Need your advice 75g REEF Undrilled $800

75g, Coralife Super Skimmer
Aqua pro sump.
Custom Aro Ballasts
175w mh 10k 15k
2 48" 48w atnic
Live rock, forget how many lbs. all that you see in the pic.
He said he has invested aprox $3500

Corals and some fish already in the tank as you can see. He even offered to help me take it down and set it up. He said its all about 1 year old.

He also is including a saltwater 30g that has is set up with a chocolate starfish, that we can use to keep the fish in until we get things settled. He also said moving the live rock, it might upset things a tad and there could be a quick cycle needed before putting the fish back in. Sound right?

He seemed very knowledgeable and friendly.


As a newbie to reef tanks, and saltwater in general, should I be concerned since this tank isn't drilled? I've read that if you don't have a 'reef ready' tank that's drilled, then you have to have an external hang on overflow, but I don't know if this has one, or exactly how its set up.

Can anyone tell from the pictures if its set up correctly or is there anything I should be concerned about, or questions I should ask?

I don't want to invest money into a failing system.

Thanks for listening.


[img=http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/403/pic0044fd1.th.jpg]

 

800 isn't a great deal but isn't a horrible either, I regularly buy used SW setups from 55-100 gallon on craigslist for under $500 usually the 350-450 range
if there is a good livestock list that comes with this tank than it may be worth it, really though the choice is yours you cant build a new 75 gallon drilled or undrilled for 800

 

Thanks for your input.

Here is some more information. Also, should I be concerned that its a wet/dry system and not a refugium?

led moonlights with lunar cycle computer
100lbs of live rock, 75lbs is caribbean
25lbs of Figi
80 lbs of caribbean live sand,
several rock anemones
2 nudebranchs
2 percula clowns
1 blue tang
1 diamond goby
a few small star fish,
several varieties of zoanthids
one very large leather
a few bunches of carpet
several feather dusters,
over 50 reef janitors, astria snales, nassarius snales, zebra snales, and several red and blue legged hermit crabs.

The thing that most worries me is the break down, and moving it 50 miles to my house, and setting it back up. He is going to help me with it, which is a plus.

 

On the top right hand side of the tank you can see the overflow box, overflows are no big deal, they work fine, just gotta make sure you don't have too high of a water level in the sump. The coralife skimmer is borderline junk, they work, but can be sensitive and prone to overflowing.
The 100 lbs of LR thats included is a bonus, not sure what LR goes for in your area. Still the price is a little high for the setup, I don't see him paying $3500, as you could buy all that stuff new for less than $2000......I'd offer something like $500. If it has a nice cabinet and canopy, maybe $800 is not such abad deal. Reef tanks have a lot of value to reefers, but when you go to sell them your lucky to get .25 on the dollar

 

If you have to move it 50 miles I would expect some livestock to die. It's not a bad setup, but not great. If he actually helps you move to your house, then the $800 might be worth it. Iraf is right in that you couldn't set up a 75gal. reef tank for $800. One thing about buying a full setup fully operational is that you should make sure you are ready to take care of it. If you start one yourself you will learn the quarks of the tank and the small details, like how often to do water changes, how much supplements you add etc. I would consult with the guy and ask as many questions as possible. Good luck

 

Hard to see how nice the canopy is in the dark photos. I priced a ton of used setups here in Dallas last year. The asking price looks normal. Although I would think 6-700 is what he'll get. Depends on where you live. If you're in a small town area.. there may not be that many setups come on the market. Does it only have one daytime 175 MH light?

 

Just by your own recognition, you don't know much about reef tanks. If you don’t want to lose money to a failing system I would suggest just reading more about the stuff before buying it and jumping head first. You may end up just getting really frustrated with it. But that’s just IMHO!

 

My vote is wait and find something better. Priced too high, way too high.

 

I'll backtrack a little, if the canopy and stand are nice and with the amount of LR thats included and the MH's even though they are 175's. It's not a bad deal. borderline good/bad are my thoughts. Figure 100lbs of fully cured LR is going to cost you $300-$500 depending on where your at. The 2 MH fixtures you can pickup for $150 used. Tank, stand and canopy maybe $150-$200. Coralife skimmer $25-50 Everything else is kinda trivial and more of a bonus. So low side is $600 high is $850, but it really depends on the canopy/stand.

Most of the livestock is hardy and easy to care for.

 

So I went and checked out the tank. I was pretty disappointed with the light setup. He doesn't even have reflectors - just some sheet of flat metal.

Also, he said he 'made' some of the rock himself.

So between the home-made lighting, and the rock, i'm not so sure this is worth $800.
Here are some pictures. The leather looks like its about gone compared to the picture he sent me originally.

What do you think?