Help before I buy

[wildbill]

My kids and I have been interested in and kept freshwater aquariums for years (me a really long time), and lately we've been talking about a saltwater aquarium. I was searching CL and found an offer on a saltwater set up that looks fairly reasonable. I’ve never had a saltwater set up before and I was wondering if this would be a good way to start out? I normally plan the heck out of setting up a tank so I admit I am being reactive to this particular setup. I have in the past researched saltwater but never planned what to buy as a first set up. I have the pictures of the tank, sump and plumbing and it looks nice and clean. I also happen to have 20 pounds of aragonite sand I bought to set up another cichlid tank. Belwo is what is being offered. So would this seem reasonable, is it a good basic setup that will let me get into saltwater fish and live rock, and maybe advance to corals? Should I just ignore it and do more research before doing anything?

40 gallon tank with built in overflow box and built in return and stand - $125
20 Gallon custom acrylic sump - $75
AquaticLife 36" 4 bulb T5 HO w/LED - $175
Mag- Drive 700 return pump - $40
Coralife SuperSkimmer 65 gallon - $50
Live Rock (Dried) about 50 lbs? - $50
For tank, stand, lighting, rock, protein skimmer, and sump with all plumbing and return pump - $400

Also available is live sand 30 lbs - $30, 160 gallon bucket of Reef Crystals - $40, reef octopus hang on tank overflow - $25, SWC Xtreme 160 Cone Protein Skimmer (Brand New) - $250. I don’t hink I would need any of this stuff, just the sand.

thanks, Bill

 

[NanaReefer]

40g is always nice for a beginner tank. $400 isn't bad. I would definitely ask if it's up and running, making sure it holds water and nothing is broke. Otherwise I wouldn't touch it.
Can you post a link to the ad? Do you personally know anyone who has knowledge of SW that can look it over for you?

 

[kateater]

Little high for a 40g. You can find 125g set ups for same price around here.

 

[wildbill]

unfortunate;y i don't know any one who is into saltwater.i did ask if its up and running, no response yet. there were no pics in the ad. i copied the text from it. he did send me pics, they look like when it was new. here they are,

sump"


sump plumbing connected to tank:


tank lit up


tank and stand new

 

[wildbill]

I heard back from the guy selling the tank. He said he downsized, its been taken down since last Saturday. For $425 he'll sell the additional sand and crystals. Plus he offered to come to me and help me set it up. That seems pretty good. This isn't any easier. I had gotten advice that a larger tank would be better (or maybe not), that I could build my own set up new, with different components for not much more, but I'm torn hmmm, especially with someone willing to come to me and hep me set it up.

 

[McAllyn]

Seems a little high for 425, but that's location dependent, really. What are you planning to stock it with? 40g won't work with some fish (tangs come to mind). Did it mention any powerheads for flow? You'll need more water movement for corals. Dried live rock is base rock. Is a skimmer included?

Mac
Eta: ah superskimmer... consider that a freebie that might not make the cut ( they don't have much of a reputation )

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Sounds like a good tank. There are literally millions of different options in setting up your new tank. I bought my first tank the same way. Try to find someone that can help you or read about other tank set ups here. Then pick out one to model your set up after. When I first got into this hobby I became overwhelmed by all the options and different opinions. Then I picked out a tank set up that I thought looked good and copied it. After reading books, reading on this forum and experience I now do things how I want. There is a learning curve but it is well worth it. This hobby is great.
Have fun reefing!

 

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[AZDesertRat]

Looks like pretty nice setup. The price may be a little on the high side but condition means a lot here and if it is clean, the bulbs in the light are not in need of replacement soon and the pump and skimmer are in good shape its not out of line.

Personally I would do some modifications to the plumbing on both the overflow and return. I detest 90 degree elbows on a gravity overflow since they cause restrictions and noise in the piping. I use reinforced vinyl tubing or black vinyl tubing in one piece with a gradual bend leading down into the sump for better and quieter flow.
On the return I would remove the check valve and throw it as far as I possibly could or drive over it with your car. They have no place in a reef tank and are a false sense of security. They can, do and will fail and lead to problems. as long as your return is close to the surface which it appears to be and you maintain sufficient freeboard in your sump to contain the couple gallons of backflow hwne the power goes off they are completely unnecessary. I would also eliminate the unneeded line leading back to the sump from the return pump, this is very inefficient and not the way to reduce the flow back to the display. It is far better, easier on the pump, creates less heat, noise and consumes less power to install a ball or gate valve in the discharge line leading back to the display and throttle the pumps flow at that point by adding head to the pump. Centrifugal pumps only draw the power required to do the work at hand plus a little for electrical and mechanical inefficiencies so throttling the flow requires less work than pumping at maximum capacity then bleeding the excess flow back to the sump. You are making the pump work hard only to waste much of that energy and water right back where it started from.

My only other comment is make sure you have a trusted source of RO/DI water. Don't make the mistake of using tap water. If its worth doing, its worth doing right the first time from the very beginning. wate ris teh single largest ingredient in a reef tank and everything depends on its quality and its stability. This is one of the only things we can have ultimate control over for about a nickel a gallon when you make your own RO/DI water.