WTB this tank, input needed

[matt2364]

I am looking at getting a 75 gallon tank from a friend, the equipment included is as follows:
1. 75 gal. Oceanic salt water aquarium
2. 2 Iwaki pumps (one for sump, one for skimmer)
3. LifeReef 48 inch skimmer (VS3-48)
(http://www.lifereef.com/venturi.html)
4. LifeReef wet/dry sump with 3 canisters & manifold (not sure what model)
http://www.lifereef.com/trickle.html
5. Metal Halide (two 175watt (6500K)) lighting fixture with two 48inch fluorescents..
6. Magnum 350 filter
7. Wooden cabinet
8. Temperature controller & 2 heaters
9. 2 in tank small circulation pumps
Wondering if anyone can offer an caveats about any of this equipment. I am new to the hobby and am not sure if there is anything wrong with this set up. He said everything is working correctly. Price is very reasonable, 400 for everything! Let me know what everyone thinks.

 

[sepulatian]

You will have to do some serious maintenance to the tank, not constructional, but for the care of whatever is in there. Are you getting the tank dry or with what is in it?

 

[matt2364]

He is going to tear it down and just put 20 gallons of water and all of the live sand in 5 gallon buckets. Everything should be ready to pack up when i get there. I am not worried about set up and take down time. Just want to know what everyone thinks about the equipment. I am new to the hobby and have not even heard of lifereef. I will probably want to sell the skimmer and get a smaller one anyways. just not sure how easy it will be to sell skimmer, I dont think there will be a huge market for one that size.

 

[trigger11]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2453702
He is going to tear it down and just put 20 gallons of water and all of the live sand in 5 gallon buckets. Everything should be ready to pack up when i get there. I am not worried about set up and take down time. Just want to know what everyone thinks about the equipment. I am new to the hobby and have not even heard of lifereef. I will probably want to sell the skimmer and get a smaller one anyways. just not sure how easy it will be to sell skimmer, I dont think there will be a huge market for one that size.
From everything I have read Lifereef is a trusted brand for equipment.
I would say you are getting a real good deal for 400 for a 75G tank with all that equipment. And since the sand is coming with it you will be well on your way to getting set up quickly.
Welcome to the hobby and to the boards.
~Trigger

 

[matt2364]

Yeah...still deciding if i should get it. It will be a 5 hour drive there and 5 hours back...but I did just find out it comes with 75 pounds of live rock and 100 pounds of live sand so that is nice addition to the deal!
Do you guys think i will be able to sell the protein skimmer very easily? I don't feel like there is a big market for skimmers this size...

 

[rtspeed]

yeah i am sure someone will buy it, thats a tad big for that tank but it will also aid in helping to remove more waste which in turns lets you house more fish.

 

[matt2364]

Definitely a great skimmer, could probably use it on multiple tanks, if you could work out the logistics. Will ask around and see how much I could get for it and go from there.

 

[rtspeed]

Well brand new there like 750 with the pump and 650 without just some fyi

 

[matt2364]

yeah, i just dont think they will sell for that much used, since a lot of people do not need a skimmer that big. The market for 500+ skimmers is pretty small. So they will sell pretty cheap. Hopefully, I am wrong though .

 

[maeistero]

i would jump on that if i found it. the iwakis aren't cheap, that skimmer would work wonders on my 180, i'd hook a loop into my 135 and run it so smooth. the lights are ok. plus you get all the other stuff. that's the kind of deal where i'd show up, break the tank so i wouldn't have to haul it, pay them and say oh well.

let me know if you need to get rid of that skimmer.

 

[mrinelfrlz]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2453702
He is going to tear it down and just put 20 gallons of water and all of the live sand in 5 gallon buckets. Everything should be ready to pack up when i get there. I am not worried about set up and take down time. Just want to know what everyone thinks about the equipment. I am new to the hobby and have not even heard of lifereef. I will probably want to sell the skimmer and get a smaller one anyways. just not sure how easy it will be to sell skimmer, I dont think there will be a huge market for one that size.
what condition is the sand.?
i bought a 75 gallon off someone here who isn't on anymore but it had livestock lights MH's
cabinet filters LR and sand
but the thing is he cleaned off all algae from the sand before he sold it to me!
then when i got it home and running soon after i had one heck of a mess of algae and it took forever to get rid of it so beware!
if it isnt in the best shape take all but the sand

 

[matt2364]

marinlfrz, thank you for the tip. From the picture it looks like the sand has a good amount of algae on it, I will definitely leave it if there is alot. I am planning on getting a large clean up crew, could i just leave the sand and let the crew clean it up?
maeistero: I sent you a pm about the skimmer.

 

[mrinelfrlz]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2454903
marinlfrz, thank you for the tip. From the picture it looks like the sand has a good amount of algae on it, I will definitely leave it if there is alot. I am planning on getting a large clean up crew, could i just leave the sand and let the crew clean it up?
maeistero: I sent you a pm about the skimmer.
honestly i did the same thing didnt help
im just trying to help someone not go through what i did but do what you want
this is all a learning experience

 

[matt2364]

alright, thanks for the suggestion. I will just leave the sand if it is too bad. Thanks for saving me the headache!

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2455229
alright, thanks for the suggestion. I will just leave the sand if it is too bad. Thanks for saving me the headache!

Take a look at the algae. If it is green or brown then it should not be an issue to get rid of. If it is slimy and red, dark red, or orange, then you may want to pass on it. From the walls of the tank it does not look like a bacterial algae issue. It looks like the tank was just not maintained and there were too many nutrients in the water. Even with a skimmer of that size, if they didn't keep up on water changes then the nitrates may have been high. Ask them some questions about the tank and how it was maintained. They obviously know that something is wrong in the tank, I don't see why they would not give you information about it.

 

[matt2364]

he said it is all green algae. He has not kept anything in it for about a year, and has been using tap water in it. Basically, he has just been trying to keep the live rock alive.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by matt2364
http:///forum/post/2455385
he said it is all green algae. He has not kept anything in it for about a year, and has been using tap water in it. Basically, he has just been trying to keep the live rock alive.
That will not be a problem to clean up then.

 

[matt2364]

Thanks again for all the help!
Does anyone know of any good guides that explain the best way to transport live rock and live sand? Also, how long can live rock be in a bucket that is temperature controlled, before the bacteria and hitchhikers start to die?