PlanetCatfish.com

hi

new on the forum, thought i'd start my first thread...

would you buy 2nd hand aquarium equipment? if not, why? i've heard stories of contaminated and diseased tanks, but surely these can be cleaned out properly (very much doubt a seller would admit to it anyway unless you knew them).

what about filters etc? at times you can see some really good deals on high-end eheims on ebay...

any advice or pearls of wisdom welcome!

thank you

I've bought things on auction (not ebay, but a "live" auction where you are actually present yourself in the place where the auctioneer and the product is as well) - bargains can be had here. I got a Eheim 1260 pump (2500 liter per hour).

Of course, it's a important to be careful with what you buy, so that you don't buy something that is broken.

And if I were to buy a filter on ebay, I would definitely replace the filter media before putting it to work. This may also make it a bit less attractive than it may seem. For a Eheim Pro II 2028, a complete set costs about £40 - if you buy the individual components, it is even more.

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Mats

I've not bought off things like Craigslist, but have bought from our local hobbyist forum. I have bought tanks, filters, CO2 equipment, fish, plants, substrate, filter media, you name it. Media only if unused, but with filters and tanks, I just disinfect with a bleach solution and then dechlorinate and I'm good to go. No reason not to that I can see, as long as due care is exercised.

I buy most of my stuff used. Craigslist is a great place to find deals. Just clean it well and rinse it out with dechlorinated water. Tanks I usually fill and leave on the patio for a few days to check for leaks. Filters I'll throw out all the media and start with new stuff. I would never use old substrate. Once in a while you'll come across something that won't operate but $50 for a 55 gallon complete set up is worth the risk.

fantastic! thanks for your input. i will be on the look-out. i suppose craiglist is a US thing (from what i could find on www)...

Craigslist is definitely North American (I'm in Canada) and as far as I know only US/Canada. But there must be some sort of equivalent in the UK.

I should mention that out of 14 tanks I have at the moment, only 8 have been bought new, and I have a another few empty used tanks (and one tank that has Giant African Land Snails in it).

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Mats