Equipment Review and Discussion :: Seeking "used tank" advice

[DavidY]

If you have an old comforter, that would work. Just don't use anything too thick or the tank may bounce out of the truck.

[steve]

Not sure if this was answered, but silicone leaks are easy to fix. Cracks and poor construction are what you need to look for. Good luck!

[RunninWideOpen]

Ah! A comforter!! That I can do. LOL....i can just visual the tank bouncing out of my truck on one of the jumps.....not a pretty picture.

Thanks Steve! that had not been answered yet.

[marisa]

I'd use a blanket/blankets to wrap the tank and stand.

Oops, didn't realize there were more posts after tohmit's last question.

[RunninWideOpen]

Ok, so I got the tank. It is home and just finished cleaning (boy was that tough, it had been used for salt water).

Turns out they had not been using the built in pump / filter. She had been using a couple big cascading filters, which she gave me also. She didn't know if the big one works. The reason they weren't using it is because they wanted to put gravel in the tank....and they did. It was literally 1/3 full of gravel. Then tons of lava rocks and other crap taking up space. Their fish probably had about 50 gallons to swim in, lol.

Well I want to test out the big filter system. There's a pump and 2 canisters. Both canisters say AF-94T Mechanical Filter. I don't know anything about this kind of filter and can't find much info in English. I did read that they're used for saltwater. Will it work for freshwater too?

[DavidY]

Hey, congratulations!

Was it saltwater or just hard water? If they were housing African Cichlids, it was most likely hard mineral/salt water (not quite the same as ocean saltwater). Either way, a good way to clean the mineral stains is to use straight vinegar and a stiff brush. That's how I just cleaned the used 90gal saltwater tank that I just picked up a couple of days ago. It does take a lot of scrubbing though.

That filter sounds like the Rainbow Lifeguard series of modular cannister filters. These are good filters and can be expensive. If you use them for your turtles, make sure to run fresh water through them several times to remove any excess minerals. Make sure to test your pH levels of the water in the tank once you do hook them up. I'm not sure how a high pH will affect turtles, but their natural habitat is most likely neutral to slightly acidic (Steve, do you know for sure about this?). I've never used the Lifeguard filters so I have no idea how difficult or easy they are to maintain. It sounds like you only have the mechanical filter modules. That's just for pulling the particle waste out of the water. If you wanted to, they also sell a chemical module for carbon and a heater module for an inline water heater. I think there is also a large biological filter unit that contains a pleated cartridge that provides a large surface area for the beneficial bacteria to colonize. The problem is, all these additional modules get expensive. You might be better off just using the mechanical filters for pulling out the solid waste and then buying a Rena or Fluval canister filter for chemical and biological filtration.

Can you post any pics of your new tank?

[RunninWideOpen]

Ok, just finished filling up the tank and cleaning all the other stuff she gave me. There's another Whisper 30 filter and some filter that I don't know what it is. Doesn't have any markings on it. Looks like a fully submersible filter?

Yes! Your right David. The canisters say Lifegard Rainbow on them. I popped one open and pulled out the cartridge - disgusting!! Who knows how long that's been in there. I have not been able to get the other one open yet, it's on REALLY tight. I'm going to look up how much those filter cartridges cost and try and get some. I'd really like to utilize those and filter through the bottom of the tank.

I think right now I'll stick with what I've got here. I also got 2 cascading filters rated at 60gal that she'd been using. Luckily they use the same cartridges mine do, so I'll use those for the carbon filtering. I'd kinda like to get that heater canister eventually. These tube heaters are starting to tick me off. Is biological filtration required? I don't have anything like that in my 55gal or 20gal tank.

I'll get pictures up tomorrow. I'm wiped out tonight......but a good wiped out. I can't believe how tiny my 55 gallon looks next ot this 135. Hopefully tomorrow I can migrate Crush and Squirt to the 135 and Spike and Donny to the 55. Do I need to do a complete water change in the 55 before I put Spike and Donny in it?

[DavidY]

Oh man, that must be really gross, those old cartridges! :X Try soaking the one thats stuck in some really hot water to see if that loosens it up some. That's great that you got all those other filters with the tank too. That was a great deal!

The biological filtration basically takes place on its own in every aquarium. It's the beneficial bacteria that colonize every surface in the aquarium and in the filter. These bacteria break down the waste from the turtles and fish and convert them to less harmful substances. A biological filtration unit is something that will provide a huge amount of surface area for the bacteria to colonize so they can handle larger waste loads (more turtles, more feedings). They tend to consist of very porous materials like ceramic rings or sponges, or they can be made of objects that have a lot of little projections or weird shapes like bioballs, stars and pleated fibrous materials. They aren't a necessity but the help keep the water cleaner. They also often times will incorporate some kind of aeration feature that helps provide the bacteria with the extra oxygen they need to consume the waste products.

