How much should I offer for this tank & stand?

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siva

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Ok I want to call and make an offer on this - they are asking $300 - what would be a good deal? They say it comes with all "lights, filters, and heaters" but I don't know the details on those goodies yet. Its a 75 gal - here's the pic. Also, any important questions I should ask? I've only purchased small tanks used so I'm nervous...
75gal.jpg
 
Ok I want to call and make an offer on this - they are asking $300 - what would be a good deal? They say it comes with all "lights, filters, and heaters" but I don't know the details on those goodies yet. Its a 75 gal - here's the pic. Also, any important questions I should ask? I've only purchased small tanks used so I'm nervous...
View attachment 37724

300 seems about right, especially if the filter/lights and heaters are in good quality shape, nice stand too. But since its used make sure there is no issues with the glass like scratches or cracks/nicks, wud hate to get a leak after buying it...looks real nice btw.
 
Is there anyway I can determine the age? I don't want to buy a tank this large that's old. How old is old for an aquarium anyway?
 
siva said:
Is there anyway I can determine the age? I don't want to buy a tank this large that's old. How old is old for an aquarium anyway?

You can ask the seller for the age of the tank... I purchased a similar tank, with everything that you mentioned, but is a 100 gallon tank. I paid 300.
Looks to me that a 75 with all included for 300 is a really good deal. This is what I did.

I email my offer to the seller, but I told him that I would like to see the tank in person, before make any deal, which I did.
Check the scratches in the tank, hopefully will have not to many.
I checked mine full of water and working, the seller showed to me working, fish and everything. In other words, you don't want to find out a leak once it's at your home.
Check the lights, that are working.
The stand hopefully is free of termites, check that also, any water damage in the wood that can jeopardize the structural strength.
 
Yeah I'd feel better about it if it were currently full..sure makes me nervous to lay down that kind of cash when there's risk involved. Thanks for the great tips :)
 
That looks like a nice solid wood stand. The stand alone is worth $300+ new. <If it is actually particle board made to look like wood, than cut it down to ~$100.>

If the tank is in good shape, and the filter & lights are good quality, $300 can be a steal. It all depends on what is included. <Ask the seller brand, model, age & other details on the filter. For light, ask what type it is (T5, T8, PC, etc), wattage & number of fixtures/tubes.>

As for the tank age, a couple ways to tell:
1. Some new tank (mine does) has date of manufacture stamped on the bottom. That is the easiest way! <Mine has a sticker in the inside of the trim so it is temper proof, and you can only see it through the glass.>
2. Failing that, you can check the shape of the seals. Silicone seals dry out & get brittle with age, so a really old tank (10, 20 years) might have seals that is lifting or cracked or feels hard. It is not a big deal, as it is pretty easy to reseal the tank ... but you can talk the price down in that case.
3. Check the plastic rim on the tank --- old plastic can be brittle/discolored. <And rims that are not black is prob. older ... as the beige & other non-black trims are more popular in the 80's or 70's. Of course this is not 100% reliable.>
4. Check glass thickness. Older tanks are not tempered & will use glass that is ~1/2" thick. Modern (big) tanks are generally tempered & the glass thickness will be ~1/4-3/8".

Personally, I don't worry too much about the age. Glass is ageless as long as it is well looked after. So the number of scratches is more important. You can easily make an old tank like new by resealing & buying some new trims, as long as the glass is in good shape.
 
That looks like a nice solid wood stand. The stand alone is worth $300+ new. <If it is actually particle board made to look like wood, than cut it down to ~$100.>

If the tank is in good shape, and the filter & lights are good quality, $300 can be a steal. It all depends on what is included. <Ask the seller brand, model, age & other details on the filter. For light, ask what type it is (T5, T8, PC, etc), wattage & number of fixtures/tubes.>

As for the tank age, a couple ways to tell:
1. Some new tank (mine does) has date of manufacture stamped on the bottom. That is the easiest way! <Mine has a sticker in the inside of the trim so it is temper proof, and you can only see it through the glass.>
2. Failing that, you can check the shape of the seals. Silicone seals dry out & get brittle with age, so a really old tank (10, 20 years) might have seals that is lifting or cracked or feels hard. It is not a big deal, as it is pretty easy to reseal the tank ... but you can talk the price down in that case.
3. Check the plastic rim on the tank --- old plastic can be brittle/discolored. <And rims that are not black is prob. older ... as the beige & other non-black trims are more popular in the 80's or 70's. Of course this is not 100% reliable.>
4. Check glass thickness. Older tanks are not tempered & will use glass that is ~1/2" thick. Modern (big) tanks are generally tempered & the glass thickness will be ~1/4-3/8".

