Pulling equipment out of storage, any possible problems?

[Pylor]

For about 5 years from somewhere around 2002-2007 I kept a couple different aquariums that have since been put into non-climate controlled storage (in Illinois, where the summer gets hot and the winters get cold). Basically when I went off to college they were dismantled by parents and thrown into storage. To be fair, I had gotten pretty disheartened when a 10 gallon tank dedicated to raising fry I had setup had the glass plate at the bottom snap (crack maybe?) and I ended up losing a lot of baby fish and made a massive mess.

TLDR: I have a bunch of equipment that's been in very hot to very cold storage for 7 years and I want to set some of it back up now that I'm getting my own place.

Recalling from memory I believe I have something along the lines of:

• 29 gallon tank, it was a (possibly cheap) tank from one of those kits at petco
• 280 marineland emperor filter
• Some sort of tetra-whisper 30 gallon filter (came with the kit back in 2002 or so)
• 3 Heaters for different sized tanks
• 5 gallon acryllic tank with built in filter

I can't actually get to any of it for a few weeks but I was wondering if there would be any of that equipment that may have survived and would be reusable. I'm mostly concerned about the tank; after having the glass plate snap on the bottom of the 10 gallon tank mentioned earlier, I'm extremely untrusting of glass tanks. Should I probably just scrap the heaters and not even bother trying them?

 

[brennae]

I would think the tank would be fine but you could test it first. I def would throw out the heaters. I don't trust old heaters, not worth the risk to me but I know there are others who have been using the same heaters since the 70's.

 

[Fidgetromeo]

My spare heater was in similar storage for about 7 months and when I pulled it out... Nothing, the little light comes on but no heat.

 

[Pylor]

My spare heater was in similar storage for about 7 months and when I pulled it out... Nothing, the little light comes on but no heat.

Ya, I'm not really expecting those heaters to have survived the test of time in that storage unit. I'm kind of hoping the aquarium and filters are ok though. From what I recall the filters wouldn't be bad to have double team that 29 gallon, though I know 29 is a bit on the small side. I already have the stand and everything for it so I'm probably not in a position to upgrade much at the moment (especially with buying new things for a place).

I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of those new fluval c4 filters though if one of my filters is dead...

I was hoping to setup the 5 gallon as a tank to put in new acquires or fish that get sick (I forget the aquarium term). I remember a big deal being made about the "fish coat" of slime back when I was handling fish which made me leery of catching them in nets, is this still the case? How do people handle it now?

 

[flyfishfan1966]

I'd be more concerned with expansion and contraction of the seals

Those size tanks are cheap enough, so I wouldn't risk it.

 

[Pylor]

I'd be more concerned with expansion and contraction of the seals

Those size tanks are cheap enough, so I wouldn't risk it.

If I'm going to get a new tank I'd go with acrylic, I'm not a fan of glass after my experiences. That being said, would a simple tank fill->check for leaks be enough to rule out a bad seal? Even then I'd imagine some sort of aquarium approved caulk is out there that I could try.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against getting a new toy, I'd love to get a 50 gallon acrylic tank, but I'd rather atleast try to work with I have so I can justify to my wallet that I've done everything within reason.

That and I prefer small fish. My ideal tank:

• 4 guppies, 3 females 1 male
• 8-10 neon tetras
• 5 zebra danio
• 5 white cloud minnow
• 3-4 bronze corys

According to the advisor I could fit all that in a 29 gallon but it'd be nearing max stock capacity.

 

[FishBoy185]

Would you be using that Emperor 280 with that stock?

 

[Pylor]

Would you be using that Emperor 280 with that stock?

I'd probably run with 2 filters. If both the filters work I'd use them both since they've worked fine in the past (so it'd be the emporer 280 and a tetra whisper power filter 30). I figure as long as the water flow isn't messing with the fish at all the more filtration the better (short of your tank looking like a sewage system with pipes).

Those filters are both circa 2003 so I don't know if anything major has changed in them in the past 10 or so years. If one of them doesn't work it means I get to play with a fluval c4 which looks like a very fun filter. If both don't work I'll pick up a fluval and another fun looking filter.

After working so long in IT, redundancy seems like a good thing to me.

 

[anibis]

I'm not sure how good the silicone on the tank would be after that long in non-climate controlled storage.

