Are used fish tanks worth it?

I wouldn't trust this answer to just anyone. You should call some aquariums and find out from the pros.

I agree with Sue...check out some dealers in your area and ask them why fish might have died in the tank....maybe she was just uninformed and put in plain tap water or maybe the tank was made badly...but you should figure out what's what before you buy it...maybe give it a test run with some goldfish to see what happens?!?

Experimenting with goldfish will do nothing to prove that more exotic fish won't die.

The Boston Aquarium Society has a blog on which you might want to post your question.

Please check with a professional on this. Her fish may have died because of unbalanced water or a cleaning solution she used. You never know. IF you decided to purchase this, please have your water set up and tested before adding ANY fish to the tank. Good luck.

It's a great buy. Definately sterilize the tank and check for leaks. The death of her fish could just mean she doesn't know how to take care of them.
I have bought used tanks many times and never had any problems at all.
Sara-Because I can... said a very important factor as well. Check it all out before adding fish. The tropicals are way to expensive to just guess.

Check with a professional.

sorry about the short blunt comment, I was called away, just wanted to add I would make sure to get all new rocks, etc. Salt water fish are harder to maintain than fresh water too.

I agree with everyone, have your water tested if you buy this before you put any fish in this tank.

i would fill it with water first, to check it for leaks. before putting any thing else in it and let it set for a few day, we have gotten used tanks before..

I have a small saltwater (10 gallon) tank right now, with fish. But, it was bought new, and I just didn't know if they had died from disease, if my fish could catch it from the tank? My kids would be heartbroken.

I have never had any luck with fish. I hope you do.

The tank is most likely fine, but you have to research what you put into it. You have to pick fish that like the same kind of water, and each other. Some need to be in schools, some don't. There is a certain amount to trial and error, and there will most likely be casualties. There's also the option of a planted tank. Good luck!

It's possible that whatever killed her fish is still in the tank. When I had a similar experience I was told to wash it all down if all fish died. DO NOT REPLACE THEM until the tank was sanitized.

The odd thing here is they told me use a water/bleach combo cleaner (bleach is FATAL TO FISH) but they swear if you let it dry in sun use the right combo of the parts (if needed I can seek this out) and wash, wash, wash!

My fish never all died. I never sanitized it and my fish now are healthy and fine. So, It's a toss up what to advise.

You also might want to ask at forums like AQUAMANIACS. They can be very helpful there.

GOOD LUCK if you choose to try the tank!

Tanks forall the good advice. I had originally tried askingabout it on a couple different fish forums. They give conflictingopposite advice....so that's wh I decided to ask here.

Does the sun take the bleach out or something?

go on google and search a forum called AQUARIUM CENTRAL. my fiance is a HUGE fish enthusiast and uses that site ALL the time for help. The people there are nice and knowledgable. We have 4 tanks right now. 2 or which are HUGE!

So, you're husband has had luck with that? Thanks for the info Lindsay.

I bought a used tank and it worked out ok but that is not always the case so ....
but The PETCO specialist said to cycle it etd. so I would call a local pet store and try it.

I found the forums do conflict, but it always doesn't hurt to try anyway.

As for the sun removing the bleach, I don't really know. I just know that's what I was told to do and to be completely homest with you I did not feel comfortable with that advice. One bit of bleach left in that tank will kill the fish.

I did get a tank from the neighbors. It's a 50 gallon tank. It needed a big scrub down. I was washing it outside and I washed it with a soapy vinegar mixture to kill germs and such. Unfortunately due to space and to weight (and later due to a crack found in the side.. that I think was caused by washing or something on our part) the tank was turned into a hamster habitat.

Like Carmel said, you will still need to cycle it. Cycling is no picnic, and you might want to look into some of the products out there that speed up or eliminate the need to cycle, but be warned. They are VERY COSTLY to buy.. and if they are not packed and shipped cool they won't work right. I believe the product is called BIOSPIRA.

