleach water solution. 1 part bleach to 10 parts water should be just fine. Then a few good rinses and let it set to dry in the sun. Bleach breaks down in UV (that's why it's sold in opaque bottles). Followed by another rinse with some extra dechlor.

If there's anything really stuck on the glass you can use a plain straight razor carefully to scrape it off (if it's a glass tank anyway ). Another suggestion I've heard but never tried is to use aquarium salt as a scrub to get anything stuck off of it.

Since she used to keep mice I worry a bit, I think I've read in a thread around here somewhere that rodent waste isn't good to have in a tank, that it soaks into the silicone and can be released again once it's filled with water. If there's any truth to that, you might be able to lay down another layer of silicone to seal in anything that might be bad for the fish.

^_^

well thats why i was guna use the pressure cleaner i was hopeing to blast all the old silicone away thats pealing and what not,then i was just guna go over the whole thing with my trusty silicone and gun.as for the cleaning ive used aquarium salts b4,but now i just use salt from the kitchen,and i also use a bit of coca cola,u would not beleave how good these products work together,and coke and salt is pretty much in any house hold.you can actully watch the coke and salt frying off the gunk,so, first ill wash the tank with them 2,i mite just us a little bit of beach too,then ill blast it all with the pressure cleaner,then ill go all over it with silcone then ill put it in the pergola out the back,for a few weeks,then ill give it a go,yous rekon that will b enuff cleaning to get it up and running

I think that should do it.

Jim

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

*buys stock in coca cola*


Yeah sounds pretty good, not sure about a whole week in the sun though How long can silicone be in direct contact with the sun anyway *shrug* I'm sure it'll be okay

^_^

its not actully in direct sunlight,my pergola is 100% closed in with wood and shade cloth,so it will be sweet in threre..but you are correct i rekon a good dose of sunlight would eventully peal the silicone off...

I've used tanks after having gerbils in them with no problems. Just rinsed with vinegar and water. I'm sure if your redoing the seals anyway nothing will be wrong with it. The only possible issues I've run into is that the rodents like to chew the silicone up especially along the bottom corners where they dig.

ill just make sure to seal it up real good.ill probly wait on setting it up for a few weeks, i want to build another stand for it,at some stage i think the stand mite have been out in the weather,because some parts of the wood have swelled up and have water marks. also at the very bottom of the legs, the part that sits on the ground, its rotted away,not real bad.i would just rather make a new oneid hate to get it filled up then the stand give way and collapse.

I weigh up cost of tank versus cost of replacing damaged household items


.......... and cost to person of parent's wrath for those still under the roof of the parental ones.



Good luck with whatever you decide. /:'

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Ive made the cheap tank mistake before, but I dont think that it was an ex-rodent tank should cause too may problems. The mistakes I made is using old aquaria from reptiles. The crickets and mealworms tend to eat the seals, the stronger uv tends to perish the seals too.Basically you have to accept that you need to replace the silicone. Then the radical hot spots associated with keeping herps sometimes weaken the glass, then you put water in it and.... kertinkle, crash , splash. Not good.

The ammonia from mouse urine might degrade the silicone a bit, after all some seals use ammonia in the curing process, but the glass probably wont have been under stress.

Hey, good head's up git... wouldn't have thought about the silicone perishing. Top post. Thx.... /:'

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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

thanx again guys for all your ideas,the tank is complete,ready to put fish in,i went over it EVERYWHERE, with the silicone,so its water tight,ive pulled the stand down,and given the wood a sand and cleaned it up,but i rekon its time to retire this stand,so when i get the timber from my dads work ill build a good sturdy stand....

well guys it came together,the stand is great,and beacause i got the wood from dads work and built it there also,it didnt cost a cent,just waiting for the water to cycle,then me and my daughter are off for some new fishys.

excellent.
Link us up to some pics once your all stocked.

^_^

Yes, pics are always good.

Renegade545,
king of the frontosa

im not sure what to stock it with, i rekon ill just let my little 1 pick whateva tickles her fancy

I have used sea salt to clean up my old aquarium which I ahve now just set up again. I ahve had no problems.. as far as bleach I would not do it... I took my tank out to the driveway and gave it a good scrub and washed it down with the hose.

Worked for me...

Here fishy... fishy.. Here fishy... fishy...

Way to get the next gen hooked Hokese .

I'm assuming that if a goldfish or koi tickles her fancy you'll be dad enough to explain why it'd be bad . I hope she gets as addicted as the rest of us !

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