Buying second hand aquarium advice

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Nimby

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Well, I've decided if I get a tank for axolotl(s) it'll more than likely have to be a second hand one to be a good size for an affordable price. Where's the best place to look for them? Also what should you look for if you go to see one? I don't want to buy a leaky tank...

Also should you disinfect the tank before you introduce new axolotls and what's the best way to do this? I don't want my potential pets to die of what the former inhabitants died of. :eek:
 
Hi, you could look on Gumtree and Aquarist Classified Adverts

I can't give you any advice about what to look for. (But if you're unlucky and end up with a leaky tank you might be able to fix it. :happy:)

Regarding disinfection, bleach and some other things can be used. If you search the forum you'll find threads about this. I would definitely disinfect any previously used tank.
 
Posting a wanted ad on Freecycle might be worth trying:
United Kingdom (UK) Freecycle Groups' Homepage
I've had a few free tanks from people that have given up on fish-keeping.

Local advert papers like Adtrader are also good:
Ad Trader UK Classifieds

Leaks are unlikely to be a problem- of all the second-hand tanks I've had, none leaked that were not obviously cracked. And (off-topic) even cracked tanks can be useful for terrestrial animals.
 
Disinfect the tank with a 10% bleach solution. Rinse, rinse, and rinse again then let air dry out in the sun for a few days until the bleach smell has disappeared.
 
Thanks for your help everyone. It's good to hear that most of the second hand ones are water tight or repairable. I hadn't heard of freecycle, definitely something to look into, especially as I can narrow it to so near to me.
 
Good luck with the search.
If you use bleach to disinfect, you can also rinse the tank with a stronger solution of a chlorine removing water conditioner afterwards.
 
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    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
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    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
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