I need your input!

MurphyLong

MurphyLong

HMFIC
Okay, well I don't NEED it, but I do want it! Supporters, naysayers, and impartial thinkers are all welcome...

I am not a stranger to reefing, but I have scaled back quite a bit over the years, and always stuck with "the norm" of livestock. CUC, clowns, various corals, nems, small wrasses, gobies, blennies, dragonets, yadda yadda yadda...

Well, I've got the opportunity to buy a tank today, it's a 6' long, 24" deep 125g dual-corner overlow, with a bunch of equipment. It has a 6' 6xT5/led combo light (Not sure on the brand, but there are external power supply/ballasts- I'm more of an LED guy) Also has a 3-door stand (real wood, not that MDF crap Marineland uses) It has 2 return pumps (not sure on brand of those either.)

Here's the thing, it's setup with 2 separate sumps right now, and they're not connected. The guy said he could never get them to balance out long-term (duh!) but I'm not gonna shame him for not understanding it. One sump is a 30g acrylic, and the other looks like a 30g glass sump. It also comes with all plumbing, a bunch of frag racks, and a huge skimmer (It's a hang-on-sump or in-sump, and I'm not 100% on the brand of it either.)

It also has a bunch of powerheads (larger than a softball) some controller equipment, and boxes of other nonsense that I didn't even look through. I saw it in action, nothing leaks, there's no bowing, and everything seems pretty solid. I'm looking to pick it up for $250. (I've negotiated it down to this price, BTW- which seems like a pretty decent deal.) I know I'll end up having to buy another tank, like a 40long to make a new sump, and I'll likely replace all 6 T5 bulbs, or just buy 3 blackboxes...

Now, question #1 is: Even if all the equipment is some no-name Chinese stuff, does this seem like a decent deal to you guys too?

Question #2 is: What are your ideas for it's future? I don't want to just do "another plain reef tank," I want to do something a little different, that I haven't done before, and would require me learning something new. Puffers, eels, pipefish/seahorses... I have read up some over the years, and I know horsies require some SERIOUS attention, and low flow, and puffers require a transition of salinity. Let's just pretend I didn't say eel, because I don't know what fish I can keep with an eel, without it deciding to eat them. *edit - Pipefish and Seahorses are out, the short lifespan would not go over well in my house.

I will have a LONG time to brainstorm this all out, but I have to decide today if I wanna buy this thing.
 
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IMHO it's certainly not a bad deal. Back in the day when I was looking to make some money I'd have bought it and tried selling it off in parts if I didn't want it. Or if I wanted it because I had a desire to do something, it's sounds like a very good deal.

The question is, do you really want another tank? It sounds as if you already have one, kind of something basic? But if you don't have something you are kind of passionate about doing with the new tank, what's the point? It won't take long for time and expense to make a new tank that isn't something YOU are passionate about into just another time and money pit. I'm just advising to be careful about what YOU want.

That comes from a guy with 4 tanks. A 125g DT, with a 50g display refugium. Those two I love. I also have a 65g (4'x2'x14") shallow reef that is full of stuff I collect from the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys. The beach walks and snorkeling are passions for me and collecting just adds to the fun. And I have a frag tank because there is too much coral growing in my tanks so I'm always selling some. So they are all passions for me. But I think I'm fairly far out on the right side of the bell curve! :spin2:
 
Personally for the deal you have going, I'd buy it. Take your time deciding what road you wanna take. If you decide to do nothing at all, you can probably even make a buck or two. I don't just my 2 cents but it seems to good to pass up.
 
Ron Reefman said:
IMHO it's certainly not a bad deal. Back in the day when I was looking to make some money I'd have bought it and tried selling it off in parts if I didn't want it. Or if I wanted it because I had a desire to do something, it's sounds like a very good deal.

