The mother of all 'scores' - starting my hobby for practically free

gmate

I found a very nice gentleman here in Connecticut willing to part with his 55g Bowfront + Oak stand for 300 dollars. More than I'd ever pay for just the tank in stand, but he was throwing in a HOB skimmer. It was brand new and expensive on marinedepot, so I figured it was worth the trip. This is what I found out I was getting when I got down there:

Tank and Stand, brand new, no scuffing or scratches - like I just purchased from the store
AquaC Remora with MaxiJet 1200 pump (165 new)
AquaC Remora Pre-Skimmer box (25 new)
2x Rio 800 powerheads (20 each)
Two 200w heaters
36 Inch Coralife Lunar Aqualight T5 Lamp High Output Fixture with working white/actinitics/LEDs (250 new)
bottles and bottles of supplements, a 20 gallon rubbermaid full of bottles and test kits (API Master, Kent Supplements, ESV, etc)
Gravel vacuum
Fluval Canister Filter and extra media

So I bring my giant 'score' home and then phone my father of my great success. He tells me to come over, so that I can pick up more stuff. He's got a bunch of stuff squirreled away in his garage that I never knew about!

30 gallon acrylic sump
Lifegard Aquatics 40W UV Sterilizer QL-40 w/new bulb (160 new)
2x Hagen Aquaclear Powerheads 402 model (40 each)
Dry rock! Like 30 pounds of the stuff
Undergravel filter (yuck!)
More supplements
TropicMarin salt bucket, unopened
Return pump, heavy duty lookin' guy

There's so much more than what I listed, this is just the big stuff off the top of my head. But I pretty much got everything I need to start my saltwater endeavor, for 300 dollars. Putting the tank up in my apartment on the 1st of December and then ordering live rock and live sand from Tampa Bay Saltwater (already emailed Rich from TBS about it) and it's go time. So stoked.

Maybe I'll get my RO/DI system now. Skip the sump for now, plump it in later or on the next tank. I feel so lucky!

Romad

Nice

Don't you love it when that happens??

Calmwaters

Thats an awesome deal!

snafudude

WoW !! That was a score. Congrats.

Talon

nice job... get some pics up when u can. i would love to see the setup as it goes!

gmate

Hehehehe...5 feet tall, tank is huge compared to what I have now. So excited, so so excited.

Calmwaters

I like it.

onefish2fish

its a corner bowfront, cool.. is it going to be staying like that or are you finding a corner for it?

gmate

Lol it's not staying in the middle of my house at my parent's. I am moving into a new apartment on the 1st of Dec. I'll have to set it up then...so excited, I can barely wait. It'll go into the corner of my bedroom, it will match my hardwood floors nicely. With all the equipment I have, I should only have minimum costs. Hope to have it up/running and cycled by new years.

onefish2fish

i gotcha, its still at the parents house, thought that was the apartment in the picture.

that would be sweet if you kept it that way, got another tank the same size and created a half circle. one freshwater, one marine.. or even better.. pacific and atlantic tanks.

regarless excited to see this get wet. keep in mind it would be easier adding bulkheads/drilling an empty tank for a sump then trying to do it later when its up and running. i suggest looking at glass-holes overflow kits.