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Jerrick 
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 Topic: SHOULD I BUY???
Posted: January 07 2011 at 1:45pm |
Hello,
A Fellow Member Is selling his 65 Gallon Reef Tank and I want some honest opinions before I take on the adventure of becoming a NEWBIE REEF TANK OWNER!
The Tank....65 Gallon, Drilled with corner overflow, 20 gal sump, non working protein skimmer ( bad Impeller) 300 GPH Submersible ( looks like it is only flowing around 80gph??? also a 20 gal Fuge, 2 NEW 175 W MH with 2 NEW 30 actinic Blues...Fish include two clown, one Purple Tang, one Dwarf Angle....Water is clean and clear but sand base on class looks bad brown/red and green algae....I live only 15 min. away so transport could be done fairly quick...he is asking $450......QUESTIONS
1- Price GOOD? 2- would it be better to wait for A LOT more money and start from scratch? 3- Could I transport/re-set up, keep everything ( for the most part) Alive and be able to get the tank back to a non-neglected reef tank or would it be better to start over????
HELP ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREAT  |
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SGH360
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 1:51pm |
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Welcome to Utah Reefs. I got to say that is a good deal, considering if buying from scratch will be 3 times as much. Ask to see if they have any pest like Aiptasia, Majano, Flatworms or did they ever had this before. See what other thing come with like Water test kits, Refractormeter, Additives. What brand are the bulbs too.
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Luckedout
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 1:55pm |
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Do you have more pictures than just this one?
What about the stand? Condition?
My opinion is that you need to know a LOT about a full set up before you purchase it. How long it's been running? what maintenance he does on the tank and on the equipment? Why hasn't he fixed the skimmer? Does he dose? Does he do water changes? Why is he selling. Does he have any pests like manjanos or aptasia? Has he had any of that in the past? What fish has he had? Did he lose any? To what? ETc Etc.
The price seems fair if you are comfortable with the answer to those questions. The reason for knowing is that a lot of people who sell full set ups are tired of the hobby and so they haven't maintained the tank very well, which is why equipment is breaking down and now they just want to get rid of it. Which is not a good situation for you to buy and move the tank and stress everything out and potentially lose it.
I'm not saying that's the case but you want to make sure you aren't setting yourself up for problems down the road. If you could get some more info we could give you a better idea on what to do.
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-Ben
90g Mixed reef
www.body-balancechiropractic.com
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tileman
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 2:11pm |
Asking here first is an excellent idea. Welcome to the board. Don't make any decisions before you do more research, go see other members tanks and setups, ask tons of questions, we are always happy to open our doors, and we thrive on questions. In my opinion, setting up your Own reef is 75% of the fun in this hobby.
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335G Reef
TOTM.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/2/aquarium
ReefKeepers TOTM Feb. 2012
http://reefkeeping.com/joomla/index....k-of-the-month
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Jerrick
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 2:18pm |
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Jerrick
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 2:28pm |
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bur01014
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 2:36pm |
In my opinion I wouldn't buy it as a "first" tank.....don't get me wrong, great price, etc....but as a first tank, part of the fun is setting up a tank, stocking it to your liking ....most importantly though, setting up a tank from scratch is a learning experience, how a tank cycles, parameters, fish compatibility, etc...there is so much to learn...not knowing the basics from the get go could be tough on maintaining a well-stocked reef.
What I would do:
-Still buy used...search the forums, buy just a tank and stand, then a sump, then equip, or find all it in a bundle
-Be careful with light selection, one of the most important things, as well as expensive, do it right the first time and research it, so you don't want a different light 6 months down the road
-Go look at other tanks to determine what you want to keep and like, perhaps you want multiple tangs, thus needing a bigger tank, or perhaps a smaller tank would suit your needs
-Once you get the tank, stand, sump, all equip, lights, etc....then get your live rock, sand, and cycle going....all this is great learning for you....I dare say you could lose a lot of stuff just being a fully setup tank as your first tank...
-Once the cycle is done, have fun picking out the fish YOU want and Corals YOU like...then watch them grow, this is where the fun is....buying a full setup already stocked full with stuff, isn't very fun to me :) whatever you do, go slow and do a lot of research!
Edited by bur01014 - January 07 2011 at 2:38pm
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 2:40pm |
Jim LaMunyon is an honest person that won't leave you in a lurch. You will need a little help from him to set it up and get it going. If he is willing, I'd do it.   Welcome. With a mature tank like that, the sand is going to be pretty full of crud/detritus. I'd have an inch of clean wet Utah Oolitic Sand ready to place first on the bottom of the tank and add some of the old sand rinsed first then some un-rinsed old sand on top of that. I'd probably discard the bottom layer of the sand from that tank. The link below in my sig line will take you to a lot of good info. There is even a How to/Tip about moving an established reef aquarium. Jim is an experienced reefer that you can rely on.
Edited by Mark Peterson - January 07 2011 at 2:41pm
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member
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Jerrick
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 2:54pm |
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THANKS EVERYONE! I Am so EXCITED I have been Doing a lot of reading the last few months and I am torn between starting fresh and setting up my tank from scratch or getting this one and kind of starting over...but having a lot of things to play around with and make my own.....Just nervous....all input is very much appreciated!
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Sculpin
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 3:02pm |
I'd say go for it. I agree with Mark that you should swap out some of the sand. This looks like a very mature tank and since you'll have to move it anyways this gives you a chance to do some much needed maintenance on it before re-setting it up.
