Newbie, Tank question

[gunreefer212]

Heys guys. I'm new here and completely new to this hobby. I took one trip to my LFS here in Columbus and I'm so hooked!! So, I've narrowed down tank size to 48x24x18 rimless. Ive done some research and feel comfortable starting at 90G. My question is can I find a good tank brand online that will ship to my house or do most folks go through their LFS when buying a new tank to save on shipping cost? Brand names, websites, any help be greatly appreciated. And price, I believe I'm in the $500-700 range for this size. Could someone please tell me what's the price I should be spending on this size. Thanks. Can't wait to get started!!

 

[dapperjman]

Welcome gunreefer! I can't comment on where to purchase a new tank, I got mine used. I like the dimensions you got in mind though.

 

[myvwrock]

Bill at the avarium has many new tanks in stock and he can probably find you a good quality used one if that the route you wanna take.
Chris c

 

[rdnelson]

Welcome.

My tanks have been purchased used from this forum but if I were to buy new, it would be from one of the club sponsors. Advantage is that I get to see it before I purchase (think scratches), I am helping to keep a local business survive and provide local jobs, and I am helping someone who supports the club that supports me. That may not seem like a big deal to some but here you are relying on the club and local store to help you make an important decision. That is a wise move. But what if the club and store were not here because people bought everything on line?

If you have sometime next Saturday, plan a trip to Atl. Visit a few of our sponsors and then come join us for pizza and a great educational opportunity at a great sponsor's store.

 

[gunreefer212]

I plan to diy a sump and look for used skimmer, lights, powerheadss, etc, but the display, like rdnelson said, I definitely want that to be new and scratch free. Someone pointed me to reef shac. I did contact him. I'd like to ride up and and meet some new people and check out some stores. Everyone so far in this hobby seems super helpful and wicked nice. Which is a definite plus. I've had my hands in a lot of different things from cars to all the way over to farming. Everyone isn't always as inviting as I've felt to this hobby so far. So thumbs up for that aspect. Where exactly is the meet up next week? Forgive me if I've missed a post about it. I'm certainly for supporting locally first, great point.

 

[vetshep]

I just recently upgraded to a new tank and went through all the same questions that you posted. Custom or not, online or not, starfire or not, etc . . . When it came down to it, I bought my new tank from my LFS (Pure Reef - wonderful). I have no regrets. I was able to see it before I bought it. The tank was a marineland standard size but stand was not. It was well built and a lot of thought put into it. Sure I would have changed a few things if I had gone custom. But it wasn't enough to triple to cost. Tank and stand were delivered and I had help putting tank on the stand, etc . . . Harder than you might think. It wasn't any more expensive than was buying something online. I do not think the LFS upcharge tanks/stands much at all. I had also heard a lot of worrisome stories about tanks not showing up or showing up broken. Needing to be at home to meet the curbside delivery truck only to have it not show up, etc . . . I feel like now that I bought my tank from the LFS, they know who I am and what type of set-up that I have. It is much easier for them to help me with the smaller things. The relationship is there.

I am on the north side of Atlanta so I am can't really help you with LFS on the south side let alone in Columbus. But I would double what Rich said ... If you can plan a trip to Atl, spend the day hopscotching from one LFS to another. Touch, price, explore all the tanks and stands that they have in stock. Look at their display systems as well as what they are selling. Chances are their in-house systems were built for aesthetics as well as easy access. I think the stand's features are more important that the tank itself. The tank is all about what you put in it and how clean you keep it. The stand can make maintenance easier or just plain miserable - all of which effects how nice the display tank will look.

Hope that helps! Have fun.

PS - I would try to keep your eye out for used tanks/stands - they come up fairly often and are a usually a great deal. I would avoid any commercially made stands as they may not last as long nor are they as accessible.

 

[rdnelson]

GunReefer212;1014707 wrote: I plan to diy a sump and look for used skimmer, lights, powerheadss, etc, but the display, like rdnelson said, I definitely want that to be new and scratch free. Someone pointed me to reef shac. I did contact him. I'd like to ride up and and meet some new people and check out some stores. Everyone so far in this hobby seems super helpful and wicked nice. Which is a definite plus. I've had my hands in a lot of different things from cars to all the way over to farming. Everyone isn't always as inviting as I've felt to this hobby so far. So thumbs up for that aspect. Where exactly is the meet up next week? Forgive me if I've missed a post about it. I'm certainly for supporting locally first, great point.

