WTB Good Starter Reef Tank in NJ - 24 to 49G

[mdlewi]

Hi! I'm new to Reefing and would like to buy a good starter reef tank for myself and my kids. It's a Birthday present to myself and my son. From what I hear, anything less than 20G would easily be outgrown in a short period of time.

Does anybody local to NJ have a setup to sell? I think the ballpark price range that I am looking to pay is between $300-$600.

I'd prefer a glass tank and a bowfront. However, I'm open to anything with a thriving and healthy setup.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Welcome to MR!!! I'll keep an open eye for a set up in that range.

 

[scotty]

a reef might be very tuff/more expensive than u are ready to keep. u might want to start with fish only and see how u like it.

 

[House of Laughter]

Welcome to MR.com - agreeing with Kris,

keep your eyes out. However, 3-$600 is not going to buy you much. You may be able to grab up someones setup, but upkeep, etc runs more.

House

 

[spykes]

is he looking for the tank stand and canopy itself? or looking for a well setup with all he equipment included etcc?

 

[SlamaJama]

hey D...how much for ur tank?

 

[SlamaJama]

isnt jen selling her 29 w/ stand?

 

[Savager]

There's brand new M-Tank on Ebay you might want to take a look. This is not the cheapest tank but it's good size and all in one package. Nice sump area in the back and good skimmer built in and pretty decent light, all for $350. With shipment, you can get it in your place less than $400. Other stuffs, you can easily get it cheaply from local reef club like this one. This is 32G tank, so you need about 30 to 40 pounds live rock, will cost about $100 or little more. And 30 to 40 live sand, you can get it free sometime, I already see someone offering free live sand here. Cost of salt is not that expensive and you can get RO waters from LFS. I think with this setup, you can get tank setup for around $500 to $600 without any live stocks.

Getting fully setup tank is great but I think the joy of reefing is when you start from the scratch. Researching, ordering all the equipments, and setup the system and wait for the cycle. See your water parameter perfect and finally put some live stocks, THAT'S PRICELESS experience.

If you think M-Tank setup is little too expensive, then try JBJ 24G Nanocube. Yes, this is also all in one package. With stock tank, you can get decent selection of corals you can put it and make is very good reef tank. This tank setup will save you about $100 to $150 from M-Tank.

Anyway, goodluck.

 

[spykes]

IMO M tanks are really usless in reef, when you choose a tank, depth is the main property you have to look at, soa wider tank gives you more room to aquascape and still have corals on the bottom on the tank. more height = more lights. the Mh tank takes away the width leaving you like 12 inches to work with.

 

[mdlewi]

Thanks for the advice!

yeah...the 24g setup with a JBJ Nano cube might be a good way to go. The cycling process and the science of creating the right environment is all part of the learning experience....

I've seen some awesome looking reefs in smaller sizes here...
I guess a real nice reef can come in a small package :wink1:

one of my favorite ones...18g
http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/photos/blpictankjgebhardt18greef.htm

nice 15g..
http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/photos/blpictankaiden15gnanoreef.htm

even a 25g..
http://saltaquarium.about.com/library/photos/blpictankikarney25greef.htm

Thanks again!
--Mike

 

[jcurry]

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/for/99310248.html

http://newjersey.craigslist.org/for/98993234.html

 

[michael stern]

Try this:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=674440

 

[Josh]

Welcome to Manhattan Reefs! This is an extremely rewarding hobby, but also very expensive. I think that starting a tank with young children is a bold decision, you are inevitably starting your children with an expensive addiction they may have for their entire lives!

A larger tank is better for a new reefer as it allows you to screw up a little bit more. As I'm sure you're reading everywhere else, the key to a healthy tank is pristine water. If your tank is small, the quality can fluctuate very quickly, a larger tank gives you more breathing room and allows for a greater learning curve.

You can find a lot of good tanks on this site, some of them will come with equipment and some may come with livestock.

My first tank was a 37g, I kept it for 5+ years and recently took it apart to prepare for a 120G (coming soon). It went through ups and downs, but I learned a LOT and now know enough to concentrate on certain aspects of the hobby that are not appropriate for a beginner. The key to this hobby is patience.

A nano is very cool for a new reefer, but a little harder to keep due to the small size. That being said, if you keep up a good water change schedule, everything will be fine. I know some people that run a nano tank with NO filtration, they simply change a gallon of water every day. I don't recommend this, but it is an example of how important water changes are.

Good luck, and welcome again to MR.

-Josh

 

[John]

I have a 46G im selling in about 2 weeks. Bowfront Oceanic. Amiracle Overflow Wetdry filter with live rock rubble. The tank will be empty though. You would have to fill it yourself I could give you some sand as well but no LR or livestock.

 

[jawwad2004]

Hey, I am going to have my tank for sale in about 2 - 3 weeks. Its a 55 gallon /20 gallon sump, overflow box, metal stand, and about 20 - 30 lbs of live sand.

 

[TomSeaman]

46 Gal Bow Front For Sale in NJ

If your still looking I have a Complete 46 Gal Bowfront Tank setup with:
UV Sterlizer
Protien Skimmer
60# Of Beautiful Live Rock
PC lighting with Moon Lites
Wet/Dry Filter with overflow box
26 Gal Saltwater mixing tank with stand
Test Kits
Heater
Power Heads
Salt
And More!!
This tank has been up and running for @ 3 years and is doing Great.
Also 1 Hippo Tang
1 Clown (Nemo)
1 Star Fish
AVERYTHING for $ 550 I can send pici on request.