The question is, do you really want another tank? It sounds as if you already have one, kind of something basic? But if you don't have something you are kind of passionate about doing with the new tank, what's the point? It won't take long for time and expense to make a new tank that isn't something YOU are passionate about into just another time and money pit. I'm just advising to be careful about what YOU want.

That comes from a guy with 4 tanks. A 125g DT, with a 50g display refugium. Those two I love. I also have a 65g (4'x2'x14") shallow reef that is full of stuff I collect from the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Keys. The beach walks and snorkeling are passions for me and collecting just adds to the fun. And I have a frag tank because there is too much coral growing in my tanks so I'm always selling some. So they are all passions for me. But I think I'm fairly far out on the right side of the bell curve! :spin2:
Click to expand...

Yeah, I had larger tanks before, in fact a 125 Freshwater right where I'm looking to put this new tank. It was one my wife's ex left behind, and at the time, I had no desire to keep the Oscars that were in it. Then I moved on to salt tanks, 10, 20, 40, 55, 75, 90, 110, and 180g tanks, but my job started requiring that I deploy for months at a time, and my wife already has too much on her plate to fill-in for me for that long. Now that I'm permanently stateside, I will have the time to dedicate to a large tank again. Right now I have a 37g tank, just clean, simple, and basic. 2 Ocellaris clowns, a Starry Blenny, Ruby Wrasse, and a Scooter Dragonet with a small hammer, zoas, galaxea, and some 'shrooms growing steadily. I miss the versatility of a large tanks, and the clean look of nothing in the DT. I'm tired of seeing my heater and filter intake, and having a homemade refugium in the tank is pretty ugly.

I like the idea of a tank that isn't so tall, my 110 and 180 were both monsters, and I couldn't reach the bottom, even with my monkey arms. I'm fairly confident I'm going to go ahead and make the purchase, (did I mention he's also including a bar with a locking liquor cabinet if I buy it)

I went and did more reading, and I'm definitely avoiding sea horses, but a larger tank opens me back up for fish that I'm more fond of, like gold stripe maroons. I guess it's time to research the different puffers and eels to see what I can put in their new habitat. It will likely be 6 months or so before I even start cycling it, I want to get everything EXACTLY where I want it, how I want it, with as few cases of "Oh crap, I should have......." once it's setup and too late.
 
$250 is a huge deal assuming there are no gotchas. The tank alone probably cost a few times that when new.

I agree with Ron though, do you really need and want another tank along with the expense and time commitments? I've been reef keeping for a long time with a few breaks and have had all kinds of systems. Prior to my current tank, my last system had a 360g display. I know the attraction of bigger is better. Now I have a 24g cube and I'm reapply loving the simplicity and minimal effort required. I can keep the tank spotless and fully maintained for a few minutes here and there instead of deciding entire afternoons just for a weekly clean and water change. It really just depends on where you are in life and what you are willing to put in to it.
 
mrhighline said:
Gotta strike while the iron is hot.
Click to expand...

He came around, and now I've got it!

der_wille_zur_macht said:
$250 is a huge deal assuming there are no gotchas. The tank alone probably cost a few times that when new.

I agree with Ron though, do you really need and want another tank along with the expense and time commitments? I've been reef keeping for a long time with a few breaks and have had all kinds of systems. Prior to my current tank, my last system had a 360g display. I know the attraction of bigger is better. Now I have a 24g cube and I'm reapply loving the simplicity and minimal effort required. I can keep the tank spotless and fully maintained for a few minutes here and there instead of deciding entire afternoons just for a weekly clean and water change. It really just depends on where you are in life and what you are willing to put in to it.
Click to expand...


I've definitely got the time and resources to put into it, I'm just taking my sweet time getting everything done the way I want it, with tons of planning...
 
Here's the tank as it sat a few days ago. I've been working on cable management and cooling, since adding the glass tops has definitely caused it to warm up almost 3 degrees.

I have since added more rock, and transferred all of my livestock over from my small tank, but definitely need more rock!

tank.jpg
 
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