Would you rather buy a reef tank or set one up yourself?

[ajmckay]

Newty - that tank is niiice!

 

Kevin - I totally agree. Some people may not want the hassle of arranging a bunch of people to come over and pick stuff up - but I DO think that way would overall be the most profitable - assuming you have some items that are in demand. If the tank is a mess of algae and all the equipment is from the 1990's then a seller should be prepared to basically give the thing away if they really want it gone. Haha...

 

I'm glad you found a nice tank! Myself though, I don't think I could buy my main tank - but I have considered buying a second tank or special purpose setup. If I found a really nice tank or one that suited my needs though, even then I probably would not jump on it right away. I would chance it and either wait for the seller to drop the price or I would make an offer after several weeks and hopefully the seller hasn't gotten any better offers (or better yet no other offers). Of course you always risk not getting to buy it, but I suppose it's a risk/reward thing. I don't think I've ever come across a setup that I would pay full asking price for right away but I have seen setups that I have considered buying if I could get the pieces I wanted for the same price or maybe slightly more than retail and then figuring I can sell off whatever I don't keep. For example if someones selling a 10g setup for $200 and there's a zoa garden that would retail for $100 and a clam that would retail $50 plus a bunch of other stuff I would offer between 150 and 200 and see if I could lower my total investment to say, $75 by parting out the rest...

 

So we'll say that many of us would seriously consider buying a setup that someone is selling if the deal were good enough.

[ReeferReefer]

I would consider a complete set up for a larger tank for sure. 120g+ makes sense economically.

[Mr. Clownfish]

I would consider a complete set up for a larger tank for sure. 120g+ makes sense economically.

I agree with this. If I was starting a new 5-40 gallon set up I would probably buy new just to save the hassle of cleaning us an old tank. But anything bigger then that I would definitely look for a used set up just for cost. I currently looking for a 180 gallon tank and there are a few on craigslist in my area. I'm just watching and waiting for the price to drop a little.

[ReeferReefer]

I agree with this. If I was starting a new 5-40 gallon set up I would probably buy new just to save the hassle of cleaning us an old tank. But anything bigger then that I would definitely look for a used set up just for cost. I currently looking for a 180 gallon tank and there are a few on craigslist in my area. I'm just watching and waiting for the price to drop a little.

When you consider that many of these large setups will include rock too it makes a ton of sense. You can always sell the fish to the LFS and boil the rock if you want to keep any pests out.

[plainrt]

I think if we saw people selling tanks like our TOTM ones... people would be more apt to buying tanks. However, if your tank is beautiful and running well, then you don't really find the urge to sell it. Meanwhile, failing tanks end up on craigslist and don't get generally sell unless they are dirt cheap.

 

 

I'll sell my oct totm tank for the right price........ For me I just love building new setups.

[Gary.F]

Too many personal choices go into equipment and livestock. Then there's the fact that these things aren't easy to either start or keep running so why risk buying someone else's mistakes or risk upsetting something that's working?

 

I like to save money as much as the next person but if it isn't want you want then it's a false economy. If I woke up to find someone else's unwanted set-up in my house, I think I'd be prepared to pay to have it taken away.

[Learn It]

for a really tight budget, maybe. Half the joy for me is researching the best equipment for your needs

[ajmckay]

If I woke up to find someone else's unwanted set-up in my house, I think I'd be prepared to pay to have it taken away.

 

Haha so true! Obviously there are some exceptions - if I found last month's TOTM in my house tomorrow morning I'd be quite pleased, but generally it's true what you say - often times the tanks being offered for sale are unwanted for a reason.