Personally, I don't worry too much about the age. Glass is ageless as long as it is well looked after. So the number of scratches is more important. You can easily make an old tank like new by resealing & buying some new trims, as long as the glass is in good shape.

Awesome, thanks so much. I'll have to drive about an hour to even look at it in person, so the more I know to ask on the phone, the better. I left him a v/m a bit ago and on that said I was wondering if he had purchased it new and if so how long ago that was, and for more details on the filter and heater.

Does it matter which type bulbs it takes..what would be ideal? Anything that would be really not ideal? I know very little about lighting.
 
siva said:
Awesome, thanks so much. I'll have to drive about an hour to even look at it in person, so the more I know to ask on the phone, the better. I left him a v/m a bit ago and on that said I was wondering if he had purchased it new and if so how long ago that was, and for more details on the filter and heater.

Does it matter which type bulbs it takes..what would be ideal? Anything that would be really not ideal? I know very little about lighting.

Not really, there is nothing not ideal.... Just different.
 
it does matter what type of bulbs it takes if you plan to plant the tank. T5s would be the best but probably not likely, it'll probably have t12s in it, or maybe t8s.

300 sounds like a fair price for sure, especially if it comes with working filters/heater/etc.
 
Wow, what a piece ! Looks just like on-sale new at my lfs (Bristol UK) and they are very good quality cabinets, well solid. New price here is about £420 (about $600) so I would say it's a really good deal, but essential you check tank condition as mentioned by all/others.
 
if the this was the price is right

i would say 250 no low ball status but 300 is great if all packages is included

if anything look for scratches on the tank
or wood for that matter


if anything 300 is really nice if it comes with all the fix-ins

just really make sure it holds water
you dont wanna take home a pile of wood knowing it will leak a week later
if thats the case 200 would do it good cause silicone will just cost you a good 20 knowing you took

200 for the filter
100 for the light
put 80 for the air pump
and the tank and wood put that price
with your local stores

thats alot of work for the seller to just give it up for 300
must not care

rob him blind ask questions laugh later
 
Does it matter which type bulbs it takes..what would be ideal? Anything that would be really not ideal? I know very little about lighting.

You do not want incandescent bulbs in there - looks bad, lots of heat & inefficient.

Otherwise, any kind of fluorescent light will work, but for pricing, T5-HO costs more than PC or T8, T12's are cheapest. If you are doing plants, you would want to really check out the lights.

If he has an actinic bulb, that is for SW, You can easily swap out the bulbs, but is another $20 bargaining point.

If it is a MH / LED setup, that is for a reef tank. I doubt you will have that in that tank, as the fixture is upwards of $500-$1000. <If you have a good one of those in there, grab that for $300! You can easily sell that for a profit. :)>
 
Boy they photographed that thing juuuust right...lol ;) It's scratched to 'ell from a turtle (would've been great to find before I bought my turtle a new tank, bummer), the top part is homemade..and not a perfect match to the bottom, lots of hard water stains, all accesories complete crap. So that ended up being a no thank you! Thanks everyone :)
 
Wow I'm surprised..it looked so good too.good thing you saw it before you bought it
 
siva said:
Boy they photographed that thing juuuust right...lol ;) It's scratched to 'ell from a turtle (would've been great to find before I bought my turtle a new tank, bummer), the top part is homemade..and not a perfect match to the bottom, lots of hard water stains, all accesories complete crap. So that ended up being a no thank you! Thanks everyone :)

Good that you went to see it in person!!
As I said, never buy a used tank based on a picture!!

Sorry to hear that was not as good as it sounded.
 
Yeah..I was disapointed :( I was already dreaming up my stock list..lol
 
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