How much is a 180 gallon set up ?

Used - as much as you're willing to pay. New - you don't want to know!

i would say new to expect around 600, that kind of tank should run you around 500, if you drill and do a sump, with no lids, then another 100 for heaters, i dont use lids on any of my tanks, they all have canopy's. used ^ just that, what ever you want to pay and what ever the person will take. good luck and good fish keeping

It varies greatly when it comes to used tanks. On Craigslist I picked up a 150g tank with full stand and canopy by trading my Wii for it (worth $150 new at the time). That time, I posted in the "wanted" section, and listed what I was willing to offer in cash and had available for trade

On the flip side, there's also people around here that post used 150g setups with simple iron stands and no lids, for $800-1200.

On Petsmart's site, I'm seeing brand new 180g bare tanks (acrylic) start at about $1,800.

Best bet on big tanks (unless you have lots of money to spend, or won't buy used) is to be patient and watch Craigslist for a good deal. Joining local fish clubs or forums and letting people know you're in the market probably wouldn't hurt either.

yeah, this is really like asking "how high is up?" Since you're still in the planning stage anyway now, I would just research fanatically on each item separately and come up with a list of Ideal, OK and Minimal on all of them. Along with prices you find along the way for each: by brand name, by size, by age (older models are better than new on some things like heaters), etc. Then when you see an item offered, on eBay or craigslist or whatever, you can just consult your list to see if this is an item you want and if the price offered is good, bad, outlandish or in the There Must Be Something Wrong With It They Aren't Mentioning category, and buy accordingly.

put the tank last on the list. It is not something you want to have to store while you're stockpiling up the other accessories. Unless an offer you can't refuse comes along in the meantime.

One thing you might consider if you are keeping medium sized fish is getting a 125 or 150. There seem to be a lot more 125s than 180s available on the used tank market. However if you are patient you should be able to find a good deal on a 180.

The last 4 tanks of 120 gal and above that I've acquired have all been free. They're out there, but they don't hang around long!