New aquarist - Page 5

Consider this thread tagged!  I'm going to be referring to this thread once I finish the cycle on my tanks... so thank you very much for all the great questions Monsinour.

With that being said, I read that you were leery about purchasing a used tank from the locals.  I personally would highly recommend doing this... I jumped in head first to this hobby just weeks ago having little to ZERO knowledge (and I know Meowzer, Posiden, and 2Quills... many others can vouch for me).  I was in one of my impulsive moods and wanted to buy something... anything and had just visited Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, so I decided what the heck, why not get an aquarium for my house!  I found a 125 (some of the people on here said the dimensions made it sound as though it's a 150) gallon acrylic aquarium with the cabinet, canopy, and a few additional items all for $275.  The only thing I can really argue with is they said it was salt water ready and I could start filling it up as soon as I dropped it into my house... that was a lie.  Since then I have dumped a great deal of money into it buying additional items such as an RO/DI unit which I would suggest purchasing as this saves plenty time and money down the line.  But my main point is that I bought this whole set up for $275.  Every time I make a big purchase for the tank (Water filter, powerheads, rock...) I go online, and research how much this tank would have cost me brand new just to remind me exactly how much I saved... the tank brand new would be $1400.  I would say I believe I have spent close to $1500 TOTAL on all the equipment and items including the tank, stand, and canopy meaning I pretty much bought the tank and got everything else for free.

My main point is look on craigslist you will save a ton of money that you can put towards the stuff that will make you and your company awe at your tank when it gets up and running.

A little helpful hint- search "Aquarium" "FishTank" and "Fish Tank"... you're bound to come across a large tank that is a FRACTION (I emphasize) of the cost of a brand new tank.

Lastly... welcome to the forum... trust me, there is a person on this forum to answer absolutely every question... welcome, happy reefing, and I wish you the best of luck!

Like I said... I bought it impulsively... how do you think my patience are?... I was angry when everyone said I had to wait 6 weeks for it to cycle... I had planed on putting fish in the day after I bought it... filled with tap water... and dead rock that hadn't been washed off... with a little over the back filter.

HA!  I love how EVERYTHING I thought was completely off base ... boy was I fooled when I got into this hobby.

LOL...I always new SW was a little (cough cough) more expensive and time consuming....the truth is I really had no clue

Ithink if someone told me 3 years ago that I would ever pay $1300 for aquarium lights, I would have laughed at them so hard...my side woulda split open

I just had to pull together some backup for my accountant.  He called me laughing that I spend more at the lfs than for the office that I run my business out of.  Sad but true.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monsinour 

 

@BTLD : Thank you very much for the offer.  Care to share what kind and all that so I can update the tank thread with the info?  I can reimburse you the shipping charges if ya like, you accept paypal?  I do.  LOL

It is a fairly unheard of name other than here on the island. It's a Won Brothers CU-75 Protein Skimmer. I think I still need the pump for it though, so that's what you would need.I got ripped off on the price for it, but I needed one immediately and that was what the store that I hate to go to had in stock at the moment. It ended up being a great little skimmer, but I only need one skimmer since all of my tanks run through the same system now.

If you'd like to pay for shipping that would be a big help. Not like you need it overnight since you don't have a tank yet, so flat rate shouldn't be too bad.

Quote:

Originally Posted by meowzer 

LOL...I always new SW was a little (cough cough) more expensive and time consuming....the truth is I really had no clue

 

Ithink if someone told me 3 years ago that I would ever pay $1300 for aquarium lights, I would have laughed at them so hard...my side woulda split open

I asked a fellow at a LFS what it would cost to convert my 55g to saltwater...I told him what I had as a system. He told me $600.00...Fast foreward 3 days laer..same store, same guy,,price tag at the counter...OVER $1000.00 my husband almost fainted.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monsinour 

So how do I get the $ to ya?  Do you for reals accept paypal?  The only reason as to why i accept it, even with credit cards, is because I used to sell a lot of stuff on ebay.  Made life simple when 5 years ago to say that i could sell what i was selling and accept the credit cards.

 

A google on the pump gives plenty of results.  I will quickly add it to the tank post and ask more about it over there.

Yes I accept paypal. We sell a lot of car parts and what not online. I have to ask my husband what his stupid paypay address is. I will PM it to you later tonight or tomorrow. I'll ship it ahead of time and just post the receipt for how much it cost to ship.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monsinour 

Cool, let me know the costs and I will surely send the $.

I can mail it out this Friday, or whenever. Do you want to wait to see what size tank you settle with first?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monsinour 

yes, kinda.  That skimmer is set for up to 75 gallons and i am thinking we are going to end up with a 60 cube from someone.

Ok. PM me your address, I'll send it out Friday.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monsinour 

 Just ask my wife how patient i am.

LOL, Him patient? ROFLMAO

 

I always thought the only difference were there colors....LOL

BTW....I just got my lemonpeel......it's a beauty, I still have a little while before I get home though

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monsinour 

Quick question :  is there much of a compatability difference between a purple firefish and a normal firefish?  My daughter saw the purple one and would rather have it than the normal firefish as "there is more pink in it"  I gotta stop taking her along to visits to the LFS.

 

@BTLD : there is now only one LFS that has the lemonpeel if you want it.  HPC in cohoes.  Not sure when the other store will get their supply back.

The red and purple firefish are actually different species. Both behave the same, just don't mix the colors.

My husband has informed me that I can either continue my hunt for a new Harlequin/Oranged Spotted Filefish pair or get the lemonpeel. I think those that know me and how much I loved my Filefish know which I chose.......