Need advice

[zj4play]

Me and my brother are currently looking to upgrade his existing 30 gallon tank. I came across this local add and was wondering if you experts out there could give me some advice. Mainly, do you think this is a good deal..."We have a 180 gallon glass saltwater tank we would like to sell. It has a wood canopy and stand with cabinets. We had an expert from an aquarium store install the filtration and plumming. The tank has a 35-gallon sump filtration system, bio balls, a protein skimmer, an overflow box inside the main tank, a fan in the hood to promote air circulation, white and blue lighting, twightling lighting, and one-way valves on the pipes to prevent flooding. Right now we have it set up with live rock and sand, and a mexican dragon eel, picasso trigger, yellow tang, and niger trigger"
What do you guys think? Thanks for all your help and I look forward to continued postings on this forum.
Josh

 

[integral9]

Sounds like a good one. I'd find out what kind of lights are on it, PC, MH, VHO, etc. Also, the critters in it are aggressive, so if he's selling the critters w/ the tank, then your either going to have to go with an aggressive tank or figure out a way to get them all out and start anew.

 

[scotts]

How much?

 

[zj4play]

Oops...I forgot that part. They are asking $1,000 OBO

 

[sepulatian]

Check the classifieds here. Alot of people upgrade or are looking to get out of the hobby and sell their stuff pretty cheap. That add you are looking at is a pretty good deal, although I would look at the quality and amount of LR. Do you want an agressive tank though?

 

[zj4play]

No, since I am a newbe I do not want an aggressive tank. They moved all the fish listed above to their smaller 90 gallon tank except for the eel. I could try to sell that if I bought the setup. I looked at the classifieds but the cool thing about this setup is its a mile from my house.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by zj4play
No, since I am a newbe I do not want an aggressive tank. They moved all the fish listed above to their smaller 90 gallon tank except for the eel. I could try to sell that if I bought the setup. I looked at the classifieds but the cool thing about this setup is its a mile from my house.
That is true!!! Have you gone over to look at the tank? How do the rocks look? Do they have alot of color? Did they say how many pounds there is?

 

[zj4play]

I hope to look at it tonight after work so I am not sure about the rocks and amount. I am waiting for a phonecall. I will keep you posted as to what I find. You said earlier to check on the quality and amount of LR, what is that. My brother probably knows but could you explain for me?
Thanks for the helpful advice. Oh, do you think 180 gallons is too big?

 

[browniebuck]

180 is going to be HUGE compared to a 30, but it should be a blast to get up and running, as you will have SO many choices to make as it pertains to fish, coral, and inverts. LR is live rock, you want to look at their set up, if it is an established tank, it should have some purple color to it. When it comes to live rock, generally, the more the better as it provides food for many inhabitants!
I am jealous, I want to upgrade from my 55

As it pertains to price and location, I think you are getting a pretty good deal, but if you were willing to drive a little, you could definitely find a better deal.

 

[zj4play]

Ah...LR=Live Rock, I should have figured that one

. Thanks for the advice on the color to look for. I just found a 150 gallon for sale too, complete with LR and sand and lights and etc. I will let you know what happens

 

[petjunkie]

Check them out, hopefully they are nice setups, a lot of ones I see are covered in algae and being sold because they didn't want to take care of it. Make sure you find out if they used any chemicals in the tank, how old the lights are, any disease in the tank. Also keep in mind that large of a tank will cost you a lot more so the more stuff it comes with the better.

 

[zj4play]

Hey thanks for the advice. The guy with the 150 gallon tank is keeping the tank and stand but will sell me all his live rock and equipment for dirt cheap. He has had the tank for about 10 years but then sold all the fish off and has not really maintained it lately (no lights on). Is the live rock now dead? I will let you guys know what I find out after I see them tonight.