Should I buy this??

D

dewilde2

Illinifish
Aug 8, 2006
253
0
0
43
St Louis
Ok, so I have a 6 gallon FOWLR with a single juvenille clownfish. I have been looking into getting a bigger tank for the last couple weeks since I know she will soon outgrow her tank, and I would like to have some other fish. I was thinking about a ten gallon or so, since for the next two years I'll be travelling a lot and then will be making a big move.

BUT THEN....I found a tank on Craigslist. I haven't seen pictures, but I have talked to the guy and it is a 24 gallon Nano Cube that has been up and running for 3 years. It has two lights- a white and a blue- plus moonlights. He also said that he upgraded the pump. He said that the only problem is that sometimes when the fans start up they are audible for a few minutes- he thinks they need be cleaned. He is also going to include salt mixes, whatever supplies he has, etc. as he is moving and not taking any of it. All this for $120.

One other thing- the tank was up and running until about 3 weeks ago when he went out of town and his 3 year old daughter dumped in "300 gallons worth of Reef Builder" and it smoked his tank- fish, corals and all. That's all out of there, but he thinks the live rock might be dead as well but he's not sure, since apparently whoever was watching the tank pulled the plug and it's just been sitting there with water and nothing running for three weeks.

So, is this a good deal? I am not sure if my $120 would be better spent just getting a new 10 gallon and equipment. And if I do get it, do I need to worry about anything that has been described?

I'm still kind of a newbie so I don't know enough yet to know if this is a good idea or not. I would appreciate any and all comments! THanks!
 
Simply due to the time its been left standing, you can concider it a dead tank in my opinion, even if it was up and running, that ammount of reef builder will of sent the tank over the edge...

For a complete equiptment setup, 120 is a good price in my opinion...but i would replace the sand and rock..

Just my opinion of course..

Niko
 
yep i would offer him less and see if he takes it. i would take everything out and clean it real well. if the lights have never been changed you will also need to change those so factor that into the price. also the fans just need to be cleaned and maybe some oil. if you wanted to keep the rock i would rinse it real well and leave it in a tub of salt water and test the water to see the params. i bought my 29 cube for 280 and it had everything fish, inverts, rock and coral. just remember offer low and renegotiate.
 
I would haggle with him.

I got a brand new NanoCube 12gDX which came with 2x24w pc's, stand, hydor flo, MJ900 and a 20lb bag of carrib-sea from my LFS for $150....and it was brand spankin new.
 
dewilde2 said:
Does anyone else think this live rock might come back around?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't throw out the rock, but I wouldn't plan on using it immediately in the tank either. I'd cure / soak it in freshwater RO until a normal, stable alkalinity is measurable, performing frequent water changes (no light or heat needed, just circulation). Once everything stabilizes and in a normal range, then I'd cure it in saltwater. Adding in a piece or two of currently alive live rock after the curing in saltwater begins will help seed that dead rock with bacteria once again.

There is a possibility that such a high amount of Reef Builder remained mostly undissolved and did nothing more than settle in the bottom of the tank on the sand bed. I say this because I mix Reef Builder into our auto top-off reservoir, and if I make the solution too concentrated, the extra Reef Builder precipitates out and settles in the bottom of the reservoir.
 
Thanks!

THanks everyone! I appreciate all the advice. I still haven't decided- am still waiting on pictures. I feel like it really comes down to whether or not the live rock will be usable. I could swing the $120 now and have the patience to get the rock to come back, but I can't swing $120 plus the $100 or so it would cost me to get all new live rock.

I'm almost thinking- well, I could just take the $120 and get a new 10 gallon and all the equipment I would need for about that, right? I definitely have room and a stand for a ten gallon, but not for a 24 cube. But then again....I'll probably just want a bigger tank sometime later so maybe I should just get it now. The guy said he's firm on the price.

I'm going to ponder for tonight until I get the pics. In the meantime, can anyone give me an estimate on the cost of setting up a 10 gal from scratch?

THanks again!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom