I want to start a reef aquarium (new to the hobby)

[Miracchio]

I am looking at getting a new reef tank and am leaning toward the Red Sea 250 (65 Gal). I have heard great things but also some issues that worry me (like possibly needing a chiller and the protein skimmer isn't that great). I would like to stay under 2K for the initial setup costs including the tank. Is the Red Sea the way to go or should I try to piece together the setup? Thanks for any advice, Tony

[phenom5]

Personally, I'd try to piece something together. Usually more bang for your buck over an all-in-one type of system.

For a system like that, you're paying a lot of extra money for what ultimately is an underpowered skimmer, less than ideal lighting, extra filtration stuff that you may not want or need or may even make things tougher, and of course convenience.

It'll take more effort on your part to build a setup from scratch, but you'll be happier in the long run IMO.

I'd take a look at craigslist, and find a local reef club-->RC Club Forums (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=80), you might be able to find a used setup from someone getting out of hobby for pennies on the dollar.


Welcome to RC...I'm sure someone will come along with the fancy welcome banner in short order. :thumbsup:


*EDIT* Did some quick digging, wasn't sure exactly where Santa Rosa was. You've got a huge reef club down in San Fran. In fact there's a guy selling a 90g w/ stand, skimmer, return, sump/ fuge, LED lighting, and RO/DI unit for cheaper than a Red Sea 250. You'd basically be set, just add a some powerheads for flow, heater, some test kits & a refractometer, and you'd be in business, ready for live rock.

[dzfish17]

I agree, people are always jumping in and out of the hobby for different reasons so why not take advantage of it. I've had good luck buying used tanks and stands. There are some things that I like to buy new (pumps, powerheads, skimmers).

[Jstdv8]

craigslist is the place to go. It might take a few months to find the right tank with some accessories but you'll be happy you did. As stated above, lots of people coming in and going out of the hobby all the time. You can get nickle and dimed to death on these things with all the little pumps and lights and stuff by the time you are up and running.

[lordofthereef]

I'd also spend this time to do some research. What made you pick the setup you are looking at? Were you just looking for an all in one?

[Miracchio]

I like the overall neatness of the system (wires are hidden, etc.), but do realize there are advantages to building my own and possibly leaning toward buying a used system as I'm starting to think reef tanks are much like buying a new car. You pay so much more when it's brand new, but you can get a high quality used car/tank for a lot less money.

[WestChesterReef]

Another vote for Craigs list, though I purchased my first set up from a local reef club member looking at the classifieds, always someone coming and going, summer is the best time to buy anyway because no one has time. Good luck

[insomniac2k2]

The red sea is neat, but the first thing you will do is screw it up,trying to retro in better skimmers, sumps, pumps, bigger cooling fans, etc. Also consider that you will need to run a cooler with that unit because its closed and gets really hot.

I spent quite a bit of time weighing options a bit ago, and just had to walk away from an all in one. I highly recommend you widen the scope of your research, and browse craigslist more. Now is the perfect time to get a really nice used setup and put a really cool LED lighting setup on it. All for the same cost of a red sea unit. No cooler, lots of sump room, good skimmer, etc.

After buying my second used setup, and customizing everyting to what i need, im definitely a believer in putting it together with the exact parts that suits your setup the best.

GL on your choices. Research much!

[peppie]

+1 on all of the above. Be sure you read up on equipment. What it does and what it costs. Which brand is good and which isnt. You will save yourself money in the long run by purchasing what will work for your system.
I have to admit I have only owned AIOs, But I built all of them to the specs of the equipment I had on hand.
If I had a clean slate. I would go to CL, buy used and upgrade some of the equipment to the needs of the livestock I planed to keep.
Good luck. In return for all the good advice you get here at RC you will need to post pics of your system. lol

[zeeter]

While I agree that craigslist is the place to go to get a used tank I have also found that people try to price their own effort into their sales. They're like - "I put three years into this tank and $1500." Well the equipment is actually worth around $300. Maybe a little more if there's mature live rock in there, but you get the idea. People have no idea how much their stuff is actually worth. Or they do and they think you don't.