newbie equipment help

ejim · 07/26/2018, 01:27 PM

Hi everyone, first post here.

I have zero experience with reef tanks but been reading a ton for the past few months. I bought a new 60g cube tank, plumbing, and sump. I'm in the process to acquire all the other equipment needed to get started. Have been looking on craigslist and see people selling complete setups and stumbled on this. It just says it's an 90G cube and it shows a picture. I asked over text a few questions and she basically says she doesn't know anything about it, it's a running tank and everything is included. Tank, stand, filter, thermometer, skimmer, live rocks, fish, led lights, corals.

I asked if it's drilled with a sump, she doesn't know. I'm going back and forth with her but she's pretty slow in answering questions. $500 for everything. I really just want to strip it for the rocks, fish, equipment. and resale the tank and sump.

Are you guys able to tell by this terrible picture if the lights are any good? Does it look like a decent setup that it's probably got decent equipment below it? Is it worth driving 2 hours there to take a look and possibly spending all day pumping the water out and moving the setup home?

I'm probably asking a bit much but any help is appreciated.

Thanks

lpsouth1978 · 07/26/2018, 01:38 PM

There is literally NO WAY to know what is below that tank. I can't even tell from the pic if it is drilled. I don't see any equipment hanging on it, but it could be on the other side of the tank.

As for the lights, they are your run of the mill chinese "black box" lights. Not great, but enough to get the job done. Many reefers, including myself, use them and have had good success.

I know this isn't a lot of help, but if it has good equipment under it, it could be a steal. If not it could be a waste of time and money.

Good luck.

hkgar · 07/26/2018, 01:38 PM

She should be able to tell you if there is another tank in the bottom part of the cabinet. She may not kow what a sump is. But, I do not see any evidence of an overflow box in the picture, though it could be in the back left corner.

ejim · 07/26/2018, 02:31 PM

I was planning on taking it real slow and buy equipment a little at a time and then looking into stocking it. The prospect of possibly saving a lot of $ on equipment got to me.

She texted me more pics from one of her other postings, but I don't know much about corals/fish yet. Anything pro in the pics? Anything nasty? She said there's a bunch of stuff in the cabinet but she doesn't know what they are. I'm trying to get more pics of what's actually underneath.

These ads are frustrating, I'm seen many that says, $xxx, take it all, with a fuzzy picture, but it doesn't list what's included, and it's like pulling teeth asking questions.

So found out it's in the basement. I'm guessing relocating a tank is a major pain in the behind?
Not sure if it's worth the trouble even if I "save" $1K but spent days relocating it and a week getting it up to par. Or would I be better of just working my butt off the next couple months to save more and buy new.

Anyone bought a used setup and regretted it and wish you would have started fresh?

ejim · 07/26/2018, 02:31 PM

...

Aquavaj · 07/26/2018, 03:53 PM

New pics not really helping. But in the very first picture it looks like the silhouette of a canister filter sitting partially behind the stand. Hard to be certain cause it's so dark. A canister filter isn't a bad thing but are more for FW or for supplemental filtration.

If you're serious about it just be patient with her and get more details. It likely isn't her tank and just wants it gone but doesn't want to put all that much effort into it either.

Sk8r · 07/26/2018, 05:10 PM

I started with used rock and it was great. That's also a fair amount of rock, which can be quite spendy. Patience could deal with any issues. 'Clean' is also 'dead', and you would be starting with quite a lot of life. However---discard the sand. Keep the rock. See if you've got an lfs that would take the fish in trade or hold them for you. A basement sump is actually easier to break down than an under-stand one: access. But see if you can figure whether it's got a downflow box and whether it's glued in (reef-ready tank)---that, to me, is worth everything. A hang-on box is harder to handle. Avoid that if you can.

lapin · 07/26/2018, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ejim

So found out it's in the basement. I'm guessing relocating a tank is a major pain in the behind?
Not sure if it's worth the trouble even if I "save" $1K but spent days relocating it and a week getting it up to par. Or would I be better of just working my butt off the next couple months to save more and buy new.

Anyone bought a used setup and regretted it and wish you would have started fresh?

My first salt water tank was used. It was not set up when I bought it. No regrets. Learned a lot, saved a lot.
In your case its going to take some doing to get that live tank to your location without killing everything. You will need to have a place to house the coral and fish for a few days until you get the tank moved and set up. A tub, power heads (if that tank does not have any) and some sort of filter to keep the ammonia down or water changes.
It would be worth a look to see exactly what is underneath.
The tank is not hers for sure, but does look well cared for recently.
She will prob give it away to get rid of it.

ejim · 07/26/2018, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

I started with used rock and it was great. That's also a fair amount of rock, which can be quite spendy. Patience could deal with any issues. 'Clean' is also 'dead', and you would be starting with quite a lot of life. However---discard the sand. Keep the rock. See if you've got an lfs that would take the fish in trade or hold them for you. A basement sump is actually easier to break down than an under-stand one: access. But see if you can figure whether it's got a downflow box and whether it's glued in (reef-ready tank)---that, to me, is worth everything. A hang-on box is harder to handle. Avoid that if you can.

What I meant to say was that the whole setup is in their basement. Just makes it more work to haul it out. I got a picture of the sump space. Seem like a run of the mill setup from my understanding.

I guess the biggest hurdle is I'm not confident in my ability to keep everything alive during the resetting up process since I have no experience with tanks to begin with.

ejim · 07/26/2018, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapin

My first salt water tank was used. It was not set up when I bought it. No regrets. Learned a lot, saved a lot.
In your case its going to take some doing to get that live tank to your location without killing everything. You will need to have a place to house the coral and fish for a few days until you get the tank moved and set up. A tub, power heads (if that tank does not have any) and some sort of filter to keep the ammonia down or water changes.
It would be worth a look to see exactly what is underneath.
The tank is not hers for sure, but does look well cared for recently.
She will prob give it away to get rid of it.

