want some input before I go pick it up. person is selling me their 125 gallon tank that is 7 years old. they just got rid of their 2 O's and Pleco and I am getting it Tuesday. Just need to know if I should be concerned about the age of the tank. No chips, cracks, scratches or leaks. Please comment. Thanks!

Cracks is the only thing to really worry about. It could leak in the near future or it could be water tight for years and years but resealing a leaking tank isnt a hard process you just need a temp tank to house your fish for a day or 2 (It doesnt have to be big)

If you say it has recently had fish on then no problem,
you should be able to tell when you collect it if it has been recently emptied, and not horrible old stains, glass as you can imagine lasts forever, just be careful when moving as this is what weakens the joints/seals,
would be great if you had an old door or similar to carry it on, makes it so much easier and then two can safely lift it,
good luck

as les says as long as its 100% water tight thats the main thing,

but unsightly stains etc is personal preferance

my tank is over 7yrs old and I think you couldn't tell if it was 6 months old or over 7yrs. it depends on the previous owner. if it looks good and don't leak I would say you should be ok. if you buy it take great care moving it, it will be very heavy and will break if you fill it on uneven stand no matter how old it is.

thanks. then i'm good to go. no leaks, cracks or chips. thanks!

hey, i'm the one that wrote about the 85 degrees in my tank. I lowered it a little and then my fish started convulsing again as though they were having seizures. I raised it back up and they are as good as new. could there be a possibility that some O's like the warmer temp better and function better when it's that hot? you should see the immediate change and how drastic it is. when i first put the heaters in there a few days ago, they practically layed on them for comfort. and it's not like their water was cold before. it was always at 78. any thoughts? thanks again for the insite.

askhammatt wrote:
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but
unsightly stains etc is personal preferance[/quote]
lol not to keen on unsghtly stains either especialy on my underpants!!

can't think why they would react that much to warmer water?
are you sure your heater/temp gauge are working properly?
ie your temp' is accurate

having it set that high and you will probably find you need to take more care of the water, and make sure plenty of water movement, maybe add some air stones etc,

obviously it isn't going to harm them otherwise you wouldn't be able to up the temp' when sick, but pleco's deffo prefer lower temps'
some will even live in cold water, keep your eye on it to make sure it's feeding and acting normally, if you havn't got any put some bogwood in for the plec'
raising the temp' may effect the way it feeds (or not) so as i say try and keep an eye on it

Demand wrote:



been there my friend!

I am using a 100gallon from apparently the '70s or '80s. it has been cocked and braced well.

thank you. the two heaters are brand new. one was bad and I replaced it the next day. the plecos is doing great. he is eating away and cleaning all the glass and rocks. where do i find bogwood? thanks again! i also got 2 thermometers to read temp on each side. they both read 86.

warmer water lowers oxygen levels, so temps a little below 80 is good for them. I have mine at 78-79 degrees and they have never had a problem. Bacteria processes speed up in heat, but if you are having such problems I dunno why they woudl react like that. Maybe they are being babies, you know how Os are good at pouting!