Starting Up With Second Hand Tank.

It depends on the state of the tank. Old dried on algae can be cleaned off with a blade such as a razor or stanley knife blade. Be careful not to damage the sealant. Limescale (white) deposits, again a blade or for stubborn bits use lemon juice or white vinegar - keep them away from the sealant - then rinse very thoroughly. To remove any potential bugs, use bleach. You need that very cheap basic-range bleach that has no perfume, surfactant or detergent, and dilute 1 part bleach to 9 parts water; or use baby bottle sterilising solution diluted the same. Rinse, rinse, rinse, then rinse again with water overdosed with dechorinator as bleach is just a source of chlorine.

The heater ornaments and filter housing can all be cleaned the same way but after two years I'd get all new media. After two years dry there will be no live bacteria in the media.


If he's not kept fish for a number of years he probably doesn't know about cycling. You could always give him some of your media to get him started 

Thank you very much Sue, that's very helpful.   He does know about cycling, having  seen me do mine, and obviously  will be doing a fishless cycle once all is up and ready to go.

Thank you also Richard, I appreciate your input too.  Also helpful, many thanks.