Buying First Piece Of Equipment !!!! :)

[AngelLeah1981]

I'm so excited. I'm about to buy my 120 gallon aquarium. Quick question. I'm going to get it ready for a sump. I don't particularly trust my LFS but they're all I have and the price is definately right for the 120 gallon glass aquarium ($699 sump ready (will have to be "ordered" )). Is there anything I should ask besides the warranty? How good of a leak warranty should I get? Also, BIGGEST concern here is - DOES IT MATTER WHERE THE HOLES ARE DRILLED FOR THE SUMP? I need a very good detailed answer here because like I said I DON'T trust my lfs. I'm not going to do business with them unless it is necessary. I will be moving in 6 months so I'm only interested in equipment at the moment. Thanks !!!

P.s. Is there anything I need to know or to ask for that I may need to say myself and not expect them to accomedate me? I don’t want to buy something wrong / get ripped off just because I didn’t know a small piece of information. Thanks.

[ahullsb]

Where are you located and what brand of tank is it. Depending on where you live there could be a local reef club that has opinions on your LFS.

[Vinnie71975]

Originally posted by AngelLeah1981
I'm so excited. I'm about to buy my 120 gallon aquarium. Quick question. I'm going to get it ready for a sump. I don't particularly trust my LFS but they're all I have and the price is definately right for the 120 gallon glass aquarium ($699 sump ready (will have to be "ordered" )). Is there anything I should ask besides the warranty? How good of a leak warranty should I get? Also, BIGGEST concern here is - DOES IT MATTER WHERE THE HOLES ARE DRILLED FOR THE SUMP? I need a very good detailed answer here because like I said I DON'T trust my lfs. I'm not going to do business with them unless it is necessary. I will be moving in 6 months so I'm only interested in equipment at the moment. Thanks !!!

P.s. Is there anything I need to know or to ask for that I may need to say myself and not expect them to accomedate me? I don’t want to buy something wrong / get ripped off just because I didn’t know a small piece of information. Thanks.

That sounds about right for a Reef Ready tank, as far as where the holes are that is usual a standard placement thing on a Reef ready tank(Reef Ready means Drilled for Sump/fuge) Normally from what i have seen the holes are drilled about 2 inches or so from the top of the tank and they are normally Either one on each end or side by side depending on how the plumbing is being set up. hope this helps

[AngelLeah1981]

Gulfport MS

I can't believe I didn't post this stuff. I am so sorry:
$
Aquarium 48x24x24 Ocean View (glass co.) -1 year manufacturer warranty - also he acted like holes drilled on bottomwith with no other options. I hope that is ok. stand 599
to have holes drilled for sump 100 "making it (699)"
sump 30 gallon "around 110"
pump "around 120"

I wonder what the difference between the holes being drilled on the bottom or 2 inches or so from the top is?
Thanks you guys.
Angel Leah

[drhook2100]

what LFS are you going to? i live just about in wiggins ms,

[SquidHC]

The holes in the bottom is fine. Your going to want to make/buy a "Durso Standpipe" to keep from having the waterfall/toilet flush sound constantly. This is easy and can be made for like <15 bucks with some PVC pieces from your local plumbing store.

If they are offering to sell you a leak warranty I would NOT buy this. Your tank is ether going to leak from the start, or its not going to leak. Unless of coarse you crack it or something.

Also, you listed a sump and return pump in the price there. Id highly suggest doing some research on the specific items they are selling you.
-Does the sump have a refugium, space for your skimmer, top off water area? Is it the size you want to stick with? Does it have a bunch of bio balls in it? What type of skimmer do you want to buy ultimately? Will it fit in the alloted sump space?

-Is the pump an internal or external pump? What brand (there is definetely good and bad pumps)? Is the GPH of the pump sufficient with the amount of head you will have on it.

The price seems about right. I just paid $700 for a TruVu acrylic tank that is the exact same dimensions as yours is. Its really hard to reach the bottom of the tank, so buy a good pair of plastic tongs. Also, especialy because it is glass when you set it up it needs to be perfectly level in all directions. This is important for all tanks, but I have heard nightmare stories about glass tanks shattering because of uneven weight distribution.

Grats on your 120g. I hope you like it as much as I like mine.

(Edit) You listed the sump as being about 30g. I have a 35g sump for mine and I wish it was twice the size. Don't make a hurried decision on this purchase.