Tank With Rust Color Seals. Should I Buy

[johnnytuthumbs]

I went to look at a 65 gallon bow front aqaurium today. Everything looked good except for the seals had a rusty color all around the tank. The lady selling it said she has bad water and cant keep her fish from dying and that is why she wants to sell the tank. Can the rust color be cleaned and is it going to affect any fish I put in the tank? I have no problems with my water i just dont want any chemicals or anything to leak out once i put fish into it.

 

[betta fish]

The rust colour may have been algae so should come off easy enough, or did she mention she had used chemicals that turned the seals this colour? if so ask her what she used, if she used copper the tank should still be ok for fish just not for any snails or shrimp.

 

[johnnytuthumbs]

She said the seals turned that color because she has hard well water I guess from too much iron in the water. Do you know if eventually the orange will go away and be safe for snails and shrimp even if she did use copper? I heard white vinegar may help get rid of chemicals. Do you know if this is true? Thank you very much for your help and reply. I greatly appreciate it.

 

[betta fish]

White vinegar can be useful to clean the seals though I don't know if it removes iron stains, it will remove algae and hard water marks. If you need to remove chemicals you can put carbon in the filter, though I would be very cautious about placing snails or shrimp in this tank if she did use copper as it tends to leach from seals for a very long time, you could always get a copper testing kit to test the water after filling 

 if the iron stained seals look unsightly perhaps you can reseal them with fresh silicone, also when doing water changes using a conditioner that removes heavy metals will help.

 

[johnnytuthumbs]

Thank you very much for your help. Is it difficult or risky to put new silicone in it?

 

[betta fish]

If you buy aquatic silicone it will be safe, just wait for it to fully cure before filling the tank