Advice on a new upgraded Setup

I was curious on y'all thoughts of a complete package deal by marineland. I am not a fan of the look of the cabinets by marineland(It would be in my parents house and my mom would want crown molding),but I would probably paint it white to match the room it would go in. Would y'all recommend something like this or buy a tank and equipment separately. I also look at used tank setups on ebay and they sometimes have very attractive deals(has anyone bought a used setup before and if so, is it worth the money saved?) As well as those two options is making a large stand very difficult? I would not make the tank.(fear of blowout happened with my uncle ruined his house) My brother is quite experienced with wood working he thinks he can make a attractive strong stand. I am blocked from the wanted section but just so y'all know I am interested is a 180-220 gallon tank with or without stand/equipment Complete Aquarium Kits with Stands: Marineland LED Standard Monterey Super Systems

Also does anyone have a GlassCages tank because they are a really good price but I read that they are made horribly and people get leaks and they are prone to Blowing out.

 

Def don't buy that system, for $4 grand you can get a pimped out huge system. And my tank is a glasscages tank and is a fortress!

BUT heres what I'd do. find your footprint you can fit. research your butt off, and put a build list together! For that price if thats youre budget you can build an amazing tank with the help here, just be patient and design it. you'll have a showpiece for that budget.

 

The Marineland system is definitely out of budget lol. I'm more worried about the stand and equipment than the tank. One of my local aquarium shops is selling a tank they made for $925 which i think I can find alot cheaper. My current 55gallon is from the 80's(used to be my uncles) and it has never had problems but i hate the size no equipment fits under it and takes up alot of space without giving me much space to fill with livestock.

 

Its rarely a good idea to buy a "system" part it out design and build what you want

 

Well I would agree but it would be a joint project between my Dad and brother and my dad is very set on buying someones old setup online that they no longer want. I don't really fancy the risks of dealing with others mistakes. I figure if we want to save money we should build the stand and canopy ourselves. As I have mentioned before my brother works with wood a lot he turns duck calls and bowls. We already have most of the power tools to make a very impressive stand that my mother would approve of in her house lol

 

then do that, explain to your dad, that most things in a kit are crap and will need replaced

 

Go with DIY if you have the brains and tools to do so. It's cheaper and you can build exactly what you want and have it sturdy. I've made mine and I put in almost 2-3lbs of screws...lol so I know it could plow(push) snow with it if I had to... Lol. So DIY IMO.

 

Very nice DIY. One of the main reason We/I want to upgrade is because our current tank is in a spare bedroom no one goes in. The reason it is tucked away is because quite frankly the stand and equipment is extremely ugly. So one of my major priorities is to have a very attractive stand with everything hidden. My current setup is really a hand me down from my eldest brother which at the time was setup to be fish only but once he saw the corals it was love at first sight lol. So nothing about the tank was thought out correctly from the beginning. Which didn't really matter because it was all hidden, but now My dad and I think it is a waste because no one sees it so it should be moved in a area that gets some traffic. As well the size is just not right for what we want.

 

What do y'all think is better for coral and fish 180 gallons or 220?

 

The biggest you can afford.