Hi
I am new to fishkeeping, therefore I apologise if my questions is silly!

I was in the process of buying an aquarium but a friend of mine said he has on in the stables(!) and has not been used for years but it might need a good clean, so I said I would be interested in it.

My questions are: how can I best clean the aquarium inside and outside? And do I need to make sure it is free of diseases, and if so how? Does the sealant has a good life span? I have visions of the whole thing coming apart after filling it!!!

Thanks for your help

Justamo

Hello there your questions are not silly at all infact I think they are very good questions as its better to be on the safe side than have trouble.
The first thing I would do is fill the tank up "outside if you can" to see if it is water tight and has no leaks which will save you from floading your floor then if it is ok depending on how dirty it is just wipe it out with a cloth and plain water "they say never use any soap but if it is really grubby you can use a weak solution of washing up liquid as long as you make sure it is completely rinsed out" and then you can sterilize it with a strong solution of aquarium salt, as for the sealants life span it depends on usage really as it can last a long time, but if you find you have a leak then it can be easyily resealed cheeply enough.

sounds like good advice, welcome to fishkeeping, the site and the hobby, what fish are you interested in, you need to read up about cycleing your tank, and things like what filter you will need, heater etc. Feel free to post any questions and everyone here will do their best to help.

di

Hi

Thanks for the advice and the welcome. I have not got as far as what type of filter, fish etc. I know I want a tropical aquarium. I am reading as much as I can!!!

I'll keep you posted on progress!

regards

Justamo

you are quite welcome, just give us a shout if you have any more questions, you are doing the right thing getting some knowledge and knowing the pit falls before you start, the amount of people i see who buy a tank, some fish, and then wonder why they are all dying.

Hi all, just to jump in here, i just got hold of an approx 2foot square cubed tank but its got green stuff in between where some of the shelves meet near the top?

What can i use to clean that out? Ive posted to a newsgroup that suggested vinegar???

If its a case of you cannot get to the green stuff with a scowra, then vinegar should be ok, its good to clean windows so give it a try just make sure you give it a good rinse