# My 30 Gal tanks as they go



## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

So I got two thirty gallon tanks today, they're used and need cleaning. My grandma wants the kiddie pool I converted into a tank last year out of the basement and let me get these instead. :3 Aside from these, at the moment I have a 73 gal kiddie pool, two ten gallons, a five gallon, a twenty gallon and a 55 gallon....Yeah, yeah, I have MTS, that'll never change. xD

One is dirty from lack of use, was originally home to a single Jack Dempsey Cichlid who outgrew the tank. The other is pretty much like new and she said it hadn't been used before(which I believe from looking at it), but it needs a stand. Came with a lot of stuff for $60(I offered $75 but she was very nice and said since they need cleaning and one needs a stand, filter and heater she'd only take $60 and she picked me up to go get them and helped bring them over). 

So at the moment I just got them home and on my front porch since it's unusually warm for the weekend. I'm going to clean them up outside and soak them a bit with vinegar and some baking soda and hot water, then do some thorough rinsing and scrubbing. lol 

This is what we got at the moment, I'll update more once I start cleaning or set them up. I am trying to do an as it goes, but I often move fast and forget to take photos, but I will update, just not sure which stage I'll be updating at. 

Box with the light for one, also has a gravel vac, large filter(if it's in good shape I'll use it for my goldfish since they need extra filtration), nets, very nice bubbler system, water purifiers and a bunch of water stuff I probably wont use like Perfect PH, meds, heater ect. 


This was the used 30 gal, it doesn't look bad considering it's been sitting in a corner for a year or two. Lot of dust and water stains, but it holds water and has no visible wear and tear anywhere. Like the gravel color, I hope my goldies don't spit the rocks at the window...The top is glass and the light in the box belongs to this tank. =)



This is the other one that wasn't used, needs a wash too anyways since it has a little bit of dust, but no water marks and it does look brand new, I have to say, she never used it and took good care of them. I like how it looks, it's not real wood but it looks to be. lol I may put this one on the stand and set it up first since it'll be easiest to do and is motivation for the harder work(I have a sore back, and though motivated I need more. LOL). 


The stand. It needs to be wiped down, but it seems to be in very good condition. Maybe a few scratches, but that's fine, doesn't bother me so long as it works, and it was set up so I know it does. :3 Plus, I sat my fat butt on it. >_>; I don't weigh nearly as much as the tank with water, but hey, no creaks. LOL


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

I have the one that looked new cleaned and in place, but no water yet because I noticed a light scratch on one side, and a chip in the top corner I didn't see before. That was irresponsible of me. x.x None go through, so we're going to test it and see if I can't fix them or put someone over them to strengthen them just in case. Any ideas for me? The sealers look good and no cracks look serious except one chip, looks like a paper thin chunk as wide as my thumb at the top, but no surrounding cracks. The other tank, was holding water and I noticed no cracks, however I didn't notice any on this one either, I wonder if I did it when I turned it over to dump the water when hosing it out. ><


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

Sounds like you'll be busy the next couple weeks! What are your plans for the tanks? I look forward to seeing the completed set-ups.


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

DaytonBetta said:


> Sounds like you'll be busy the next couple weeks! What are your plans for the tanks? I look forward to seeing the completed set-ups.


One of them is going to my pair of fantail goldfish who are currently babies. I may need to upgrade them to a 50+ gallon in the future though, but for now this'll be perfect for them. 

The other one I was thinking of putting my African Cichlids in until they're big enough to go with my adult. After that it'll either be my mollies or endlers. :3

Unfortunately that other one has a chip and some cracks that are making me nervous, so I haven't added anything to it and intend to take it out and fill it up later on to see if it can hold water. Will make me nervous regardless.

As of now I have the other one set up, and though I power washed the gravel, it's still a bit dirty so I'll be running some extra maintenance on that one until I have it settled. Got it all downstairs though. :3 I'll update some photos later on of it with water in it. Right now it's a little murkey, but it's not too bad at all considering it had so much filth in it it was clogging my vacuum when I drained it outside after checking if it held water. The previous owner confessed to me she didn't clean the gravel before because she couldn't figure out how to work the vacuum, so I shoulda known it'd be bad. I soaked it for about 24 hours in vinegar and baking soda with some hot water, so any nasties should be pretty dead, especially after the power wash. 


And this is the other one, you can see the cracks, and see why I'm nervous...my 55 gal has a little scratch, but it's not as bad as these, and though they don't go through they are in the corners and I'm afraid they've weakened the glass. Be a real bummer if they shattered one night and dumped my fish on the floor. =( I am REALLY wondering how I missed these, I did not see any of this when I was moving them and looking them over. x.x I wonder if it happened in between the time we picked them up and washed them. I was real careful and didn't bounce or scrape them at all, but I guess I could have done it, or someone else may have since I left them sitting out. x.x


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

Unfortunately don't get to update this as often as I like since my grandda passed away last week, and he's been very sick for a year before that. Things may be sparse here and there. I had it all set up the night before he passed last week, but only yesterday did I go to test it and complete it. Added in my cichlids instead of my goldfish as planned, they like it. It actually stabilized and stayed there for that week, I did have a young marbled crayfish in there too, since I had used a filter with mature media and some pre-cycled water, the stats were safe, and they're stable still when I checked them last night, so I'm pretty sure it's done. lol I'll update some photos soon, I haven't taken any in a bit, but for now I'll pop up the ones I got last week. :3

I still don't have the other one filled up. I'm very nervous about trying it, but I need that tank. lol Now that I look at the first photos I took, I can see the chip at the top. =( I can't believe I didn't notice that. I just can't. My excuse is I'm tired, I was carrying a ton of heavy stuff through slick mud, ice and soggy snow all morning and sleeping poorly....
It's got those chips and a few cracks though, they don't go all the way through, but who's to say they wont if I fill it up? x.x Scary. I mean it could be used for like, a pet mouse or something, but if I fill it and it breaks, it's a dead tank. lol
This was about a day after filling it up, I don't have the top on yet. Now that I have the kiddies in there I used the brown tanks top, but the filter and heater holes haven't been drilled yet. ^^;


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