# New Project



## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

My new project tank (75 gal) and stand just got dropped off today.



I've got some cleaning up to do. For now, I've just swept up the debris inside. Tonight, the work begins...the guy in the picture is the former owner, fyi...so that no one gets the idea that I'm a 6'2" tattooed *******. Very nice guy. Traded me the tank for a 20 gallon and 50 bucks.

So...uh. Turns out there was a bit of old cannabis dried up inside (cultivating medical marijuana is perfectly legal in this state). Any tips for making sure it's totally clean and safe for fish, aside from bleach? :roll:


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## Bikeridinguckgirl14 (Oct 22, 2013)

Is this for the library or for home? And lol on the cannibis, white vinegar. Good luck!


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

For home.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Sorry, I know you said "aside from bleach," but I can't think of any better way to clean a used tank than bleach. The stuff kills everything and then evaporates. Can't get much better than that I believe. Of course, I always give everything a VERY thorough rinsing just in case and have never had an issue.

Very exciting project by the way! Can't wait to see what you do with it


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## Bikeridinguckgirl14 (Oct 22, 2013)

I use white vinegar to sterilize and hot water with baking soda to scrub, bleach just makes me nervous


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

I don't mind using bleach. My only concern is that marijuana is toxic to dogs and probably cats (Colorado has seen a recent uptick in pets rushed to the vet for eating their owner's stash. As far as I know, they're the only state that gathers that information), so I have to assume it's also toxic to fish, and I want to make sure there's no chemicals left that can hurt my future pets.

Got the stand cobweb-free and polished up, and confirmed it is made out of good, solid wood with no particle board. It's a little battered, but the owner took good care of it. Step one: Complete!



EDIT: The front panels open. There's no shelves in the cabinet area, though.


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## Bikeridinguckgirl14 (Oct 22, 2013)

Cooleo! Btw who do you have hanging on your wall?


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

A wall scroll of Rei, from Evangelion.


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## Bikeridinguckgirl14 (Oct 22, 2013)

*sigh something else to add to my long list of things to watch* I'm stuck in the 300s of one piece because I haven't had time to watch much this summer


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Haha, oh my. I haven't actually seen Evangelion. It sounds like a "love it or hate it" show. If you haven't seen it, the show I'm currently in the mood for is Ghost in the Shell.


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## CNDBETTAS (Jun 21, 2014)

Haha. Awesome! Not theres anything wrong with being a tattoo covered ******* tho LOL. im a good ol boy and have lots of tats lmao! I can honestly say, ive neber had to worry about weather or not bleach will get rid of any pot residue in my fish tanks LOL! I would think that vinegar and/or bleach would do the trick tho!! Cant beat that deal tho!!!! Looks like its gonna be an EPIC project! Cant wait to see it when its done!


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Nothing against ********. My dad was a sunburned, tattooed sort of fellow himself. The guy felt like a neighbor 5 minutes into our first conversation. :lol:

Thanks! It's going to take some time - I need to buy parts piece by piece. After I get it cleaned out, the first thing is going to be a glass top to keep the cats out, and a water exchange system. My back's not up to bailing and buckets.

I'm considering going the natural planted route, but the local stores have very little in the way of freshwater plants, so I might have to order some through our classifieds. Hmm.


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## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

Cool tank!


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## Veloran (Jun 28, 2014)

Ok, so I just had to google this and was cracking up at the guy asking if his Betta would get high from the smoke.
I'd say while the results are not definitive, if you fish suddenly gets the munchies in the middle of the night, we may have an answer there.


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Veloran said:


> Ok, so I just had to google this and was cracking up at the guy asking if his Betta would get high from the smoke.
> I'd say while the results are not definitive, if you fish suddenly gets the munchies in the middle of the night, we may have an answer there.


I wonder what a high fish would look like...

LOL, cleaning this is a chore, I had to scrub it out in the kitchen, and now I'm waiting for my roommate to wake up to help me carry it outside. Couldn't just hose it off first - the dude was actually germinating pot in there. The last thing I want is a pretty cannabis garden... :lol:

"I swear, officer. It just grew there. It's a weed! I didn't even know what it was until you knocked on my door!"


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Hmm. Is there some way to move this to Journals? It seems like a more appropriate place.


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

Filling it up for the first time, to check for leaks and start cleaning it. There's a lot of grime, caked on white stuff, and suspicious green stains...



Left it outside in 95 degree weather, came back to find this. Not sure if it's trapped water, or extremely slow leaks. Gonna have to buy some sealant just to be safe.


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## carnationcrab (Oct 30, 2013)

Hmm. Yeah, I would re-seal it (but I generally do that with hand-me-down tanks anyway) just to be safe. But it really could have been trapped water. Who knows. Great deal you got, though! I want to go the planted route too, but I'm not quite sure where to start. Lol


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## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

I wouldn't be that worried about a little Herb in your tank...after all I doubt the person used any harsh chemicals to grow them or whatever....they were going to presumably smoke it afterall....and yeah I could see it making you dog/cat sick...but only if they ate a few grams or more....my dogs eatten entire buds before!!!>:[ and regularly asks for my to blow it in his facexD (only if he wants!!!! Never forced!!!)...anyways I think the fish will be fine haha...goodluck!! (I wish I had a huge tank like that!!!! LolxD)


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

carnationcrab said:


> Hmm. Yeah, I would re-seal it (but I generally do that with hand-me-down tanks anyway) just to be safe. But it really could have been trapped water. Who knows. Great deal you got, though! I want to go the planted route too, but I'm not quite sure where to start. Lol


There's a really nice thread on natural planted tanks in the planted tank section. I'm going to start with buying the vital equipment - glass top (my cats are morons and not to be trusted), heater, thermometer, filter, lights. There's a home depot nearby, so after that's set up, I'm going to put in organic soil, and then search the classifieds for plants to put in. Might have to do the plants in sets, based on cost.

Just finished the bleach scrub. I pulled out a lot of random bits of weed in odd corners, lol.


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## carnationcrab (Oct 30, 2013)

hrutan said:


> There's a really nice thread on natural planted tanks in the planted tank section. I'm going to start with buying the vital equipment - glass top (my cats are morons and not to be trusted), heater, thermometer, filter, lights. There's a home depot nearby, so after that's set up, I'm going to put in organic soil, and then search the classifieds for plants to put in. Might have to do the plants in sets, based on cost.
> 
> Just finished the bleach scrub. I pulled out a lot of random bits of weed in odd corners, lol.


laughing so hard about the weed :rofl:

Thanks for the tip about the thread, I'll go check it out! Good luck with your tank!!


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## hrutan (Jun 25, 2014)

I'm moving this over to Journals, since that seems like a more appropriate place at this point. The new thread starts here.


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