If you do decide to try the old tank certainly do a leak test before you use it. I'd fill it up about half way and let it sit for a day, if there are no leaks fill it up all the way and let it sit for multiple days.

Glass tanks are pretty reliable as long as you give them a good level surface to sit on. They also don't have the scratching issue acrylic tanks have.

 

[FishBoy185]

Yes he's right. My ten gallon had lasted me since I was 5 years old. I'm 18 now and I still have it up and running.

 

[Pylor]

Not to sidetrack anything but I remember putting a lot of thought into what happened with that tank. It was on a dresser I don't have anymore and I wonder if the wood it was sitting on might not have been completely flat. Like a tiny bit of warping or something? I never did figure it out. It was a 10 gallon fry tank so it just had a tiny bit of substrate and a few fake plants with a filter and a heater. It was cracked long-ways completely along the bottom. As in, this is how it looked (with ~ symbolizing the crack):

 ___________________
|                   |
|    ~~~~~~~~~~~    |
|                   |
---------------------

Guess there's not much point in worrying about it now, I'd just rather not have a tank spill 29 gallons of water onto my new apartment. One question though, where do you guys buy your tanks? I'm pretty sure both of mine were just top fin-like tanks. After looking at the 2 major pet chains (where I bought my tank) and the 29 gallon kits, it might be a top fin kit.

Also, another off topic, I think I'll switch up the guppies for 6 endlers which would be less overall fish, and also trade the bronze corys for fake julii ones which are a half inch smaller. It puts the AqAdvisor tool at 88% stock which is still high for my tastes.

 

[anibis]

A warped dresser could certainly cause a glass tank to crack. The corners are what you have to watch out for.

Just keep in mind, glass tanks have been around for a long time. If they were prone to breaking and leaking all over the place acrylic would be ruling the market, which it certainly is not. To this day the vast majority of 10g+ tanks are still made of glass.

I had glass tanks throughout my teens, never had an issue. My Dad has had so many tanks I can't even count, and I don't recall him ever having an issue either.

Personally I have a 29g Aqueon tank I bought at a local chain pet store (Jacks Pets). Not top of the line, but I trust it. Tetra has a lifetime warranty on all tanks over 10g, so they must be decent as well. Aqueon, Tetra, and Top Fin are the only brands I ever recall seeing at the various pet stores I frequent, I'm not sure there is a Cadillac of glass aquariums.

 

[Pylor]

Thanks, that's good to know. There's a 40 gallon breeder (top fin brand) I can get for just under 100, though it seems like most people just make their own stands for those. I don't want more height from my 29 gallon, I want longer and deeper!

This is all hypothetical though, for an apartment I'd probably be best just sticking with the 29 for now as long as it works. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long to dig it out of storage.

 

[venymae]

About heaters. I'm one of those peeps who has been using the same heaters since the 80's and most of them were in storage for 5+ years at some point in an unheated garage in Kansas (hot summers, cold winters) all the ones I have tested seem fine, although with one the numbers on top don't match the temp it creates, but as long as you have a thermometer it's stable. (it also is a non-submersible that took a quick dunk on accident so that might be it too. lol) I would give them a trial run while you cycle. THey could be good

 

[Pylor]

Just an update incase anyone was curious or stumbled upon this thread later after searching; the 29 gallon seems ok, the silicone that sealed the inside seemed loose at the top after first inspection, but when I finally got to look at it closer it was just some silicone that formed a sort of Y with the silicone going up the corner of the tank and connecting to the black frame. In all 4 corners it was loose, so I yanked it off, but all the stuff stuck to the glass seemed to be on there pretty well still. Haven't been able to test fill it yet since it's still below freezing outside and I need a level surface to put it on.

Haven't tested the filter (still pretty sure it's an emperor 280, it says emperor on the bottom and it's a single biowheel) or heater yet but I cleaned them well with distilled white vinegar. The eclipse 6 was actually a "regent 5" which I'm fairly positive is actually the exact same thing. The light bulb actually says eclipse on it. That thing has a bunch of spots where it looks like it's been hit, it has scratches in a pattern that seem to be on the inside of the acrylic, like stress fractures. It won't be a show aquarium at all but it seems wide and long enough to be a great quarantine tank for my small fish.

I'll be making a post about my newest problem soon, the pH where I'm moving to is about 8.6 on average =/