Best way to store empty tank

sinner's g

sinner's g

Member
I'll be taking down my 55gl and 75gl tanks. They'll be empty of water for at least a year or so. Husband told me tanks can go bad if they sit emtpy. If this is true, what do I need to do to prevent my tanks from going bad? Once we have a house of own, I'll set the tanks back up, it'll just be too much stress to take them down and move them twice, esp since there are just two stars (free to a good home, btw) in the saltwater tank and one fish in the freshwater tank.
Also, any tips are storing the rest of the stuff? Do I just remove all water and let the lr die? (and how bad will this smell?)
Thanks, Sinner's Girl
 
ice4ice

ice4ice

Active Member
Live rock will smell pretty bad if you take it out and let it die - think rotten fish. Why don't you sell your live rock instead of letting it die ? Alot of people do buy live rock instead of going thru websites stores. Post your live rock and other equipment you think you can sell in the trading section of this forum. Whatever you do - don't empty the water until you have sold your LR ! LOL !!
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
No idea on storing tanks, and frankly now I'm scared since my 180 sat empty for a while before I set it up...
As for live rock, if you are happy with it I'd keep it alive. Otherwise I'd sell it. If you let ti die and try to seed it later it will never regain the diversity of life good quality uncured rock has.
Hmm.. hope that helps. Not sure it did though.
 
mandarin w

mandarin w

Member
as far as any equipment you may want to keep, I would give a good vingar cleaning, They will come out like brand new. That should be ok until you set up again.
The tanks, it is hit and miss, my 180 sat empty for two years before I bought it, then empty another 9 months. I never had a problem with that tank or any other tanks I've left empty for a years or so. But then again that is hit and miss, So people have hade problem when let set dry for that long. But if anylonger that that, like 3 years, I would definately sell them now and get new later.
The Live Rock, as stated, you could let it die, it will smell like rotting fish, and later you could use it to reset up your tank. You will have to clean it very well. and it will take a little while for your rock to be reseeded. But also as stated, it just won't the same as it is now. Depending on how long you think you will be down, you need to decide whether it is worth the work and time to keep it alive.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by mandarin w
as far as any equipment you may want to keep, I would give a good vingar cleaning, They will come out like brand new. That should be ok until you set up again.
The tanks, it is hit and miss, my 180 sat empty for two years before I bought it, then empty another 9 months. I never had a problem with that tank or any other tanks I've left empty for a years or so. But then again that is hit and miss, So people have hade problem when let set dry for that long. But if anylonger that that, like 3 years, I would definately sell them now and get new later.
The Live Rock, as stated, you could let it die, it will smell like rotting fish, and later you could use it to reset up your tank. You will have to clean it very well. and it will take a little while for your rock to be reseeded. But also as stated, it just won't the same as it is now. Depending on how long you think you will be down, you need to decide whether it is worth the work and time to keep it alive.
Yep, sinner's girl, the rock, sell it. Your tanks, as long as they are dry with no substrate, they will be fine. If you are unsure when you want to set it up again, put it in a dry area with cardboard underneath. Filler up. You will notice any leaks with dry cardboard under it. Tanks usually store well as long as there is no water in them.
 
trainfever

trainfever

Active Member
Where are you located and what kind of tank is the 75? Is it reef ready? I could be interested in that one.
 
xdave

xdave

Active Member
I've never heard of a tank going bad. I used to go to fish club auctions and we'd buy and sell tanks that had been empty for many years. Like someone said clean it with vinegar. I store them upside down which helps keep the silicon soft, and never set anything on top of them. Also avoid places that have a wide temperature range like next to the furnace in a cold basement.
 
sinner's g

sinner's g

Member
I store them upside down which helps keep the silicon soft,
That's what sinner was worried about, the silicon hardening.
I was hoping I could store it on the stand, and keep the rock in it (after it's dead and dry). Figured I'd stick my nemo playset in it. But heck, if I lived with an engine in the kitchen for two years Sinner can live with an upside down tank for a year. (yeah right, my 55gl was empty less than a few month before he turned it into fw). I case I'll store it upside down on top of the stand...now where to store the rock...not much room in the stand (I'm storing bags of sand in the stand)
Sorry guys, no way in heck am I going to sell my lr! I've been picking up lr since we started like 6 years ago. If I sell it now, no idea what it would cost to buy it all back. I don't even know how much I have but since I don't have any lights on the sw tank, there really isn't that much growth or live stuff on the rocks. Of course I say this now, wait till someone has to move it twice.