She's selling it because her husband bought it and no one cleans it. Her words "It has more than five fish and don’t know the name
Two black and white stripes
One yellow
Two blue
One is brown kind"

I think it I was experience in the hobby and she was closer I would bite. It'll probably take me 40 man hours to move it / clean it. Trying to balance out my time value of money.

lapin · 07/27/2018, 06:39 AM

If you really just wanted the equipment, you could always take the livestock to your LFS for credit. If only it was closer to you.

lpsouth1978 · 07/27/2018, 09:30 AM

It looks like the system has not been well keep and needs a lot of TLC. If I was getting this system, I would probably, give away of sell most of the corals. It looks like there is A LOT of soft corals (looks like kenya tree). There is no problem with soft corals, but if it is kenya tree, it can be a real pain. They tend to spread and take hold all over the tank, before you know it you have a kenya tree tank (which is kind of what this one looks like).

Still, It has a skimmer, sump, and BRS reactors, add that to the tank, stand, and lights, and it is a pretty good deal. Add a little bit of elbow grease and patience, and you have a good setup.

If it is going to take a a day or two to move and clean the tank, you can keep the live stock in just about anything. I would probably get some plastic storage bins (or 1 large one) and put the corals, rock, and fish I wanted to keep in them with an air stone, heater, and a powerhead. You could easily keep them like this for some time, just watch the water in the bin for any ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, and do water changes as necessary.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

on the spot · 07/29/2018, 12:24 PM

I don't see anything for circulation in that tank. From a gear point of view it's a fair but unremarkable offer. I like that tank. It would clean up nice with not much effort.

To keep everything alive you will need to move stuff wet. so buckets with lids. A trailer would make the move much easier - loading and unloading. Rope in a buddy and it's fairly quick work.

Most of my stuff the last 20 years have been other peoples regrets. I've been pleased with the results.

07/26/2018, 01:38 PM	#2
lpsouth1978 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 915	There is literally NO WAY to know what is below that tank. I can't even tell from the pic if it is drilled. I don't see any equipment hanging on it, but it could be on the other side of the tank. As for the lights, they are your run of the mill chinese "black box" lights. Not great, but enough to get the job done. Many reefers, including myself, use them and have had good success. I know this isn't a lot of help, but if it has good equipment under it, it could be a steal. If not it could be a waste of time and money. Good luck. __________________ Current tank: 40B work in progress w/20L sump

07/26/2018, 01:38 PM	#3
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	She should be able to tell you if there is another tank in the bottom part of the cabinet. She may not kow what a sump is. But, I do not see any evidence of an overflow box in the picture, though it could be in the back left corner. __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

07/26/2018, 05:10 PM	#7
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I started with used rock and it was great. That's also a fair amount of rock, which can be quite spendy. Patience could deal with any issues. 'Clean' is also 'dead', and you would be starting with quite a lot of life. However---discard the sand. Keep the rock. See if you've got an lfs that would take the fish in trade or hold them for you. A basement sump is actually easier to break down than an under-stand one: access. But see if you can figure whether it's got a downflow box and whether it's glued in (reef-ready tank)---that, to me, is worth everything. A hang-on box is harder to handle. Avoid that if you can. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

07/27/2018, 06:39 AM	#11
lapin Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Austin Posts: 801	If you really just wanted the equipment, you could always take the livestock to your LFS for credit. If only it was closer to you. __________________ Tank sizes, 2-10's a 55 and one that's about 500gal Current Tank Info: Interior decorating happening

07/27/2018, 09:30 AM	#12
lpsouth1978 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 915	It looks like the system has not been well keep and needs a lot of TLC. If I was getting this system, I would probably, give away of sell most of the corals. It looks like there is A LOT of soft corals (looks like kenya tree). There is no problem with soft corals, but if it is kenya tree, it can be a real pain. They tend to spread and take hold all over the tank, before you know it you have a kenya tree tank (which is kind of what this one looks like). Still, It has a skimmer, sump, and BRS reactors, add that to the tank, stand, and lights, and it is a pretty good deal. Add a little bit of elbow grease and patience, and you have a good setup. If it is going to take a a day or two to move and clean the tank, you can keep the live stock in just about anything. I would probably get some plastic storage bins (or 1 large one) and put the corals, rock, and fish I wanted to keep in them with an air stone, heater, and a powerhead. You could easily keep them like this for some time, just watch the water in the bin for any ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, and do water changes as necessary. Good luck, and keep us posted. __________________ Current tank: 40B work in progress w/20L sump

07/26/2018, 03:53 PM	#6
Aquavaj Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 132	New pics not really helping. But in the very first picture it looks like the silhouette of a canister filter sitting partially behind the stand. Hard to be certain cause it's so dark. A canister filter isn't a bad thing but are more for FW or for supplemental filtration. If you're serious about it just be patient with her and get more details. It likely isn't her tank and just wants it gone but doesn't want to put all that much effort into it either.

07/29/2018, 12:24 PM	#13
on the spot Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: West Michigan Posts: 1,010	I don't see anything for circulation in that tank. From a gear point of view it's a fair but unremarkable offer. I like that tank. It would clean up nice with not much effort. To keep everything alive you will need to move stuff wet. so buckets with lids. A trailer would make the move much easier - loading and unloading. Rope in a buddy and it's fairly quick work. Most of my stuff the last 20 years have been other peoples regrets. I've been pleased with the results.