A few deals I have on the table, seeking advice. Thanks!

Well, I have researched this hobby for years, and Im finally prepared to get a tank of my own, and I saw this 29 bowfront saltwater fish tank and well, I dont exactly have a lot of money at the moment, a little, but not a lot. And so I randomly sent him a text, offering an almost brand new xbox 360 w/ 60 gig HD, Call of Duty: World at War, Madden 2009, NBA 2k9, 2 controllers(one wireless , one wired), and a flat screen projection TV. He returned the text by calling me asap, very much so into the deal, so I told him Ill call him back, Im giving it some thought. While doing this, I call my LFS and tell him the specs of the aquarium, he asked how much is the guy selling it for, and I tell him 300 and he says thats a good price for that aquarium, and that whichever skimmer I chose not to use (i would get both the guy said) he would buy from me. But I told him, im not paying the 300, then I proceded to tell him what I was trading, and he gave me his 2 phone numbers, and I gave him mine, and he said he has a drilled 75g at home, and will talk to his wife about being able to do that, because he has kids and they would love the xbox. His tank I can only imagine is incredible, he also has a 550g. He told me a few things about his tank, like the filtration system is underneat, its like magnaflow , not sure Ill talk to him tonight probably, but it sounded incredible, but the thing is the size, im living in an apartment with my dad and my sister at the moment, and theres not a lot of room, im not sure exactly how much room a 75g would take, but probably more than id like, although im drooling over the thought of having the tank.


Well, basically im seeking your guy's advice based on my decisions, and the trade offers on the table. I have 80 dollars at the moment on me, and I have been looking at getting a 14g biocube, not only for the all in 1 feature, but i think its very stylish, and most of all, size efficient for my living area. But I dont know how I could trade for one of those, due to the fact I dont know an owner of one. So any advice on what you guys would do, with the given offers, would be greatly appreciated. I am truely dedicated to the hobby, and will give my aquarium hours of attention day and night, im in a position where I can do that. I do nothing but research, and would NEVER put a fish in an enviroment too small, or anything of the sort, so no worries there. Hm, seems ive rambled, I apologize, but any advice would be greatly appreciated, also if anyone with a 14 or 29g biocube and interested in the deal at hand, let me know. Thanks for listening fellas!

 

If you trade him all that for the 29 gallon tank, you got took, hook line and sinker. Just my two cents. Tank is worth about half of what he is asking, if even that. What lighting system is on it exactly?
I would hang on to the money, and save up. Keep searching craigslist for a better deal. There are hardly anyone where I am that is into aquariums, and I see much better bargains pop up all the time.
Just my two cents

 

Thanks, appreciate the advice. The lighting is T5, thats all he really said, he has a regular like florescent he was using because he was conserving the bulb of the T5 since he was mainly focused on his larger tank, but ya, T5. But the 75g sounds incredible, but Im sure would just take up so much space, which normally I wouldnt mind, but the current situation that wouldnt be the greatest thing.

 

I would not do the 28g...you are giving away wayy to much for it. It is a basic T5 light, skimmers are ok..the red sea is good, but I dont see anytype of filter on it other then the hang on back which might be the skimmer.

I would go with the 75g...that would be a more reasonable deal. Megaflow sump is what I had in my 75g. They are about 4-5feet long. You would want to make sure that....1. the pump is included with this deal, 2. see what kind of lights the 75g has, 3. is there a skimmer, and 4. is he going to include any live rock in the deal?

Saltwater is an expensive hobby..and the initial setup is most important. This is where you do not want to skimp on...you will regret it

If you want a 14g biocube...then wait for that. You could always sell your x-box and stuff on craigs list and use that money to get a new tank? Just an idea.

Good luck

 

I will find out more about the 75g when he calls tonight, and I will post what I find out. Thanks for the advice, it seems waiting on the biocube is the most sensible, but we shall see. And I welcome any other opinions, etc. Thanks!

 

When you listed all of the things you would trade for it, I was about to give you my tank. I agree that the 29 isn't anything special nor is any of the equipment you mentioned.

 

Haha nice. But ya, thanks for the advice, it seems the 29 isnt even close to being an even trade.

 

Dude....I bought a 75g tank that came with the stand, a cheapo skimmer, a lighting system (PCs), misc powerheads and overflows, a sump.....you get the idea. Everything I would need to start a 75g for $400. Now. That is the initial investment. I had no idea how much live rock cost. We are talking $9 a pound. Now, you can get some base rock for three to four dollars a pound, but you will still need about 110 lbs of it to do a reef tank. When you do the math....it gets scary. Also, you will need about 80lbs of live sand. That is money.

There are power heads.
There are good skimmers out there for reef tanks that cost about $400
The lighting system I am looking at for my 90g is $650. It would be $575 for one that would do for a 75g (I am tallking T5s---good quality fixtures).

In the first few months, I had spent about $1500 total. To date (nine months later), I am up to $2400 give or take. What do I have from my original set up? Just the stand and the overflows. That's it. What you find out there for cheap is just that. Cheap. Over time, you need to upgrade. And that is exactly what I did.....I had my tank up and running in a week (and stocked way too fast) and just spent $100 here, $400 there. And made myself a very good setup (IMO of course!!!!).

So research this before you go out and spend money on a tank. A 75g tank not drilled new is about $150. Drilled about $250 (I am guessing here). Drilled is the way to go BTW. And buying second hand tanks is risky. You don't know how they have been treated. My 75g started leaking four months into the hobby. THAT was a nightmare. The bottom line is that if you want a 75g tank, you need about $2500 in monies to finance the endeavor if you are going to do it right without headaches.

Another thing you have to think about is your apartment complex. What happens to you if the tank leaks or, God forbid, breaks. Sometimes there are overflows (I have had two myself because of newbie mistakes). Some don't allow over a certain gallonage. So cover your bases there.

I have a feeling you will be best off starting small in the situation you're in. I would save up the money....get yourself, or find yourself, a good deal on a 29g and go with that. Trust me, you will spend an amazing amount of money on a 29g. And IMO, the biocubes and Red Sea Maxes out there are not all they are cracked up to be. Designing your own will (again, IMO) give you a far superior product in the end.

DON'T RUSH THIS!!!!!!! You are like me back when I started out. You need to kick back and look at this from an objective point of view. Look around more on Craig's List. Make yourself a list of things you would need to outfit a 29g yourself. Price things out. Search around on this site for recommendations on skimmers, powerheads, lighting......let me tell you, there are quite a few threads dedicated to this. I figure that if you put your nose to the grindstone and read, read, read....asking questions when you cannot find the answer and evaluating your situation, you will save soooooo much money it will amaze you.

Peace.......John.

 

Incredible advice, thanks John. A DIY project scares me on a few different fronts; for one, fear of screwing up and not doing something correctly, very blunt fear, i know. Another fear is the cumilative costs of all the required materials, and the putting together of such. I will research required materials, and see how much they could possibly add up to, defitely something I am going to look into, once again, thanks John. I still havent gotten the phone call on the 75g info, im waiting.. lol

 

I bought a 12 gallon biocube fully stocked, (Live Rock and All) With stand for $75. I dont know if this helps, but I def would not put a 75g in an apartment. We had a 55g crack in our house, and believe me, it is nothing you want to deal with, especially in an apartment.
Here's my second thought. On a minimum budget you can create a HUGE effect. I always like it when I see a biocube filled with tiny bits and pieces of coral, stratigically placed and co-existing on a micro level. My point is, dont under-rate the possibilities of a biocube. Check out Jakeh24 on 3reef. He has quite the pimped out cube.