You don't need to do a complete water change on the 55 but a 50-75% water change probably wouldn't hurt. Make sure that you let the water heat back up before moving the turtles into it. You may also want to make sure your new tank water has been running through the filter at least 24 hours before adding the turtles too. This helps remove any chlorine and trapped gasses (like CO2) from the tap water. Once you do add your turtles, you should also take one of the old filter elements (sponge or carbon) from the 55 gallon tank and put it in the new filter on the 135 to help the beneficial bacteria get a jump start in there. This will help reduce or prevent the "new tank syndrome".

[RunninWideOpen]

I'm going to try a hair dryer to heat up the lid of that other canister and see if it will break loose. I'm trying to avoid having to disassemble the whole system. and take it out of the cabinet. I was hoping to clean the canisters out the best I can by hand, then use a 5gal bucket to cycle the system through to make sure it's clean before I hook it up to the tank. Will that work, or do I need to take it all apart and clean each individual piece?

I found the filter cartridges for it....they're aout $18 each.

Thanks for the details about bio filtration, it all makes sense now. And taking a filter cartridge from one tank to another is a great idea that I would have never thought of.

[DavidY]

I don't blame you for not wanting to take apart the whole thing. If you can get it clean that way, go for it. That's a good idea using the bucket to cycle fresh water through it. You might want to do it a couple of times with a fresh bucket of water, and let it run for like an hour each time. Mineral deposits take a while to dissolve. Hey, maybe you could add some vinegar to the first bucket and run it for an hour. Then run fresh water several times to clean it all out.

Hey, get some sleep!

[RunninWideOpen]

Get some sleep?? LOL. You're 3 hours ahead of me!!

I had thought of the vinegar idea, but I was worried the vinegar may harm my new filter cartirdges once I get them. Will it not? Or, should I get 4 cartridges and change them after I'm done cycling the system again?

And how might one prime such a system? Or are these pumps self-priming?

[DavidY]

Can you run the filters without the cartridges? I was thinking just run it through the pump, tubing and modules to clean out the mineral deposits. Then run fresh water several times to clean out the vinegar before putting the new cartridges in. If they will only run with the cartridges in them, then I wouldn't bother with the vinegar. That would be a waste of $36. Just keep an eye on the pH of the tank water for the first few months.

I'm not sure how to prime those things but my guess would be to open the top of one of the modules and keep adding water until it reaches the top. The water should flow through the system to the other modules and finally the pump as you are adding the water. Then close it up and turn the pump on. That should do it. Does the pump say "Quiet One" on it? That's the Rainbow pump that usually comes with that system. They're supposed to be very good...and quiet too (it's so rare these days that a products name has anything really to do with the products quality).

[RunninWideOpen]

I'm not sure. The canisters themselves are quite gunky. I don't know if I should run that stuff through the pump? I would like to find an owners manual or something for these, no luck yet, but I'll keep looking. Definitely will keep an eye on the Ph. What is it about these kinda of filters that effects it?

The pump is a March. I don't know what model, because it's been rubbed off.


Well, the turtles are all happily enjoying their new homes. Crush and Squirt are in the big tank exploring. Crush was kinda freaked out at first, but now seems to be enjoying herself. Donny and Spike are in the 55 gallon, already enjoying their new basking box!! The basking box I made for Crush and Squirt awhile back is staying on the 55 gal. I'm going to design a new box tonight for the 135 and make it tomorrow. This one's gonna be a little trickier though.

....oops, just saw one last fish in the 20 gallon....musta missed the poor fellow. better go save him before the water finishes draining....

[DavidY]

I was mentioning the pH because of all the residue from the previous tank water that might have built up in the filter cannisters. The water that was in there before was probably running at a pH of 8.0 or higher which is very alkali. RES's prefer more neutral to slightly acidic water with a pH of 6.8 to 7.0. I was concerned that the residue in the cannisters would leach minerals back into the turtle's water after the filter has been running for a while and cause the pH to go too high. It may not happen, but just something to keep an eye on for the first few weeks or even a couple of months after you hook it up.

Your turtles must be loving their new space! I just finished cleaning up the used 90gal I picked up and water testing it. The guy sold it to me for real cheap because he said it had a leak. I filled it with water and it didn't lose anything over a two day period, so I don't know what he was talking about. I'm going to set that up and move 2 of my 3 turtles into that, until I can get the indoor pond built. That's gonna' take forever!

[RunninWideOpen]

I just added pictures to the picture gallery. Here's the link:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=84432