I didn't think when I asked how it will smell. I know it's bad. We bought lr in miami, then went on a 7 day cruise-put the lr in the closet for 7 days, it was killer. way worse then dead fish dad forgot to clean in the ice chest for two weeks. Can't imagin how I even got it home.

Whoever gets the stars can have whatever salt and carbon is left, but I'm not parting with the rest.
Not selling the tanks either. We found a killer deal on the 75gl, no way would I ever find a deal like that. It's not reef ready anyway. I'm more of an invert lover.
The tanks will be down at least a year. I can't really say though. It all depends on when I find a job and how much money we can save. I plan to set it up once we have a house, I just don't want to move 75gl and 55gl twice. :scared: It was hard enough moving them down the street, let alone an hour away. Plus, I just have two stars in my tank, that I never really got attached to (I've only been keeping the tank up for a serpent star, but he died over thanksgiving-old age best I could tell-it's been fishless since May 2004)
Best way to let the rock die? Can I just stick in it a rubbermaid and leave it outside? say with the top slightly off to let air in and out?
Thanks,
Sinner's Girl
 
michaeltx

michaeltx

Moderator
you are wanting to kill your rock the best way is to bleach it out youll need to soak it to get the bleach out but it will effectively kill everything and give the rock a nice pretty white look. me personally I would just rebuy new LR when you go to set back up and sell off what you have now. but its your option.
as far as the tank silicone if you are worried about it drying out take vasoline and smear it over all the silicone inside and out and it will make it hold the moisture by creating a barrier with it.
I have had tanks empty for a year+ without a problem though.
Mike
 
d0 thy d3w

d0 thy d3w

Member
maybe..umm..u could boil ur rock if u have a big enuff pot or small enuff rock..wouldnt that kill everything??? and then u wouldnt even have to worry about getting bleach off!! but if u boil..u should scrub it off before, after, and take it out after its been boiling for abit..and give it scrub downs over and over again...then just for extra sureness..freeze it..lol
 
uberlink

uberlink

Active Member
If you kill the live rock, then you will wind up with ordinary old base rock. That's very cheap stuff to replace. But as live rock, it has a lot of value. I'd really suggest trying to sell the live rock. Put the money in the bank and have it as a fund to repurchase live rock in a year or two. At worst, you can purchase base rock for a dollar a pound or so, which is essentially what you'll wind up with if you let your stuff die.
Think of it this way: Whatever you could sell the live rock for in its current condition is essentially what you're paying for it by killing it and reusing it later. Pretty expensive base rock, if you think of it that way.
Where are you at? I'm sure someone would buy it for a fair price.
 
volitan_fa

volitan_fa

Member
Originally Posted by uberlink
If you kill the live rock, then you will wind up with ordinary old base rock. That's very cheap stuff to replace. But as live rock, it has a lot of value. I'd really suggest trying to sell the live rock. Put the money in the bank and have it as a fund to repurchase live rock in a year or two. At worst, you can purchase base rock for a dollar a pound or so, which is essentially what you'll wind up with if you let your stuff die.
Think of it this way: Whatever you could sell the live rock for in its current condition is essentially what you're paying for it by killing it and reusing it later. Pretty expensive base rock, if you think of it that way.
Where are you at? I'm sure someone would buy it for a fair price.

Bingo...If you let it die then you just have base rock, which like was said, you can buy for $1-2/lb anyway. On the other hand you could sell your LR for probably $4-6/lb depending on where you live. Ya put that money away, and you could buy twice as much base rock, or a mix of base and live rock. That's what I would do anyway.
 
jcarroll

jcarroll

Member
Hello! I had my tank down for about 7 months. It was sitting empty, with about 1/2 inch of dried up sand at the bottom. I had it covered with only a blanket. Then, I had kept all of my live rock in 5 gallon buckets full of saltwater for the entire 7 months. It doesn't stink until you open the lid, so I wouldn't worry about that. When I opened it, it smelled like rotten eggs. I also kept a rubbermaid container full of all of my live sand and a enough saltwater to keep it covered. The only thing I did was rinse off my rocks and place them in my tank when I was ready to get it going again.
I will say that I waited about 4 months before I added any fish to the tank. After it cycled, I bought the cleanup crew and just took my time. Now, it's been 6 months since I set it back up and I have 3 healthy fish, my rock is looking awesome, and I bought my first coral. Just take your time in the beginning, to make sure that if anything bad came from your rock dieoff, you give it enough time to run its course.
 
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