Your Aquarium Setup Test Proceedure

You need to have an aquarium setup test whether your tank is new or used. I usually do this in the basement where a water leak will not do any damage to the floor. Depending on the size of your tank and the plumbing, if any, you may be restricted as to where you can do this test.

The object of this exercise is to check for water leaks and to make sure your heater and pumps all work properly, so let's get started.

Place your heater and any pumps you plan to use in their location. Now start to add tap water (no need for salt water for this) slowly into your aquarium. If you don't see any leaks you can continue to add water until the tank is full. Turn on your circulation pumps and make sure they are pumping water.

Don't turn on your heater for about half an hour. It needs to adjust to the temperature of the water first. Turning it on right away can cause it to break or crack.

Wipe down the outside of the aquarium until it is dry. It's likely there will be some condensation that has formed because of the temperature difference between the water and the air around the tank.

Visually check for any leaks all around the bottom and sides of your aquarium. Take your time with this step. I often use a flashlight for this. If you find no signs of any leaks, leave the tank setup and running like this for at least 24 hours and then check it again. If all is well, the pumps are still running and the heater has raised the temperature, and still no leaks then this aquarium setup test is over.

You can turn off the pumps and heater, empty the aquarium and carefully place it on the previously leveled stand.

If, however, you did find a leak you must decide wether it is worth fixing or replacing the tank. I will make a page for how to fix a leak soon.