Micah
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Chevmaro
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 3:15pm |
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I thinks its a good deal. I bought a tank/stand/canopy for a screaming deal of $65. I have now easily spent over $450 on the rest of the equipment. I think i could have saved money buying a complete setup but im glad i didnt because i get to buy the equipment I want and set it up the way I want. Its a little fun getting it the way you want it but cheaper to buy a full setup. You could look at getting a replacement pump for that skimmer or find a good used skimmer for about $100.
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P.Kapp
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 4:07pm |
If it were me, (and im no expert) and I was going to buy this tank, I would get some kind of temporary holding system set up at my house before i went to get this tank and have it ready to go so you could transfer all the coral, fish, and everything else into it while you cleaned up the rest of the system. I would get a good sized tote or rubbermaid container, have heaters ready, powerheads for circulation, a place to put the light, have some form of filtration (hopefully the skimmer would be an easy fix and use that) and some macro algae. I would have some freshly mixed salt water ready to add to the established water just in case. I would also definately get some new sand, and just keep some of the live sand to seed it with. Or just toss it all and get some from another reefer in the area when the tank is ready. Use some rubber gloves when cleaning out the sand too. I learned the hard way when i bought an established tank and cleaned it out with a cut on my finger. Ended up with a staff infection and cellulitus almost all the way up my arm. I was on a IV drip for two weeks.... If you have the temporary tank ready for all your animals, then you have time to make all the repairs and adjustments to your liking and do it right instead of rushing it. But like i said, thats just my opinion  Have fun with it, and make it your own!
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Preston Kapp
210 Gal Reef
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Jerrick
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 4:15pm |
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I do have a 29 Gallon Fresh water that just has a few Danio in right now.....I could turn that into a holding tank for ease of transfer......no way it will hold all of the LR but it could hold some plus the fish....hmmmmmm got me thinking now....
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Shane H
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 4:31pm |
Hey - I recognize that tank! And many of those corals as well.
I have to agree with Mark. Jim is an experienced hobbyist and if he is willing to throw in his services to mentor you for the first little while - then it is a super great deal. If he's not and simply wants out of the hobby - its still a good deal and you will likely have a good experience.
I recommend finding someone in Logan who knows reefs and soliciting their help with the move. Most of us can be bought fairly cheaply.  There are so many things to consider and having someone who has done it before, will pay off big-time in the reduction of problems and lost livestock.
Another thing you may consider, is fragging many of the corals before you even begin to move the tank. By the looks of it, there will be plenty of "accidental fragmentation" anyway. Give them to someone (or multiple people) with the stipulation that should you need a frag back, they would return the favor. Consider it a bit of insurance if something goes horribly wrong and you lose a large part of the corals during the move. If things go great and you don't need a frag back - then you've just won a friend or two!
Good luck!
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Shane H
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 4:33pm |
BTW - here's a link to the 2004 Tank of the Month presenation: http://www.utahreefs.com/tankofthemonth/JimLaMunyon/tank_of_the_month.htm
Check out the awesome photo takin' skills!  |
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P.Kapp
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 4:57pm |
I found this thread on RC. Its mostly people using rubbermaids for sumps, but definately gives you a general idea of how to go about it. The last set of pictures on page10 is what made me think of it. You probably dont need one as big as a lot of these, but i would try to get one big enough to fit all your rock, corals, fish, and other equipment in, while still leaving room for the fish to swim. Then you have to set up one holding tank and not several and worry about equipment for all of them. Plus having all the rock and coral in there will add as filtration.
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Preston Kapp
210 Gal Reef
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Jerrick
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 5:02pm |
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Okay...so if I went for this I know I would NEED A lot of help.....I would be more than happy to give frags out to people! Soliciting help to tear down the tank and set it back up might be easy....I own a Jewelry store and maybe could bribe some men to help out for a day in return for something nice for their better half ( my wife is my better half for sure!) Just a thought....:-) Another concern is the Ro/DI until I do not have yet....need to go under the kitchen sink most likely and second I want to some-what build this into a wall...need to tear it down first and make sure structure is good to go...
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Luckedout
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 5:15pm |
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P. kapp's suggestion is great advice.
Take your time getting it set up. I had fish and coral in tubs like that for 2 days without any problems as long as they get light, flow and heat they are fine.
Then you won't make mistakes setting it up and potentially lose critters.
Edited by Luckedout - January 07 2011 at 5:20pm
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-Ben
90g Mixed reef
www.body-balancechiropractic.com
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Luckedout
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 5:19pm |
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I'm sending you a PM with my info. I'd be more than happy to help you out. I think planning and setting up the tank is the funnest part of the hobby.
I didn't realize you were in Logan. Jerrick's Jewelry with the green corvette right? You are more than welcome to come by my office and see my tank. I'm on the south end of town. Skimace7 has a beautiful tank at Cache title Co. that's worth a stop as well. It's right in the lobby. Nice to have another Logan reefer!
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-Ben
90g Mixed reef
www.body-balancechiropractic.com
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Jerrick
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Posted: January 07 2011 at 6:37pm |
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Ben- What are your hours at the Clinic? I would love to stop by and check it out! I am at my store from 9:30- 7 M-F and 10-5 Sat... Maybe I could slip out on a lunch break some time.....
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Thanks! Everyone....LuckeDout I am here in logan as well....The tank was 2004 tank of the month it is CHEM-GUY Who is selling it here in the valley....Here are a few more pics...