OK, LOTS OF GOOD COMMENTS-FIRST OFF, LET ME SAY, I'M A RETIRED PETSHOP OWNER AND CAN BE QUITE OPINIONATED WHILE STILL KEEPING AN OPEN MIND.
AS TO USED TANKS, THEY ARE THE BEST WAY FOR AMATEUR TO GET STARTED!
FIRST CHECK FOR CRACKS. NEXT CHECK THE CONDITION OF THE SEALANT. LOOK IF ITS DRIED OUT OR HAS CRACKS OR IS PEELING OR SEPARATING FROM THE GLASS. IF SEALANT DOESN'T LOOK "FACTORY" THIS CAN BE AN INDICATOR OF PAST LEAKAGE PROBLEMS. NEVER BUY A TANK WITH ROCKS IN IT BEFORE MOVEING THE ROCKS TO CHECK THE SEAMS INSIDE THE TANK. IF POSSIBLE TRY TO LEAKTEST THE TANK ONSITE, USUALLY AT A YARDSALE THEY CAN FILL IT EASILY FOR YOU. MAKE SURE IT'S 3/4 FULL AT LEAST,DRY OUTSIDE COMPLETELY, THEN WAIT 15 MINUTES WHILE YOU SHOP AROUND. IF SELLER IS UNCOOPERATIVE OR IMPATIENT SIMPLY WALK AWAY.PUSHY, HURRIED SALES USUALLY AREN'T GOOD NEWS!
LET'S SAY YOU DO BUY IT. KNOW THIS--FISHTANKS SHOULD ALWAYS BE TRANSPORTED "COMPLETELY EMPTY" NO WATER, NO ROCKS! DOING SO CAN CAUSE THE TANK TO TWIST, THUS CAUSING IT TO LEAK WHEN YOU GET IT HOME.
A LEAKER CAN EASILY BE FIXED IF NOT CRACKED.
OK, SO YOU GOT IT HOME-$50 FOR A 55GAL. W/WOOD STAND-WHAT A DEAL, AN EXCELENT DEAL! YOUR LOCAL FISH SHOP OWNER WON'T TELL YOU THAT!!!
TRASH ANY OLD ROCKS OR GRAVEL. WASH WITH WATER "NEVER USE SOAP"!!!!
NEXT CLEAN CLASS WITH VINIGAR AND DON'T BE SHY! VINIGAR WILL REMOVE SCALE FROM GLASS AND KILL A LOT OF PARASITES AND OTHER ORGANISMS.
NOW RINSE TANK AGAIN WITH WATER AND DRY IT OUT. NOW PAY ATTENTION TO THIS NEXT STEP,VERY IMPORTANT, LET IT DRY AND SIT INBRIGHT SUNLIGHT SEVERAL HOURS! THIS IS ALSO A STERILIZATION PROCESS!
P.S. NEVER BUY A USED TANK WITHOUT THE GLASS TOPS OR PLASTIC HOOD! MOST AQUARIUMS ARE VERY HARD TO IDENTIFY AS TO BRAND NAME AND ALL BRANDS HAVE DIFFERENT SIZED CLASS TOPS. MOST SHOPS DON'T CARRY THESE IN STOCK BUT CAN ORDER THEM IF YOU KNOW THE NAME BRAND. YOU COULD END UP AT THE GLASS SHOP WISHING YOU'D NEVER BOUGHT THE TANK!
HERE'S A TIP ABOUT RESEALING.---100% CLEAR PURE SILICONE ,GET A BIG TUBE AT HOME DEPOT, ABOUT $5--IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THAT LITTLE TUBE YOU BUY AT PETSMORT, OR ANY OTHER FISH SHOP FOR $9.99
BOTTOM LINE---- USED TANKS CAN BE A GODSEND, WITH A LITTLE KNOLEDGE---OR A NIGHTMARE FOR THE UNINFORMED!!
GOT Q'S ASK ME----25YRS EXP. FRESH AND SALTWATER AQURIA!!!

HAVE NO FEAR OF DISEASES-FRESH OR SALTWATER JUST CLEAN YOUR TANK PROPERLY- THEN CARRY ON--OH YEA, ALWAYS USE NEW SUBSTRATE!!

I would certainly take the take and stand off of her hands, but then I would do my research and read up. I had a 45 gallon tank, carefully choose my filter, got my water where it should be, learned quite alot and then bought fish that were meant to go together. I learned alot about taking care of my tank (i.e. checking water quality, about fish diseases, how to maintain my pump, etc..) I had it in my home office and it was a hobby I really enjoyed. I got divorced and he kept the tank.. Deb.

You can clean the tank with bleach water and then rinse it well. If the fish had any type of disease the bleach should kill it.

Sounds like an excellent deal to me. Just buy a good aquarium cleaner from the pet store and give it a good cleaning before filling.

And get advice from a good pet store (preferably a fish store) about cleanings, feedings, water changes, etc.

Timothy is absolutely correct, getrid of all plants, rocks, etc that may accompany the tank and buy all new items yourself (brushes, filters, accessories, etc). Do NOT use anything they give you. Parasites, etc can all pass on to your new fish.
I got a huge aquarium and stand for free, awhile ago, and we used bleach and water and THOROUGHLLY scrubbed and rinsed then set it in direct sunlight. Rinsed again the next day and set it out again.
We then set up the tank and let it cycle for about a week. We then got some cheap fish and let them help regulate the system. We then bought testing kits to check pH, acidity, etc and the chemicals to balance. Also, we had a Brita filter on our faucet and only used that to fill the tank.
Hope this helps...