What fish tank should I buy?

[yearofthenick]

Originally Posted by ddiaz386
http:///forum/post/2775679
lol 75 sounds goodj

, yearofthenick, how many times do you do a water change on the max?
My bioload is not very high at all. also, my sand bed is deep enough that it actually helps remove some of the nitrates. The skimmer does an excellent job of keeping the water very clean. I test the water weekly. Depending on how high the nitrates get (about 10 ppm) I do a water change, which is about once a month. I do a 5 gallon water change, removing the water by vacuuming the sand. Then I heat the replacement water with a separate heater and add it slowly, pouring it into the back chamber using a small pitcher of water.

 

[nissan577]

powerheads r included. my dad said. and that skimmer has been with us for 3 years and its been working great. i replace the lights every year so yea they are good except the actinic one. none of my fish died. i rescued them. n corals are great. only reason it cras was because we put a jet in the back n itr moved all the bad bacteria into the open. and i had lots n loads of coraline algea. thanks lol. any more questions?

 

[yearofthenick]

Sorry to be a post-hog, but the only tank I ever purchased used was that 14g in my bathroom. It was 1 year old and needed new lights, new powerhead, and a thorough cleaning. I ended up spending more money on it than I would have if I had purchased it brand new. Thank God it was only 14 gallons, and only cost me about $500 total. A 75g could cost a lot more to get running in good condition.

 

[ddiaz386]

Originally Posted by YearOfTheNick
http:///forum/post/2775722
Keep in mind that getting a used tank means it might need some maintenance and replacement of a few things soon... which could easily amount to much more than it would cost you with a Red Sea Max (RSM). Personally I would not buy Nissan's tank... sorry nissan! I don't mean to sour the deal or anything but it's worth it to spend a little more on something you know will be reliable.
I've seen his description of the tank in the other thread, and here are a few concerns I have:
1. the tank has been up for 2-3 years... if you go to check out the tank, you REALLY NEED to check the seals in the aquarium... the last thing you want is a water leak in your tank. I have NEVER purchased a used tank for that very reason... I want to know the entire history of my tanks.... when you buy used, you never know if it went through an earthquake or got hit a few times or whatever... you never know until it's too late. I want to be sure I'm not going to come home one day to a swimming pool for a living room. This has happened to a number people on this forum. Also, if the tank has been up for 2-3 years, the furniture (stand and hood) must have encountered some kind of water damage over those years. That's another thing I would check for.
2. The protein skimmer is TINY for that size tank. You would definitely want to get a new skimmer at least twice the size.
3. He said the powerheads aren't included which makes it useless, and to get good powerheads for that tank will cost you at least $200 new... easily more.
4. The tank has crashed recently. I would really really really want to know why. Too many fish? not enough flow? Poor maintenance? What was it??? When a tank crashes, everything inside it dies. That's never a good thing.
5. It had bio-balls in the sump. I'm just not a fan of bio-balls. It's a thing of the 80's and 90's... we've developed much more efficient means of filtration since then.
6. He never said anything about lighting. Also, 2 year old lights will definitely need replacement.
To be honest, I'd still get the RSM because you're starting out brand new to the hobby... The RSM is an idiot-proof system and you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it without dealing with constant issues... a LOT could go wrong if you bought nissan's tank. If you do purchase nissan's tank, be prepared to take the risk for used equipment and an uncertain tank history with the chance of spending a lot more money to fix unforseen issues.
Thanks for the advice, i guess is either taking a risk with a 75g for my tangs or buring a rsm and not getting any tangs

 

[ddiaz386]

is the rsm better than the bio cube

 

[yearofthenick]

Originally Posted by nissan577
http:///forum/post/2775739
powerheads r included. my dad said. and that skimmer has been with us for 3 years and its been working great. i replace the lights every year so yea they are good except the actinic one. none of my fish died. i rescued them. n corals are great. only reason it cras was because we put a jet in the back n itr moved all the bad bacteria into the open. and i had lots n loads of coraline algea. thanks lol. any more questions?
The skimmer probably does work great, but I still think it's way too small for that size tank. Also, more water flow by adding a jet shouldn't ever cause a tank crash. It should only make the tank cleaner. The only thing that can cause a tank crash is way too many fish in the tank. The lights may be only a year old but what about the ballasts? they might need replacing soon. IF that's the case and you have coral in your tank, you'll need to get another ballast within a few days or else the corals could all go feet-up without the lights. A new ballast could cost you upwards of $150-200 alone if it's a MH. But I think he's got PC's in there... which, by the way, does NOT support corals.

 

[yearofthenick]

Originally Posted by ddiaz386
http:///forum/post/2775744
Thanks for the advice, i guess is either taking a risk with a 75g for my tangs or buring a rsm and not getting any tangs
Dude, trust me, you can keep a tang in there. If you get a baby hippo tang (3/4"-1"), you've got a good 1-2 years before he gets too big for the tank. That will give you more than enough time to learn more about the hobby and find something bigger.

 

[ddiaz386]

Originally Posted by YearOfTheNick
http:///forum/post/2775760
Dude, trust me, you can keep a tang in there. If you get a baby hippo tang (3/4"-1"), you've got a good 1-2 years before he gets too big for the tank. That will give you more than enough time to learn more about the hobby and find something bigger.
That is a good point, what will be better a blue hippo tang or a yellow tang, i want either one of these along with a clown fish and maybe a yellow watchman goby.

