Buying used sytem questions

I have been contemplating whether to get new or used system. I have read some good news and some bad news about buying used system.

There are a lot of used complete system with a very low price (without livestock). In your opinion, what should I be more cautious about? For sure no leakage (lol) ;D. How about those equiptment such as light, skimmers, etc. ?

Thank you.

 

Note brand of fixture and look at review of the fixture. Age of bulbs, most stock bulbs should be replaced within a couple months after original purchase. This does not apply to LED. Make sure the lighting can support what you intend to grow in the tank. Not all LED fixtures are meant for SW corals.

Pumps/Skimmers: Again look at reviews and age of the equipment.

Tank: Tanks moved can be prone to leaks from seams, this is especially true of older glass tanks.

 

I would not recommend it, especially if you are a newbie. My 140 was only 1200 for the whole setup but we broke nearly 1000 dollars worth of equipment during the move. On top of that, we ended up with a scratched tank, cockroaches in the stand, and poor water quality. If i were more experienced i would have noticed how poorly the previous owner treated her tank at been able to anticipate all these problems. But as a newbie, all i saw was a pretty tank at a low price. Being able to skip the cycle process was pretty cool but that was just about the only benefit for me.

 

For me the obvious answer is to buy new if you can afford it. However, there are parts that would be fine used such as powerheads, heaters and sumps. If you get lucky and find a used system with excellent equipment, no leaks and a nice stand, etc. you're very fortunate.

 

Thank you for your suggestion and I appreciate it and I would do so.

Thank you for your suggestion. I am sorry, I didn't mean "full system" like running system with live stock and such. I was just talking about tanks and equipment olny. I am dealing with this seller of 170g custom tank with stand, sump, pump, lighting (halide), wave maker, skimmer, accesorries. The tank is 3 years old. for $700. ;D

Yes, I am newbie in SW tank. But I've been doing planted tank for several years. I always buy used. All tanks and equipment have been perfectly fine. I have 7 tanks from 30g to 150g.

Thank you for your reply. To me, it's different. Even if I got the money, if I can save up some, I will. I am a research type of person. New doesn't mean much. Yes, you are correct, I hope to get lucky;D

 

I was incredibly lucky to find a used system like I did, looking back I probably should have been more specific in my examination. I have some scratches, but it was worth it anyway.

First of all see the tank full. This SHOULD prove if there are bad seals, but that can be cleaned and hidden to a point. Secondly, this alow you to see what they are keeping and how they are keeping it.

Secondly inspect the stank. Stock tank stands are garbage. I got my tank with stand from a locked on ex Marine Recon, its a tank and THAT is the main reason I bought it.

Third, understand most people have cheap equipment. If you are buying a system for the great deal on PC fixtures and the top end Canister Filter, I can't help you lol.

 

A visual inspection of the seams go along way when buying used glass or acrylic.
There are some perfectly good used tanks out there, but there are also a ton of bad ones!
I would feel better buying one that is currently set up, but you would still want to fully inspect the seams once drained.

I have a used glass 55g set up for 13 months and a used 185 acrylic set up for about 6 months, no problems. There is great value in buying used and the more money you save, the more money you can feed this money pit hobby!

Good luck!

 

Buying a used heater is a bad idea. Not knowing how old it is or if it was abused (on while out of water during changes) isn't good.


I've never seen a deal on craigslist for a saltwater setup that actually was a good deal, could be my area though. I personally wouldn't do it and just spread out the expense, as well as drill your own tank and make your own sump. You don't need to buy anything fancy for the sump, a regular tank works well - I didn't even put in walls on mine, just piles of rock for the water to flow around. You also could buy the basics and get it cycling and started before buying a protein skimmer and other expensive parts. Also, Petco has a $1 per gallon sale at least 4 times a year. Only applies for rectangular tanks up to 55 gallons though.

 

Got my tank used....55gal and stand for $50. Stand is rough, but easily workable and nothing a little Krylon wont fix

 

IMO, to find a good used system you have to be very patient, or very lucky. If you are looking to get started in the hobby soon, you may not want to wait that long for a really good system to come along.

Spotting a good system also requires a lot of research, and/or experience. As others have said, a lot of people have really cheap equipment that you will want/have to replace eventually anyway.

Also consider the cost of moving the system to your home. Would you have to rent a truck, get buckets, etc or take time off of work? In my case, I just pay a local aquarium maintainance company to move my tank... so if I were to buy a complete system I automatically have to add about $300-400 to the cost for the move alone.

Besides local classifieds, join any local reef/salt aquarium forums that you can find. I've seen much nicer systems listed on one of my local forums than I ever have on classified sites for my area.