39 Gallon Set Up And Cycling!

[fry_forever!]

Hey guys! I got a 39 gallon aquarium off of a second-hand site yesterday,and it's now set up and cycling. It looks rather ugly right now, because I'm waiting to go to the pet store so I can purchase some more live plants.

Anyhow, there are a couple weird things about this aquarium. The previous owners seemed to have sand mixed with gravel..... Is that okay? It looks rather weird, and I don't think it's the proper kind of sand, because if I stir it up, dust goes everywhere, and completely clouds up the tank. Should I just vacuum it out slowly but surely once I start my weekly 25% water changes?

Also, there seems to be extra silicone at the sides of the tank, is that okay? Is it supposed to be there? I don't see that on my 10 gallon, which is the exact same tank, only obviously smaller...?

Here are some pics....

Tank in general.... It's definitely not finished.... lol

Gravel & sand???


Extra silicone - 39 gal:


This is what the 10 gal's silicone looks like....:


Thanks in advance!

-f_f!

 

[mattlee]

looks to me like its been leaking and has been repaired....
i would also remove all the substarte, give the tank a good scrub and start from scratch with new gravel/sand etc as you dont know whats been in the tank or if any diseases still lurk in there.... maybe im slightly paranoid but this is what i do with all my tanks especially when 2nd hand and argos play sand is only about £3 for a huge bag full, just wash and add
are you sure its sand and not stuff for plants, sorry cant remember the proper name for it.....

 

[fry_forever!]

looks to me like its been leaking and has been repaired....
i would also remove all the substarte, give the tank a good scrub and start from scratch with new gravel/sand etc as you dont know whats been in the tank or if any diseases still lurk in there.... maybe im slightly paranoid but this is what i do with all my tanks especially when 2nd hand and argos play sand is only about £3 for a huge bag full, just wash and add
are you sure its sand and not stuff for plants, sorry cant remember the proper name for it.....

OMG, I sure hope not!
I hope it doesn't start leaking again!

But would it have been leaking on all four corners? Because all four corners are siliconed like that..... Will it start leaking again, or is silicone enough to hold it shut for many years?

I'm not sure..... They had fake plants in there, so probably not.....
Since the tank is already set up and everything, I'll just see how it all goes.....

I just really hope it doesn't start leaking......

Thanks,

-f_f!

 

[fry_forever!]

bump I'm REALLY worried now!

 

[mattlee]

in pic 3 the silicone looks like its on the outside of the tank.... am i right?
if so i would say it has been repaired in the past as ive never seen a tank made from the manufacturers like that!
if its been repaired properly then it should be fine for many more years, if its just been bodged then...... how longs a piece of string....?
im sorry if ive worried you but thats just the way it looks on the pics, but if all 4 corners are the same then maybe thats just how it is and no need to worry!
can you contact the seller and ask if theyve had it repaired or if they got it from new and its always been like that

 

[Amberleaf]

Hmm.... Perhaps they made it themselves....? Or, they just thought it was kind of looking not-so-safe so they PUT extra silicone on it, just for extra protection....? Lol, Idk.

 

[fry_forever!]

in pic 3 the silicone looks like its on the outside of the tank.... am i right?
if so i would say it has been repaired in the past as ive never seen a tank made from the manufacturers like that!
if its been repaired properly then it should be fine for many more years, if its just been bodged then...... how longs a piece of string....?
im sorry if ive worried you but thats just the way it looks on the pics, but if all 4 corners are the same then maybe thats just how it is and no need to worry!
can you contact the seller and ask if theyve had it repaired or if they got it from new and its always been like that

Oh no, no. That's okay. I think I have anxiety disorder, so that's why I just completely panicked there. Yeah, it's like that on all four sides... actually only three sides, one side still has a lot of silicone, but not as much as the other three..... The one I took the pic of is the worst. And what do you mean... A string? There are no strings hanging off of it.

And yeah, I contacted the previous owners, I'm waiting for a reply. They are very nice, so I know they'll tell the truth.

Sorry to bother.
Thanks a bunch.

 

[mattlee]

in pic 3 the silicone looks like its on the outside of the tank.... am i right?
if so i would say it has been repaired in the past as ive never seen a tank made from the manufacturers like that!
if its been repaired properly then it should be fine for many more years, if its just been bodged then...... how longs a piece of string....?
im sorry if ive worried you but thats just the way it looks on the pics, but if all 4 corners are the same then maybe thats just how it is and no need to worry!
can you contact the seller and ask if theyve had it repaired or if they got it from new and its always been like that

Oh no, no. That's okay. I think I have anxiety disorder, so that's why I just completely panicked there. Yeah, it's like that on all four sides... actually only three sides, one side still has a lot of silicone, but not as much as the other three..... The one I took the pic of is the worst. And what do you mean... A string? There are no strings hanging off of it.

And yeah, I contacted the previous owners, I'm waiting for a reply. They are very nice, so I know they'll tell the truth.

Sorry to bother.
Thanks a bunch.

how longs a piece of string is a saying when you have no idea of something.... ie how long the silicone would last and not leak if its been bodged together!
if its only on 3 of the sides and theyre not all the same i would defo say its had work done to it, or maybe Amberleaf has got it right maybe they made it themselves.... either way if it doesnt leak and your happy with it then dont worry set it up and get some great little fish in there

 

[fry_forever!]

Oh, I'm sorry! I'm not too bright! lol

I contacted the owner, and they said that it never leaked before - they bought it like that..... Oh well, I guess the manufacturer made a big boo-boo.

Oh, and also the black trim is protruding from the tank wall on one side - another manufacturer error, I suppose. Oh well, I'm not too worried anymore.

Thanks.

 

[AdamM]

it looks like it has been leaking and repaired, they could have just done the other 3 corners to make sure...

 

[fry_forever!]

it looks like it has been leaking and repaired, they could have just done the other 3 corners to make sure...

You never know, according to the previous owners, there were no leaks..... Oh well.