How much is my tank worth?

[Capn]

Sadly, due to several factors, I have decided to sell my tank and maybe even leave the hobby for a bit. The main reasons are I have recently lost my job in lower Manhattan, I am going to be moving, and going back to school as a graduate student. So money is tight.

The tank is as follows:

29G All-Glass, CPR Backpack, Emperor 280, 175 MH PFO custom enclosure and old jewelry bench stand.

3-4 inch DSB, 30 lbs mixed rock (mostly Fiji), some leather corals and green star polyps, mated pair of perculas, harbor goby, unid. small goby.

Of course there are lots of little extras, nets, food, B-Ionic, old powerheads, etc.

So, what should I ask for it? The fish alone would be over $100 retail.

Here is a pic of the whole set-up:

http://www.fishroom.com/Fishtank.jpg

Thanks,

Cap

[ November 16, 2001: Message edited by: Capn ]</p>

 

[ddavis4um]

If I were getting out of the hobby, I would sell to unload equipment and make another reefer's day.

Few reefer's would jump at a 29 gallon set-up, yet the other pieces of your set-up are worth quite a bit.

You could:
dump the livestock and tank and save/store the rest of it because it is worth hundreds and no one is going to give you what it is worth.

Or, you can try to sell the whole set-up for $200 to 300 and hope for an offer- which you will get.

I hate it when I see 55 gallon freshwater tanks on sale for $500 in the want ads & classifieds. Do people really feel that someone is going to give them retail or even half that for a used set-up?

I have bought two set-ups from ex-owners for a few hundred, they get some money, I got good set-ups with some problems that required further investment, and everyone is happy.

Good luck!

dpd

 

[Capn]

I was thinking $500 would be a fair price. That's about 25% of the cost of the basic stuff. I paid $400 just for the custom hood.

Cap

 

[Anonymous]

Keep it. If you go to grad school you will need the mental health break that it affords. You won't get enough money to really make it worth unloading.

 

[JohnD]

Capn.

Sad but true, you have to completely discount the $400 custom hood.

On a good day, the whole setup is worth $500. On a bad day, with our recession, maybe $200 to $300. That is just the way it is.

I think Anemone is right, keep it for your own mental health.

Best of luck to you, what ever you decide.

 

[Emperator]

If you plan on selling it as an entire unti you will not make as much by piceing it out.

I just purchased a used 100g with the works for $400.

I would probably pay no more than $200 for the entire setup.


JMHO.

 

[bensenvill]

your going to have to search out a specific buyer for the whole thing, I dont think you'll get much for it that way. I say try to seel it in peices. what can you get for the livestock, then lights, equipement, tank. Its hard to find one buyer to buy into exactly what your dream is for a tank is (or to see the true expense of this god dang hobbie).

 

[SPC]

I agree with the above posts, used equipment is not worth much unless you get very lucky. Just a suggestion, set it up as a freshwater tank at a nursing home and allow these people to enjoy it.
Steve

 

[pathos]

you could always try selling it on Ebay. I personally wouldn't pay more than $200 - $250 for it. I understand that you have way more than that tied up in it but sadly when you're selling used equipment you'll take a hit.