Looking to Start out with a 25gal nano. Is this a fair price?

[godzen]

I'm almost ready to buy a used 25gal rimless tank w/ a custom LED Cree fixture on the local craigs. Comes with tank/stand/lights and maybe various items to get me started. Will not include any livestock. Official asking price is $545 but he is willing to give me a little discount if purchased soon. It looks like a nice small setup. Obviously I'm new to saltwater so I would appreciate your opinion. I don't want to lowball the seller but I also don't want to overspend if I could get something better. I was hoping to get a "plug & play" type kit to learn and have fun. When I firsts started with freshwater, I bought a set that I thought was good for the price but ended up gutting out the whole thing and starting over since it wasn't up to snuff. I just don't have the fund to do that with this.

Also from this setup, how many hours/wk do you guys anticipate I need to put in to keep it running nice and clean. I don't mind the work. With my current 75g freshwater, I do a 50% WC per week. Here's the link

LED Reef light fixture

 

[mojoreef]

Its a tough call, you can but a brand new normal glass tank for 60 bucks, new stand for a 100?? I guess it nice to get a plug and play, but you have to remember its all used to? On the lights they are nice but do you need this nice a light at this point in your reef experence?? If it was me I would see what you can get in this deal and then see what it would cost you new, that and I would hold off such a nice light at this time. For folks just starting in the hobby its sometimes better to get your feet wet with out breaking the bank to much. That way you can decide if its something you are going to get into full on or not.

As per maintenance, I wouldnt say its going to be much more then you do with your FW tank, you just have less room for mistakes.


Mike

 

[godzen]

Thanks for your opinion. I'll wait for more people to chime in people I decide.

 

[josh88]

I would only get the lighting. Mike is right the tank and stand are cheaper. I think he's asking that much for the labor he put into the lighting. I just got my jbj hqi never used 28 gal the stand and tank with hood, pumps, for 200

HTC tapatalk

 

[godzen]

Yeah, personally I think I could get a little more to help get me started as a "plug & play"...Adding the skimmer, fuge, RO, etc. will add up quick

 

[mojoreef]

I would take a look at what you want to keep to start with and then price what it would cost you to put it together. So say you want a 25 gallon nano for some fish and some softies (great starting point for folks just coming in. So tank and stand, perhaps a cheap hangon skimmer (I say cheap as their are not very many of them that are good) then get yourself some decent flouresent type lights and give it a go, you could set up the tank for half the cost.

Now after a while you can take a step back and say yea baby I love this stuff and want a bigger tank and that will make almost everything from any nano tank redundant. Or you can say this is good but I just want to keep this size and get more advanced, at that point you can look at installing a sump and get the equipment to make it prime time, then move into more light demanding corals and look into a decent light setup.


just some thoughts


Mike

 

[Peppie]

I have a saying. You dont know what you want in a reef tank until you have had one up and running.
IMO keep shopping, There are some killer deals out there on a regular basis. Better deals than that.

 

[Chichas01]

You also have to consider that a DIY light will come with no support since there is no mfgr to stand behind it. You would be on your own for finding parts to repair it should it break.

 

[josh88]

I thought 200 bucks for a jbj hqi 28 gallon, with stand was a pretty good deal

HTC tapatalk

 

[godzen]

appreciate all the comments...I'll keep on looking. I found about Barrier Reef today off 405 exit 7 and boy, it made me want to go home and just start any tank...I'll try to be patient though