40 Gallon Eclipse 3 Lighting Question

Well I can get an existing tank, stand, lights, filter, etc for about $300. I don't know what kind of lights they are, but they look to be decent, HO or VHO lights. Or I can get this Eclipse system with stand and filter, thermometer, etc for the same price.

I've lined up tufa (tuta?) rock for $1.50 /lb and LR for $4.50/lb and more than enough white Caribbean sand.

So after everything's in, I'm hoping to spend between $400 and $500 just to start. I'm willing to invest more money later on when I know exactly what to buy when I need it.

I don't know how much rock, sand, stones, etc I'll need. I was thinking I should just buy the actual hardware first and then go from there.

My biggest constraint is weight - the tank is going in the second floor of a wooden house, so I can't have anything that's really heavy - I can't go over a 45-50 gallon of 100% water weight.

Thanks for you help!

 

you can do alot better on rock prices online, look at bulkreefsupply.com or marcorocks.com

They sell base rock which is dried out live rock, if your willing to let it sit and cure in the tank it will save you quite a bit of cash

I wouldnt buy an eclipse tank though, I looked at them even as use for a freshwater or quarantine tank and they have to many issues, mainly that their filtration is absolute junk, also they use a really cheap material that even if you got a hitchhiking mantis shrimp it could break the entire tank their really not built for anything above gold fish/bettas

I'd look on craigslist though it's how I got my first setup, I bought a complete 58 gallon oceanic system with sump/skimmer 65# of rock and sand for less than 300 bucks

 

i started my girlfriend out with an eclipse to learn on and by the 6 month mark there was'nt a single thing that still worked on it.light melted and filter quit working.i'm using the foggy plastic tank to store junk in the shed now.

 

There are much better choices out there for sure ... Find something with good lighting to start with. Aqua Pod, Aqua Euro, Nano Cube and Solana all make good basic systems to start with ... If youre looking for something closer to the 40 gallons you stated the Red Sea Max 34 gal might be a good option, but its a little pricey for what you get I think ...