Newbie- Where to start?

6

67chevellemalibu2

New member
Have always wanted a saltwater tank. Have had a few freshwater tanks over the years. Bought a big enough house, now I can go ahead and do this. My questions are ; should I go new or used? Obviously used you don't know if everything works or not when it's broken down. Used- a lot cheaper. I have seen a few really good deals on craigslist. I was thinking buy a used tank and stand and go new with everything else. Looking for a 150 gallon or larger. Where can I go to buy everything needed, including help with set up and maintenance.
 
This is exactly what I did with my 155g bow. Found a killer deal on the tank, and stand used. Bought everything else new. Best prices for equip are online. As far as setup, and maybe even maintenance. I'm sure there will be plenty of people here willing to help.
 
Hi Gary. Welcome to the site. Used tank with new equipment is a good idea so you could build it the way you want. There are good deals on this site as well as CL; just depends on how much you want to spend. Members here are good with lending a hand and answering questions. And if you're on Facebook, there's a guy "Aquariums Done Wright" who could help with set-up or maintenance. I don't know him or use him but he was recommended to me by someone I know.
 
Welcome. I bought almost all used equipment to start, thinking I could save some money, and have slowly had to replace almost everything since then. The thing to watch out for buying a used tank is the silicone. Make sure it is not chipped, bubbled, peeling, etc, especially between the glass panes. The inside can be re-siliconed, which I did with my tank, but if between the panes of glass is messed up then that is a far larger job. Also a question to ask the owner if you get any Live Rock / Dry Rock with the tank is whether any medication or copper has been used in the tank. If you are setting up a reef tank copper will kill everything in there, but the fish. Go slow, read a lot, and ask us questions. Have fun, setting up a new tank is a blast (some people are professionals at setting up new tanks around here, that is why going big at first is a good idea, less of an urge to upgrade, though I won't deny trying to figure out how to fit a 700 gallon tank in my basement).
 
It all depends on a lot of things:

Size of tank
Type of glass/acrylic
Age of tank / Condition
Type of stand / canopy
Size of sump
Etc.

Give us some more details or pm one of us if you don't want to make it public and we can let you know.
 
Welcome. Depending on the size and age condition it could be worth it or not. I know someone on here was selling a Nice 200 gallon setup

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Scouring CL is a good way to get a great deal. I found my Oceanic tech series 90g tank on CL with almost all of the equipment in use, which included Neptune system, Aqua-C skimmer, pumps, MH / T5 lighting (not in use now), working chiller, titanium heaters, and TONS of plumbing, bulkheads, etc. All for $1,100.00. Guy had a minimum of 6k invested and needed the cash. I'm sure I will start needing to replace certain parts, like pumps, etc. But it will still be worth the initial investment to me!

BTW, welcome aboard and GL with your first SW tank!! It is addictive and can get extremely expensive. Keep in mind, if you want to go all out, you might want to invest in a quarantine tank as well, good deals can definitely be found for smaller set ups on CL!
 
hey all, not sure if this is the right place for an intro but just getting into saltwater/reef setups, but have been raising discus since I was 12!
 
Bryan Rizzo said:
hey all, not sure if this is the right place for an intro but just getting into saltwater/reef setups, but have been raising discus since I was 12!
Click to expand...

:wel6:

You can start your own thread or just hijack one, either way the folks around here are nice and will welcome you!!
 
Bryan Rizzo said:
hey all, not sure if this is the right place for an intro but just getting into saltwater/reef setups, but have been raising discus since I was 12!
Click to expand...

Welcome Rizz. Go to the introductions sections and tell us about you

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