Fact or Fiction?

[kimbowee]

A friend is getting rid of a 10 gal tank that used to have anoles in it at one time & a gecko lizard at another time. He told me that it can't be used for a fish tank because lizards emit something in their urine that is poisonous to fish.

Was wondering if anyone has ever heard of this? Was thinking about getting the tank if I can put fish in it. Has anyone ever cleaned one out.

 

[abstract]

yea there is ammonia in urine...not to mention other acidic compounds....i wouldn't use it to be safe ya know? i mean, a bare 10 gallon tank is around $10 ...

 

[Fish Buddy]

I really don't think so. I have a 15 gallon tank that originally had 2 green anoles (native to florida) and when they died, I put a betta in it. Later when it died -of old age- I had 2 baby bearded dragons living in it (native to australia). Now it is cleaned out again and houses tetras and mollies. Now I have no problems what so ever with this 'poison'. What I did before use though was clean it with vinegar and then wrinsed with water.
Just make sure it is actually a fish tank because there are tanks out there that are only good for lizards-the glass is not thick enough to support the weight of water.

 

[kimbowee]

The tank was originally sold as a 10 gal aquarium kit with lights, filter, heater & all. Was thinking it would be a nice quarantine/fry tank if it can indeed be used again for fish. Free is always good

I would definitely clean it thoroughly. I know there is ammonia in urine but was wondering if there are any other toxic chemicals lizards released (or maybe crickets?). I would think about putting a lizard in it if I didn't have an aversion to feeding it bugs.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Fish Buddy]

You can get a vegitarian lizard if you really want one. lol
Free is definatly good, you should be ok with housing fish in the tank-(some fish eat crickets by the way-so I do not think that they are toxic)

 

[Boxcar Muzzdogg]

Use water and baking soda to wash it out if you want to be safe. Its probably ok to use.

 

[vantgE]

It should be fine the general reason against this is that terrariums are not strong enough to hold watter, If you rinse it out good, maybe let it sit with watter for a few days, bleach it, dry it, that sort of cleanup stuff-I see no problem if it was originally an aquarium

 

[freddyk]

Just wash it well and you'll be fine. All animal waste is poisonous in effect, and all of it can be washed off. My 25 gallon was used for a bearded dragon before I got it.

 

[kimbowee]

Thanks for all of the replies guys. Looks like I have me a new 10 gal tank. I just got done giving it a good diluted bleach bath & will let it dry & clean again just to make sure. I will let you all know how it works out.

 

[Def]

You can also buy disinfectant specifically for reptiles. I have Repticlean, use it for cleaning feeding trays, water dishes etc. Kills 100% (supposedly) of reptile bacteria. Use that, then wash out thoroughly.

 

[kimbowee]

Thanks Def, will see if I can find it here.

 

[Torrean]

I had heard that the lizard secrete something that damages the seals. Probably a load of crap

 

[Dorkhedeos]

get a water bottle and fill it with water and bleach. 1 part of bleach to every 29 parts of water. poke a hole in the cap, and squirt it around the sides of the tank, make sure everything got squirted, let it sit there for a minute, then rinse it out and let it dry overnight, then rinse it out again the next day. i used this method to clean out my worm tank to use it as a breeding tank. the tank had brown water and was loaded with worm bactiera. im pretty sure it will work on reptile bacteria too.

 

[kimbowee]

I was going to fill it up first to make sure it doesn't have any leaks. I do have an aquarium safe sealer if there are any leaks. I tried going to a LFS & Petsmart to see if I could find the Repticlean but Petsmart was out & LFS didn't carry it. I did see some cool fishies though! Ideas, ideas I have already cleaned once with diluted bleach solution & tank is drying & plan on cleaning again, just in case. Thanks again for the ideas!

 

[fawnmodel]

Not True.

We have bred herps and reps for ages, and we almost always have fish too. We swap tanks often. Just clean clean clean.

In fact, one of our favorite tanks was a 170 gal terarium WITH a waterfall, stream and a pond. It housed Chinese water gragons, Day Geckos, Oriental Firebellied Toads and Fish and all LIVE plants. Waterfall was fed by a fluval located in the pond area.

All bred, did great, and we had no problems with disease ever. We also live fed almost all its dwellers.

Actually we ended up breaking up the tank, and it was sold to a young guy who grows carniverous plants which he feeds animals to)