Should I buy an already established tank or start ground up?

Duncan62

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I am new to the hobby, i was looking to start with a used 120 gallon tank and building from there but i came across what seems like a very good deal that comes with a 100 gal tank, sump, skimmer, sand, rocks, 4 fish, heaters, etc... its about 45 min to an hour away, my question is if it is worth it to deal with the fact that i would have to rush to keep the fish alive, take down the tank and stand, load up all the stuff, (i have read also the water from the tank as much as possible?) then reassemble everything heat the water back up and make sure the conditions are right? all that for + - $600? if i were to build it out on my own it would cost WAY more but i would have time and not have to deal with transporting water and fish? any help is greatly appreciated!
I moved a 60 from Charlotte NC to Newport News VA in the winter. I had a generator and was able to remove rock and put it in buckets with airstones. Left the fish in the tank with just enough water to swim in with a power head. Cover with blankets. It's a lot of trouble but the tank alone could cost that much. It's also lots of fun and money to build it yourself. Tough choice. If I had the funds I think I'd start new. Enjoy your tank. New or used!
 

Lost in the Sauce

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i went and checked it out, no leaks, stand is in ok shape but structurally ok, easy to move around the sump and stand area which was decently clean, here is a list of what equipment i saw

-i believe it is a visio glass(float glass? drillable?) aquarium, 100 gallon
-hob overflow with (1) 1" drain, not sure of the brand
-eshopps ar 100 sump(looks likes a 3rd gen maybe?) acrylic and rimless
-eshopps skimmer, not sure exactly which one, maybe the 120? he says he just changed the pump on it
-rio 2500 return pump? i think it was rio, my phone changed the spelling -__-
-(1) 3-4 inch picasso triggerfish
-(1) 2-3 inch tomato clown
-(1) 2-3 inch 3 stripe damsel
-(1) 4-6 inch fish, owner didn't know what it was, had a dark blue body, whiter near the dorsal fin and a whiter spot closer to its face
-sand looks clean
-i am just going to buy a new heater and not risk it
-there is algae on the rocks but i think a hydrogen peroxide spray might be enough?( tank was right by a window, constant light)
-jebao wavemaker controller but the actually powerhead stopped working but still has it
-prism brand light, cant find any information on it though, adjustable light color from blue to white by a knob on the side
-tank is 5 years old
-minor scratches on glass from what looks like just cleaning it
-tank gets serviced every 4-5 weeks by someone else
-fish looked clean, healthy, no white spots, no cloudy eyes
-owner says no pests(for what its worth) and all fish were bought from same shop, owner says shop is reputable(once again for what its worth)
-he also said he would be throwing in a 20 gal hospital tank and a bunch of other equipment, which might as well mean nothing because i was not able to see it as it was buried in the garage apparently

Is it what i envisioned my dream tank to be? not exactly, i would prefer a drill overflow with atleast 2 drains instead of a hob with only 1 but i can always add that later, sump looks clean though i cant find a review on it except for a brstv product overview, it has a space for a refugium which i definitely want to get in the future, at least put some bio media in there or something for now, i am leaning toward buying it, id appreciate some thoughts from you guys if there is anything i am possibly overlooking?
I sent you a few pm's the other day. If you buy it, I'm happy to have a chat and break down the order of operations / tools to bring to be successful in the transfer.
 

ColoredRock

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I just did this about a month ago. Look at my build thread. At the end of the day ugh.. I love the tank. Not exactly what I wanted. Lost 2 fish.. one do to Chromis aggression (there can only be one!) Lost most of the higher end SPS do to rushing and not preparing.. My biggest issue now is previous tank owners landscape was awesome... now I am trying to put the "jigsaw puzzle back in place" Plus dealing with Phosphate and Nitrate issues. Previous owner's philosophy was different then mine (nothing wrong with that). Reliant on chems for export.. I like to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple)

Best of luck to you.
 

Freenow54

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Idk… it seems like a lot of older equipment. It’s not something I would invest in personally. I had a hob overflow fail once and flood.

I would just keep my eyes out for a tank that is more recent and with more modern equipment. All of those lights/skimmer/pumps are budget options already and now have a lot of use.

This was listed for 700 in my area as an example.

