Glenn Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 I recently started setting up another tank. As I am sure you guys know this is a very expensive and time consuming endevur. With the holidays just passing and different things that have come up I really didn't have alot of money to throw into this project. But on the other hand I was not going to settle. So instead I invested alot of time checking different message boards (classifieds) and looking on e-bay. With alot of patience and alot of e-mails and alot of research I managed to get the equipment I needed without sacrificing quality. Some examples of the deals I found: Lamotte Combination Test kit (AG-104) $65 (new- $296), Life Reef HVS24-2 Skimmer $200 (new-$359), Solar 1000 L2 dimmer $225 (new-$329). I paid: $490, and new it would have cost: $984. Also, the guy that I bought the Life Reef skimmer from threw in a Life Reef float switch for free (new-$109). Alot of the stuff I got the people I bought it from paid for s/h. And one more thing, everything mentioned above is in like new condition (with the exception of the Solar dimmer which is brand new and never been hooked up). I guess my point of this is that despite this hobby being so expensive you can get the stuff that you want if you exercise alot of patience and do some research as to what you want to buy. It sounds crazy, but sometimes if I just type in what I am looking for in Google, I find some good deals. HTH, Glenn Link to comment
Satchmo Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Nice work, good luck with the new tank. Although I wouldn't consider spending 500 beans on 2 pieces of equipment and a test kit anything close to a ghetto reef :| Link to comment
Glenn Posted January 18, 2003 Author Share Posted January 18, 2003 Very true, Satch. But with the budget I was looking at I would only have been able to get the cheapest brand of each thing that I wanted. But by being patient and endlessly searching for deals I managed to get exactly what I wanted in every category. The stuff I listed is not everything I bought, just some of the highlights. Also, I missed out on a 75gal. Oceanic with stand and hood (all only 6 months old) for $175. The guy was offering a good deal but I could not get down there to pick it up (it was a 7-8 hour drive). My main point of this thread was not to brag or show off but to let people know that if you are patient and look around you can usually find what you are looking for, for the price you want to pay. When I setup my first SW tank I was astonished by how much this stuff costs. But, then I did not know about message boards and online stores just for reef stuff. Link to comment
sauer Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 yeah, patience is great when you are looking for a larger tank setup. I got an Oceanic 75, 75 lbs LR, 5" of sand, stand, canopy, 20long sump, 30 watt uv sterilizer, 6 powerheads, 4 pumps, skimmer, 2 heaters, 6 URI VHO bulbs, ph monitor, auto top off system, 35 gal tank, and a lot of miscellaneous stuff. All for $250. Link to comment
Satchmo Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Absolutely. Impatient people going into reefing better be wealthy. Link to comment
WhiteRat Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Would be my only concern. Don't those puppies have a shelf life for some of their chemicals? Ratty Ratty's Reef Link to comment
Glenn Posted January 19, 2003 Author Share Posted January 19, 2003 WhiteRat: if they do, I can't find a date on them anywhere. Even if they do expire, the refills are alot cheaper then the whole test kit new because of all the labware that is included. Sauer: Man! that was an awsome deal you got there. Satch: again, very true! Just take Playfair's tank for example (guy at RC). He says he spent $10,000 on it. And by looking at it on his website I can see how. Link to comment
Satchmo Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 There's a shelf life on all the reagents in test kits. You don't have to go spending crazy money on one like Glenn did though. He bought LaMotte, which is the Rolls Royce of test kits. Most hobby kits are in the $25-$40 range, and work just fine. Link to comment
WhiteRat Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 I've got the Hagen $99 kit myself. Does what I need it to do and since I'm a compulsive water tester I don't worry about the kit aging out before I have to refill things... Ratty Ratty's Reef Link to comment
Glenn Posted January 19, 2003 Author Share Posted January 19, 2003 Hey Satch, you don't happen to know where I can find the date on these things? I checked a few bottles and the case itself and found nothing regarding a date or experation. Link to comment
Satchmo Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 No, you won't. This is one of the problems with having no real "consumer advocacy" movement going on in reefing. If manufacturers were to date their kits (which they should), they would be forced to periodically replace unsold kits sitting on store shelves. Same way the grocer has to chuck the outdated, unsold eggs to make room for the fresh ones. This, of course, means lower profits for the manufacturer, and they don't like that. And it's not just test kits. The same holds true for most additives and supplements. The efficacy and/or validity of these products diminishes over time. Calfo's got a good write-up on this problem in his book, sort of a call to arms for all of us to demand (via our wallets) better product honesty and more standardized business practices. Unfortunately, all we can really do right now is buy our stuff from a reputable store, preferably one with a good volume of business that turns over stock fairly quickly. Don't buy the dust-covered kit from the mid 80's... even if it is half off Link to comment
Crimper Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Good Job, I am finding that if you have patience and a little know, how you can make almost anything! for 1/4 the price or cheaper! I guess im a DIY kindda guy! good luck Link to comment
WhiteRat Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Yeah. My dad used to hack half of his stuff together from tubing, PVC pipe, and bottles. Having now bought a really elegantly made protein skimmer, I am resolved that next time I'm going to make one myself. I even have a fair idea how. Barring the pump... A 3"dia PVC pipe about 16" high, sealed at lower end with aerated water pumped in there through a drilled and tapped fitting. A small kitchen siphon turned down to just fit inside the pipe, with another section of pipe epoxyed to its rim to create a trap, and an o-ring around the latter that rests on the rim of the first tube so it can be adjusted up and down in the bubble column. Given that I paid $180 for a filter/skimmer HOB combo, this should be significantly cheaper, though it will probably take some tuning to get it right. Ratty Ratty's Reef Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.