Here is the info on the meeting. It will be held at SEA Atlanta. There are numerous top notch sponsors within a short driving distance from that location. If I were making the trip, I would hit some of them in the I-85 corridor than swing over and hit the ones on the GA400 corridor ending at that meeting at SEA at 4:00. You will see what our sponsors have to offer (which is a lot). I am also including a link to the sponsor map. Last, even though you are remote to Atlanta, you should give thought to becoming a paid member. Most start by doing it for the 10% discount offered to club members from our sponsors but soon realize that is just a nice little perk. The real benefit is how club members come together to help each other out.

http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=96462">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=96462</a>

[IMG]http://www.atlantareefclub.org/index.php?page=sponsormap">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/index.php?page=sponsormap</a>

 

[rdnelson]

vetshep;1014714 wrote: I just recently upgraded to a new tank and went through all the same questions that you posted. Custom or not, online or not, starfire or not, etc . . . When it came down to it, I bought my new tank from my LFS (Pure Reef - wonderful). I have no regrets. I was able to see it before I bought it. The tank was a marineland standard size but stand was not. It was well built and a lot of thought put into it. Sure I would have changed a few things if I had gone custom. But it wasn't enough to triple to cost. Tank and stand were delivered and I had help putting tank on the stand, etc . . . Harder than you might think. It wasn't any more expensive than was buying something online. I do not think the LFS upcharge tanks/stands much at all. I had also heard a lot of worrisome stories about tanks not showing up or showing up broken. Needing to be at home to meet the curbside delivery truck only to have it not show up, etc . . . I feel like now that I bought my tank from the LFS, they know who I am and what type of set-up that I have. It is much easier for them to help me with the smaller things. The relationship is there.

I am on the north side of Atlanta so I am can't really help you with LFS on the south side let alone in Columbus. But I would double what Rich said ... If you can plan a trip to Atl, spend the day hopscotching from one LFS to another. Touch, price, explore all the tanks and stands that they have in stock. Look at their display systems as well as what they are selling. Chances are their in-house systems were built for aesthetics as well as easy access. I think the stand's features are more important that the tank itself. The tank is all about what you put in it and how clean you keep it. The stand can make maintenance easier or just plain miserable - all of which effects how nice the display tank will look.

Hope that helps! Have fun.

PS - I would try to keep your eye out for used tanks/stands - they come up fairly often and are a usually a great deal. I would avoid any commercially made stands as they may not last as long nor are they as accessible.

Lots of great info here. I would agree completely on the stand being more important than the tank. The stand creates the overall look and the headache of working under it is always a concern. So much so that when I built my current stand, the design revolved around how easy it was to work under it. Then I started looking at how to achieve the look I wanted. I spent $100 on my tank (120 gallon) but much more on materials (not to mention time) on building the stand.

 

[redstang]

Just want to say welcome and you've come to a great place to get help. If you're patient, wait for a sale. I got my 60 cube with stand from a sponsor for $290 on a sale. Subscribe to their email newsletters if they have them. As to scratches, personally I wouldn't worry about a couple of small ones in a used tank. I have yet to have a tank, even my less than year old cube, that I haven't scratched myself. And yes, I try to be careful lol!

As to the stand, get as many doors as you can. Mine only has the front door and it is difficult to reach back in there and maneuver things around sometimes. Still, no regrets at the price I paid.

Already some good advice. If you're ready to buy a trip to Atlanta to visit some stores isn't a terrible idea. Definitely keep an eye out for some used equipment. You can get quality equipment for a great price.

Good luck and never be afraid to ask a question!

