starting another tank!

[Doma25]

I need the fish genius' of reef centrals help. I am a proud owner of a biocube and fell in love with the hobby. naturally after a little while with the cube i feel it is time to upgrade to a 6 foot tank because i love tangs. I have a decent budget and not worried about the price of starting a bigger tank however, i do want to know the approximate price range of starting a tank like this. Since i have everything already installed in the biocube i don't know how much it is to start your own tank . So how much for a full system, including live rock, sand, sump, refugium, skimmer and lights!. i Plan on have a couple of lps, and sps corals in the new system. Thanks any feedback is appreciated. How do you know if the items you are buying for the tank are any good? thank!

[Beblebe]

With LR and all equipment a 180 gallon should cost around $5500-$6000 (unless you buy some stuff used).

[newtank]

you can get decent 120g systems on craigs list for $600. Check it out first, if you want a new tank maybe 400-$600, tank only or 220g for around $900. manufacters rotate tank sales month to month, you can save a lot of money waiting for the size you want to go on sale. I know you said you have a decent budget, but in this hobby this is relative. I say do some market research and patiently fish for deals. the money you save can go into live stock / corals.

[newtank]

buying used is the way to go, but comes with risk. You could be buying someones junk. If you can see a tank that has not been taken down its best, you could get an entire package deal and you have the advantage of seeing it work. Or you could have piece of mind and purchase the tank new, build your own stand, look for a used sump-anything can be used as a sump, wouldn't bother spending a lot of money on that. I think most skimmers are over rated and over priced. Check out E-shopps PSK300, inexpensive and people report good experiences. Lights-we could go on for days about lights, operating / replacement costs- Halide, LED, T5, this is personal preference-
You didn't list your city so its tough to see what the craigs list scene is there, but local reef clubs are the way to go. Just an idea, I build my system with Reef Central and Craigs List.

265 DT-$700
2 ea 40G sumps $80-total
Dart $200
Odysea 1200 MH-$350
Stand $200
LR-$250
Aqua-C 1000-$150

lots of misc things that add up over time, but I quit keeping score. You can see the main componets for a 7 foot system was about under $2K. Of course I don't have a controller, or MP 40's or a calcium reactor, that could add another $1500. Your mileage will vary, there are even better deals to be had, just ask Raudel JR, the craigs list whore, he finds top shelf gear for next to nothing. Some people don't care about cost in a hobby like this-I know that I feel pretty good about wasting money on something as silly as a box of dirty fish water when I'm getting a killer deal!

[Doma25]

Thank you so much, i live on long island. Thank you for tanking the time to write this to me, it helps me to figure out price ranges a lot. You have been extremely helpful to me and I really appreciate it.

[newtank]

just noticed the last part of your OP. How to know if it's any good...There are a number of threads on RC that are dedicated to a particular product, I feel that owner feedback is the best and getting a large distribution of response is most likely to be representitive. So and so skimmer club, this or that light, etc. This will help you tune products through best practices and save you headaches or steer you towards the best fit...

[RVANANO]

Agreed with all said.

I have a 120 that I set up at the beginning of the year.

New

120 tank with custom overflow & drilled $550

48" Giesenmman Infinity fixture with twin 250W and 4 T5's (on sale) for $1250

50 breeder sump with baffles and drilled for external pump $150

return pump $150

plumbing $75-100 or so

2 Jager heaters $120

Vortech MP40 ES powerhead $400

Apex controller $390

Stand build/materials $175

Used

RODI- $150

small reactor & pump for carbon $100

Octopus Extreme 200 skimmer $200

All in all I have about $3750 + -in the setup before adding rock, water, etc.

[cdeboard]

Used is the way to go. If you are not going used check out the marineland prebuilt tanks. Like the 300g is 6'x3'x27".

[newtank]

check this out, offer half!

http://longisland.craigslist.org/hsh/1898243676.html

[Doma25]

i think i am going to go with a new tank with used parts, thanks new tank though!

[RVANANO]

Wise decision^ I didn't want to go used either b/c you have to deal with scratches, possible leaks and usually a lot of nasty leftover coraline and scum.

[Doma25]

so a tangs are happiest in a 6 foot tank right? and how many can be held together in a 150

[t.priscu]

pieced together a 220 gal through craigslist and even though it took me a pretty long while i have almost everything i need while spending about $2300.00

[RVANANO]

Originally Posted by Doma25

so a tangs are happiest in a 6 foot tank right? and how many can be held together in a 150

I've never actually ask my sailfin and yellow but they seem extremely happy in the 120 with minimalist scape for maximum swimming space

[david pinder]

As the owner of 4 tanks 6 to 15 ft I can tell your best bet is to be patient pick up a used tank for 35 to 40 cents on the dollar, there are always really nice tanks available. Save your momey for the best protein skimmer and lighting you can afford. T5s are great and dont put out the heat of metal halides. You want the largest sump you can run with a really good pump. that you want have to worry about All my tanks run on external pumps to me they work best. If you start with great equipment You will be way ahead in that you want be replacing so many dead fish.

[Doma25]

wow 2300 for a 200+ plus tank is amazing! Thanks for all your comments they are all very helpful! I am in between on deciding whether to get live rock or just dry rock with the live rock from my old tank. I wanted tbs rock but there are alot of bad hitchhikers i worry about! Is there a best or smartest way get rock.

In my head i was thinking in the 120 two make two islands. of rocks and then connect the rock islands with loops. One island having more corals on it and they other just random rock. Does that sound ok?

[RVANANO]

Sounds pretty good. Similar to my setup only without the connecting rocks etc

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1805337

[autopro]

I've always had good luck with craiglist. I usually buy used tanks but new equipment like my pumps and proteing skimmer. Those are the ones that often times fail and it's good to have a warranty. Aside from equipment my local club and or craigslist is always excellent for getting all my livestock from live rock to carals and fish. People ususally sell their live rock for around $2.00 a pound here in San Diego.

Good luck with the build and keep us posted!

[autopro]

Oh, forgot to say, the one good thing about buying rock from someone in your local club or craigslist is that most of the time you can actually go see it in their tank first. That way you see what it actually looks like and get a feel if the person really took care of their system.

[Doma25]

i didn't think of that if i get a used skimmer there would be no warranty! Thanks for the heads up!
I have a crush on a clown tang those are to aggressive correct lol?

[Doma25]

i meant to say achilles tang!, can you keep a hippo with an achilles?

[crvz]

I would limit the number of tangs in a 150 gallon tank. I had a 5" hippo in a 150 and it was a beast... very aggressive at feeding time and zoomed from end to end very quickly. Some tangs will do well in a 6' tank, others will not. The clown tang can reach 18" and would not be a good choice. The achilles, which probably only gets to about 10", would fare better but has challenges of its own (they're hard to acclimate to captivity compared to others).

regarding the costs of a tank that size, as has already been pointed out, it could be from $2k for a used system with everything you need, to well over $10k if you bought everything new and stocked it.

[Doma25]

what is the best website to get live rock from i heard great things from tbs