 

[yearofthenick]

Originally Posted by ddiaz386
http:///forum/post/2775750
is the rsm better than the bio cube

I think the RSM is way better than the biocube... the RSM has its own power center with switches for each component and one wall outlet. The biocube DEFINITELY needs a power strip, with a rats nest of wires to firgure out. The RSM has an excellent skimmer. The biocube doesn't come with one, but for an extra $50 you can get a skimmer that really doesn't do anything for you. Biocubes only have PC lighting... not good enough for corals. The RSM's T5 lighting will let you keep a lot of different corals in there.
Take it from a guy who has owned both biocubes and an RSM. The RSM is so much better in so many ways. You

 

[yearofthenick]

Originally Posted by ddiaz386
http:///forum/post/2775765
That is a good point, what will be better a blue hippo tang or a yellow tang, i want either one of these along with a clown fish and maybe a yellow watchman goby.

Get a blue hippo tang... there are a lot of other yellow fish out there... the yellow tang is the most commonly recognized of the tangs.
I have a yellow corris wrasse in there right now and he's a beautiful yellow. I've also had clown gobies (yellow and green, I like green the best) in the past and they also rock. They're really awesome fish.

 

[nissan577]

i added it behind the rocks in the bottom. even 5 of my lfs said that wat caused it. wow you know what i know my tank work and runs great. if you wanna come here and talk bout what you dont know about my tank then w.e idc. i hav sold stuff here before and never had a problem like this. if you wanna buy the rsm then go ahead. but i know that my tank runs good. so its up to you man.

 

[nissan577]

Originally Posted by YearOfTheNick
http:///forum/post/2775774
Get a blue hippo tang... there are a lot of other yellow fish out there... the yellow tang is the most commonly recognized of the tangs.
I have a yellow corris wrasse in there right now and he's a beautiful yellow. I've also had clown gobies (yellow and green, I like green the best) in the past and they also rock. They're really awesome fish.
w.e man like if you came to my house and saw my tank in person

 

[ddiaz386]

look like ill be getting a blue hippo tang, clown fish, and a yellow goby, how does that sound, any suggestions, for best prices on the rsm

 

[yearofthenick]

Originally Posted by nissan577
http:///forum/post/2775776
i added it behind the rocks in the bottom. even 5 of my lfs said that wat caused it. wow you know what i know my tank work and runs great. if you wanna come here and talk bout what you dont know about my tank then w.e idc. i hav sold stuff here before and never had a problem like this. if you wanna buy the rsm then go ahead. but i know that my tank runs good. so its up to you man.
I'm just sharing my concerns. DDiaz asked me if I would buy your tank and I said that I wouldn't because it's too risky. That's my opinion.
No matter what anyone thinks, a tank crashes because it was poorly taken care of. Even if the crash was caused by stuff behind the rocks, why didn't you clean it regularly?
Seems even more sketchy now. If the tank crashed because of dirty stuff behind the rocks, why can't you take better care of your tank? What else got neglected? Again, just my opinion.
DDiaz, please do whatever you feel comfortable with. Personally, I think you'll be far more happy with the RSM because you won't have anything to worry about.
In my RSM, I change the filter and empty the skimmer about once a week. I vacuum the sand once a month when I water change. That's it.

 

[yearofthenick]

Originally Posted by ddiaz386
http:///forum/post/2775784
look like ill be getting a blue hippo tang, clown fish, and a yellow goby, how does that sound, any suggestions, for best prices on the rsm
Clowns do a lot better with an anemone, but you shouldn't get one until your tank gets more established... 3-4 months at least.
And if you decide to go with the RSM, don't hesitate to negotiate with the salesman at the store. Every deal can be bargained at a fish store. My RSM was originally $799 for just the tank and stand. I got him to lower the price to $700 and got 30 gallons of free water (with 2x5gal jugs) and live sand out of it. If the fish store isn't doing good, they'll consider any deal.

 

[nissan577]

i couldnt reach back there. just incase you didnt know the tank is high and my lr was filled to the top. unless you wanna come to my house and do it then go right ahead. then dont say nothing of me not knowing of how to take care of my tank. just cause your tank is spotless doesnt mean everyone elses does as well. you hardly have lr but me i had it filled to the top. so ddiaz if you wanna go with a rsm and have one blue tank the size of a nickle then go ahead and listen to this guy.
but trust me my tank runs good. SKIMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND EVERYTHING ELSE TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry its that its pissed me off that hes talking about my tank.

 

[yearofthenick]

Dude, just being honest. It's OK that I have concerns. I have nothing against you personally. It looks like you take very good care of your 350z - that looks awesome!
I am not saying you are a bad person. I have learned in the past not to buy used tanks because I purchased one and it turned out to be nightmare for me. Again, nothing personal against you, but that's just what I would do based upon my experience.

 

[ddiaz386]

LOL is ok, he was just giving an opinion, sorry for any trouble i may have caused, nissan i would definately pass by and see the tank for myself when i have a chance, and yearofthenick thanks for the advice and your experience with the rsm, can we all be friends now

 

[yearofthenick]

Also, keep in mind that ddiaz is new to the hobby... it would be better for him to get a RSM. It's just a lot easier to get running.
I think there are a lot of people out there who WOULD gladly purchase your tank. I wish you the best of luck in your sale.

 

[nissan577]

thanks and yea im cool now. sorry guys