Fresh to Salt. Copper?

[dascharisma]

I am currently in the process of helping my dad set up his first marine tank. He used to keep freshwater tanks and has recently taken an intrest in my two saltwater tanks. He would like to turn one of his old freshwater tanks into a reef tank. My concern is that there may be undesirable stuff in the tank after nearly 10 years of sitting empty in his garage. I am especially concerned with copper, as I believe it to be used in medication for freshwater fish. He is not sure if he ever used copper when he had the tank running.
We are going to be cleaning the tank with vinegar, water, and a razor blade. Should we be worried about copper? How about other nasty chemicals?

Thanks,
Brad

[Entropy]

My biggest concern would be the silicone seals on the tank (assuming it is glass). I would with resilicone the seals or seriously consider just getting a new tank. 10 years is a long time for seals to be dry and I would hate to see the tank fail and not only dump a good amount of water, but also wipe out a nice tank.

[The Punisher]

I wouldn't risk it with a tank that has been sitting dry for half that long, even if you knew copper wasn't used.

[dascharisma]

Well this isn't good news.

How hard would it be to re-seal the tank? How much would the silicone costs? Would I need special tools? Is a re-sealed tank going to be safe?

[The Punisher]

How big is the tank?

[dascharisma]

The tank is around 30x12x22. I think it is 37 or so gallons.

[The Punisher]

You can get a tank that size for pretty darn cheap, might as well go buy a new one to be on the safe side.

[JessB]

Da,....IMO/IME.
before you even start doing anything...do a leak 24 hour test. If it leaks, then reseal it.
Then, wash out tank with a mild detergent. Then rinse/dry/rinse/dry.
All my tanks have been used.....
Have fun...

[Entropy]

It would cost about $3 to silicone a tank that size IMO. I would do the leak test as JessB recommened. I would do it for a week or so though and do it where a spill will not damage anything. There is no rush on setting it up, so you might as well be cautious. I think I would reseal it regardless.

[JessB]

Agree Rich...on hindsight, bets to resale the whole thing and work from there

[gvidon]

Does anyone know if silicone does absorb copper? I have read conflicting reports here.