 

[gunreefer212]

We only have one Saltwater LFS in Columbus. I went in, talked them to death, asked tons of questions, they were super nice and helpful. So technically supporting local would be to buy from them for me living in Columbus but I know myself I tend to like to impulse buy and I swore I wouldn't do that with a tank build. So that being said, I'm definitely taking my time with the research and plan. I will build the stand myself for a fraction of the cost of a store bought one and it will be more sturdy. Hopefully I can make it up next weekend. It's only an hour and a half north from me. Thanks for the advice

 

[rdnelson]

GunReefer212;1014755 wrote: We only have one Saltwater LFS in Columbus. I went in, talked them to death, asked tons of questions, they were super nice and helpful. So technically supporting local would be to buy from them for me living in Columbus but I know myself I tend to like to impulse buy and I swore I wouldn't do that with a tank build. So that being said, I'm definitely taking my time with the research and plan. I will build the stand myself for a fraction of the cost of a store bought one and it will be more sturdy. Hopefully I can make it up next weekend. It's only an hour and a half north from me. Thanks for the advice

While I like to support our sponsor, it sounds like your local LFS has provided lots of good "Free" advice. If possible I would reward them with my business in the future. I could be wrong here but I don't think they make their money on the tanks and stands but more on the day to day stuff all of us need.

If you have the skills, building your own stand is by far the best way to go. If you have a little time to read, here is a link to my build thread and my ongoing thread once it was set up. Might help you decide on design features.

http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91840">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91840</a>
[IMG]http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=94959">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=94959</a>

 

[dapperjman]

GunReefer212;1014755 wrote: We only have one Saltwater LFS in Columbus. I went in, talked them to death, asked tons of questions, they were super nice and helpful. So technically supporting local would be to buy from them for me living in Columbus but I know myself I tend to like to impulse buy and I swore I wouldn't do that with a tank build. So that being said, I'm definitely taking my time with the research and plan. I will build the stand myself for a fraction of the cost of a store bought one and it will be more sturdy. Hopefully I can make it up next weekend. It's only an hour and a half north from me. Thanks for the advice

I've been to that store once before and they were very friendly and helpful! I don't think you could go wrong buying a tank/stand from them if you want to stay local.

 

[mwbeach]

+1 if your buying from a LFS I would help out the one you would go to often. The staff at Neptunes will always be there to help. Top notch staff!!

 

[genesis]

mwbeach;1014775 wrote: +1 if your buying from a LFS I would help out the one you would go to often. The staff at Neptunes will always be there to help. Top notch staff!!

+1 They are a great store and it is a bonus that they are local. That would be my first option if you wanted new. There are a couple of us on here that are down here in Columbus. Look forward to seeing your setup eventually

 

[fishtank]

thats the same size tank im looking for as my next tank. I started with 60g cube and because of space issues underneath I built my own stand custom to give me more space. Like everyone above has said, the stand is as important if not more. The only way I have seen to make a big saving on tank is to buy used. I visited Bill at Aviarium today and he had a nicely priced 90g that I almost bought then and there.

 

[gunreefer212]

Genesis, do you folks from Columbus ever get together here? I would like to see your setup sometime when you're free if you don't mind. Get some inspiration, maybe. I've only seen LFS tank setup so far. Only seen home setups on YouTube. Boy have I been watching lots of Reef Porn lately. I was quite interested in Thomas Browns videos. Actually I'm looking for his exact tank dimensions I liked his look so much. Finding it difficult to get those extra 2 inches in height on a non custom built rimless. I've found 16 all day. I just really like the look of the 18" height.

 

[gunreefer212]

rdnelson99;1014768 wrote: While I like to support our sponsor, it sounds like your local LFS has provided lots of good "Free" advice. If possible I would reward them with my business in the future. I could be wrong here but I don't think they make their money on the tanks and stands but more on the day to day stuff all of us need.

If you have the skills, building your own stand is by far the best way to go. If you have a little time to read, here is a link to my build thread and my ongoing thread once it was set up. Might help you decide on design features.

http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91840">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91840</a>
[IMG]http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=94959">http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=94959</a>[/QUOTE]

Rich, wicked nice cabinet work dude. Very impressive

 

[rdnelson]

Thank you. It works for me but nothing like some of the handy work I have seen on this site. Dustin and Dave do masterful work. I am just a self taught hack I working in my garage.

 

[gunreefer212]

I thought I had a neat idea in my head until I looked at yours. I clicked away like a dog with his tail tucked...maybe I'll be posting tank only pics after all!! You set the bar high.

 

[rdnelson]

No there are lots of easier ways to do it. For me the challenge of building the stand was half the fun. I actually like the whole build process as much as having the tank.