big ol' turtle tank

[Tarawa]

I have an old HDPE turtle tank that I used to use for watering a remote garden many years past. I used some plant fertilizer in the water as well at times, never any pesticides or weedacides, I'm wondering now if I can wash it out and use it as an RO reservoir, to degas and make DI with. Or do you guys thing that the fertilizer soaked into the plastic and will leech out over time?

Thanks

 

[salty joe]

IDK, maybe you could wash it with an acid solution then let RO water soak in it for a week or two and check TDS.

 

[fishgate]

I read somewhere that any tank that ever held a reptile should never be used as a fish tank again.

 

[pigskin018]

I read somewhere that any tank that ever held a reptile should never be used as a fish tank again.

I think that's just for tank that were used for like lizards, snakes etc. Because they just have heat lamps that I'm sure mess up silicone being that they are exposed to that much direct heat for so long.

But I have used a tank, that I had for RES (red eared slider turtle) and had the tank filled 90% with water, for fish and it held perfect.

I'm not sure about hdpe tanks tho. I 2nd the guy above. Add di water and let sit for a few weeks to see if any tds is added. I would be scared to use a fertilizer tank for reef

 

[Tarawa]

alright, I'll give that a try, thx =D

 

[woodnaquanut]

Instead of checking for TDS, how about checking for nitrate and/or phosphate?

 

[Tarawa]

I'll run those tests as well, after the soak, good idea, thx =D

 

[Tang Salad]

I think that's just for tank that were used for like lizards, snakes etc. Because they just have heat lamps that I'm sure mess up silicone being that they are exposed to that much direct heat for so long.

Another reason, fwiw, is that tanks made for reptiles often use thinner glass and can't handle the water pressure.

 

[zachts]

Clean it up and test the water after soaking for a few weeks. Shouldn't pose any issues particularly if your are running DI post reservoir which would be a little atypical but.........not unheard of. What are you using to pump thru the DI stage? The DI would remove any remaining traces of things that may leach out of the plastic and unless said levels and TDS are crazy high it shouldn't have a huge impact on DI resin life.

 

[enchelycore808]

If by tank you mean like a HDPE trough then just scrub it out, rinse and soak in ro for awhile. Should be good to go.