I need some opinions on this setup please!!

[Nameless]

I am brand new to the hobby. I've been scouting LFSs for about ten days now and finally found one I liked. The owner spent about an hour and a half with me, which I thought was awesome, and recommended this setup.

2-3 year old used Oceanic 75gal with the following: venturi protein skimmer with pump, wet dry, built in overflow, plumbing, stand, heater, and sump.

He had it marked 900 and offered it to me for 750. What do you guys think about it?

[ November 02, 2001: Message edited by: Nameless ]</p>

 

[Gatortailale1]

Welcome to the hobby and this board!

Sounds like a fair price to me as long as nothing leaks and it all works and all the skimmer parts are there. Does the stand look good? Any canopy?

What type of light setup is he selling you?

I paid a little extra at the LFS I go to for my setup because I liked the owner's advice and he too spent an hour with me. He now give me 20% off on almost everything I buy since I spent so much there on setup I'm a "preferred customer"

Half the fun of this hobby is getting to know other reefers. If you think the guy is telling you good information, then go for it.

If still unsure go to another LFS and price out a new 75 oceanic system with similar setup.

I think I had close to $1700 or more for new 125 tank, stand, canopy, sump, and skimmer and pump, heaters.

My guess (new 75 tank $200+; stand/canopy $300+; sump $100+; skimmer $150+; good pump $100+; plumbing $75+) Estimates probably on low side, but part of price depends on where you live. Seems like everything in DC costs more.

 

[Nameless]

The lighting is included in the setup, the hood matches the stand and tank. It's NO right now, and I'd probably leave it that way until I had everything established.

If there's one thing I've noticed about this guy, it's that the prices on the stickers are for non-regular customers. I've seen him give regulars tremendous discounts.... Hopefully I'd be on the receiving end of such discounts in the future...

I'd say I'm about 90% convinced, but I wanted to make sure no one thought I was getting ripped off here....

 

[Anonymous]

I think the price is probably ok, with some considerations. Most people with reefs don't use wet/dry filters and you probably won't want it. What brand is the skimmer? It could be great or useless. And of course, you will need lighting and a main return pump and additional powerheads or sea-swirls for current within the tank.

 

[SPC]

The brand name of the equipment and its condition is the key here. It dosen't matter what you spend if the equipment was junk when brand new. For anyone to be able to give a better opinion we would have to know more about the equipment he is offering. I will say this, used salt water set ups usually go for about 50% of their original worth.
Steve

 

[Whitey1]

If you're looking to get started right away, I'd go for it. However, I recently acquired an oceanic 75g reef ready, Oceanic sump, stand and 110w power compact for $375. The skimmer is the only thing I didn't get. I got it through the paper. If you have time, you may be able to scout out a better bargain.
Whitey

 

[Nameless]

I probably won't put any media in the wet/dry, because I plan on doing berlin. But I am going to keep it in case I need to run charcoal or whatever.

The lighting and the main return pump are included. The lighting is NO, which I know I will need to upgrade, but I'm staying FOWLR for at least six months, so NO will be fine for that time.

I can't remember the brand name of the skimmer, but the LFS owner contends that it's the best money can buy, and cheaper than many of the top brands. He sells it new for $200.

The tank and stand are oceanic, which I know is good. the LFS owner said that he sold this setup to a woman two years ago for "probably around $2000". I don't know if I believe that, but I'm thinking this stuff is probably about 70% of retail.

 

[Bodine]

I would look real close for scratches in the glass. A lot of used tank will be scratched. You may not notice until lights are on.

Is this a pine stand or an Oceanic Oak stand?

I would be willing to bet the store owner only gave a few hundred bucks for this set-up or is it a consignment thing?

As stated before a lot also depends on brand and type of equipment.
Buyer Beware!!!