0528443B-F7FF-484B-A831-9AC38B06F368.png
wow that is a deal
 

Freenow54

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I would agree. You are buying trouble to start with. If you are willing to take months to get it proper I guess is a good learning experience One problem fish if I am correct ( damsel ). Mine did not survive but was very aggressive. HOWEVER I spent $5000 for all my equipment. Got my first tank for 5. Since replaced skimmer. Same as yours Be ready to do regular maintenance on it or it will overflow. Also learned not to keep adjusting it all the time. Just be patient. It will come back to normal on its own. Also added a canister fluvial.
 

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There have been a few people saying they would not reuse sand.

In the sense that I would not take it out of the old tank and drop it directly into the new tank that's correct, but old nasty disgusting tank sand can be washed with a garden hose in a bucket and brought back to pristine condition without compromising the bacterial colony on it

I have done this many times and with the cost of sand at $40/ 20 lbs, It can be very beneficial as a cost saver.
please explain. put the sanding a bucket fill it w tap water, stir it, drain it, then put in the tank $or reassembly??
 

TCoach

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I bought a ~16 year old 92 gallon corner tank. Love it and had it moved and re-running the same day. If it is a great deal, go for it!

the first post in my build thread has a link to how I did the move. Moved fish, corals, tanks,stand, and equipment in 1 day.
 

Tbg299

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I am new to the hobby, i was looking to start with a used 120 gallon tank and building from there but i came across what seems like a very good deal that comes with a 100 gal tank, sump, skimmer, sand, rocks, 4 fish, heaters, etc... its about 45 min to an hour away, my question is if it is worth it to deal with the fact that i would have to rush to keep the fish alive, take down the tank and stand, load up all the stuff, (i have read also the water from the tank as much as possible?) then reassemble everything heat the water back up and make sure the conditions are right? all that for + - $600? if i were to build it out on my own it would cost WAY more but i would have time and not have to deal with transporting water and fish? any help is greatly appreciated!
Years ago I bought a used 90 gallon RR aquarium on craigslist... it took me several days to realize that there was a leak in the bottom of the glass and I had to rehouse all of the fish until I could buy a new aquarium. I'll never buy a used aquarium again.
 
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kbnh

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I ended up not getting that tank, bought another one for less, I have sanded the stand down, stained and waterproof the stand , cleaned the glass, changed all bulkheads to new ones, took off the back wall paint which had chipped due to salt creep, repainted the back wall, poured the concrete level pad, bleached the old rock, cleaned all pumps and gyres, cleaned the sump (ive had time on my hands due to a recent minor surgery), and I am currently trying to decide on my aquascape and plumbing

When I bought it:
47757D7D-FB85-4C79-AA23-C44ADCF9DE17.jpeg


and now
230A1BCD-688B-493F-A2A1-A8D8CCC6141E.jpeg
 
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kbnh

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Wow, nicely done! Looks great. So, what is the size of this one? Cannot wait to see what you decide for aquascape.
This is 120 gallons and has a 40 gallon breeder sump

I am currently working on the aquascape, had one that i really liked set up on a table but could not transfer it exactly into the tank. Im not going for NSA or breaking up the rocks and gluing them together, just gonna try stacking the rocks and seeing how that looks
 

Lost in the Sauce

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This is 120 gallons and has a 40 gallon breeder sump

I am currently working on the aquascape, had one that i really liked set up on a table but could not transfer it exactly into the tank. Im not going for NSA or breaking up the rocks and gluing them together, just gonna try stacking the rocks and seeing how that looks
Nice tank!

By any chance did you buy it from a guy named Rick here local to us?
 

DeniseAndy

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here’s my aquascape so far
Looks pretty good. Lots of room for animals to grow and make some caves/hidey holes. The large boulder pieces, are they porous? If not, there may be better options. (FME with denser pieces, I always end up removing them and using more porous rock.)
 
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kbnh

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Looks pretty good. Lots of room for animals to grow and make some caves/hidey holes. The large boulder pieces, are they porous? If not, there may be better options. (FME with denser pieces, I always end up removing them and using more porous rock.)
They are porous, I do plan on using sand and rock in the refugium for extra filtration
 

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