help- second-hand tank

[GlitterySkulls]

we've been given a tank by a friend, but its been sitting out in their back garden & it's filthy. its currently in my shower full of hot water & bleach, & once its soaked a while i'm going to have to scrub it.

how do i ensure that all traces of bleach are out of it before i set it up & do a fishless cycle? i'm a bit concerned incase the bleachy residue somehow remains even after thorough rinsing.

i've just read that back & realised how thick i sound lol

i know what i was trying to say, hopefully you do too

How much did you put in? Normally if you use bleach to clean up an old fish tank I would say dilute it 10 parts water to one part bleach. Then you just need to rinse and rinse and rinse about a billion times. I wouldn't leave the bleach to soak though, just use it to wipe.

Don't forget to do a fishless cycle once it's all set up!

after all that, just as i finish scrubbing the thing i discover it leaks slightly

this tank was manky- the dirt was encrusted into it, it wouldn't wipe off, it had to soak for a good few hours, then i still had to scrub.

thanks for your reply, though :)

If it's a leak in the silicone then it's really easy to fix. All you need is a tube of aquarium friendly silicone (get it from an aquatic shop rather than a DIY shop), make sure the leaking spot is dry and just stick some silicone over it.

that's so weird, i'm just back from the aquarium shop, having bought a tube :)

i've never repaired a tank before, hope i don't bugger it up !

Nah, it's dead easy, as long as you don't mind how it looks

its a wee tiny chip at the bottom corner, no- one will see it !!

i've just done it, and i'm looking at it thinking "hmmmm" & i'm wondering, should i have put it on the inside instead of the outside?

a bit late to ask now, i know

Depends where the chip is! As long as it sits flat then it should be OK.

fingers crossed it works then lol