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Checkin in again

Joined
Dec 7, 2008
Messages
294
Location
Upstate NY, USA
Hi folks,
Just checking in again. I've spent the last two months patiently acquiring equipment and materials and catching myself up on what's new in marine aquaria since I left the hobby ten+ years ago. So far, I've acquired a 40 breeder, gotten it drilled and plumbed (well, partially plumbed, still working on that), a stand, a glass top, an overflow box, a CPR Bakpak skimmer, heater, refractometer, 700 gph pump, and a few other odds and ends.
One thing I'm finding is, eBay is amazing for finding parts and secondhand equipment. The skimmer I picked out retails new for about $150 and I picked mine up for $40 from someone who was upgrading. All it requires is patience to dig for stuff on there (and maybe a bit of a critical eye for things that aren't likely to be functional). I'm still hunting for an RODI system, and some better lighting, but for anyone on a budget, this has seemed to be the way to go.
 
EBay has always been one of my early looks for hardware, especially lighting (all but one of my tanks were converted to LED this year, some when Drs. Foster and Smith (who are always way high on their lights) had a 1 week special and the others from eBay. If my calculations are even close, I will have made back the purchase price in less than 2 years with the reduced electricity. Often you can get new (usually from China so there is a delay in receiving and a concern about breakage) LED lights at a far better price on eBay than on-line retail but it helps to read some of the forums for recommendations of vendor and particular styles.

All but two of my tanks are second hand (not the sumps though those were purchased new as display tanks and have since been relegated to decent sumps). One of the "new" tanks is actually quite old and had been sitting in a warehouse from a failed business. Someone on eBay was trying to sell the lot of them, didn't get bids and accepted my single tank offer (yes, this was over a month long process). My "tube tank" was an eBay purchase sold locally. I got a $500+ acrylic tank and stand for $100 but we still needed to put another $100+ into it to make it viable as the design of the top was retarded to say the least.

The only real concern (and it is a big one) about buying used tanks is the potential use of copper medication in a glass tank. It is believed that the silicone may absorb the copper and then leach it back into the system. The safest way to buy a used glass tank is from someone who is upgrading and used it for corals or verify from the owner that no copper meds were ever used. Acrylics don't seem to have this problem. Skimmers a iffy unless you are extremely lucky or good at rebuilding the pumps.

Unfortunately, over the long hall the equipment is the cheaper part of this hobby :biggrin2:
 
I am always thankful the I find out about those after they are over. I don't NEED another tank to take care of :biggrin2: Oh, and it is OK to mention vendors and provide links as long as the member is not selling or promoting commercial concerns (personal items for sale may be posted).
 
The chinese retailer thing is so true. I got my Refractometer, which is identical to the one my LFS sells in every way from a chinese ebay dealer for $20 (with shipping). It sells for $70 in the shop! I've been pricing out LEDs (I have LEDs on my planted FW axolotl tank) as well T5s. I really like LEDs for the reasons you mentioned, but some say they're not a great choice if you want to do corals down the road? Not sure about that. I've read some reviews of some of the chinese knock off brands, and Odyssea seem to be the ones to avoid, as they're super cheap but often completely borked on arrival. As for the skimmer, the body holds water and even if I have to entirely replace the pump, I'm still ahead of the game!
 
There is no avoiding Made In China electronics today. As a kid it was Made in Japan for many lower priced things but not to the extent we see the manufacturing in China today. If you buy it at a retailer, it is still Made in China and either local or foreign acquisition does not tell you much about quality but you can usually return a local purchase - a lot of hit and miss with a bit of others' experiences reviewed on the web.
 

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