Should I Wait

[Langemc]

I have saved enough money to get a salwater tank and have gotten all my price quotes from local fish stores and have decided on what everything i will purchase, there is only one thing preventing me from purchasing my tank

i am currently in college ( but have plenty of space and time to manage a saltwater tank ) but my lease runs out at the end of this year and i may have to move out in 14 months... i would like to have a 75 gal FOWLR tank, but how hard would it be to move that tank 14 months from now to a place down the road... is it worth it or should i just wait till i am settled into a place for good?

thanks for any advice in advance

 

[Fluff]

That's really up to you. Moving a tank isn't that hard. It's just time consuming. Especially if you have a large amount of liverock to move. Also, with one that size, be sure to have some help. I moved a tank recently. It was a four hour drive to my house. We placed the rock in a tub with a small ph and the fish in a bucket with an airstone. Everything made the trip fine. Just have to be sure you are prepared in advance in anticipation of the move. Or, you could just wait.

 

[electrikat]

If you wait till you are settled in a place for good, you may never have a tank at all. 14 months is a long time. If you are going with a fowlr it won't be cost prohibitive to move it in 14 months. Several good 5 gallon buckets will be all you need for a short distance move. I'd go for it if it were me.

 

[Langemc]

=P thanks guys appreciate all the advice, looks like two weeks i'll be making my trip down the LFS

 

[seaham358]

what are you getting??? 75 gal tank and what?? sump, skimmer, lights.. Maybe we can help you out before a LFS sells you stuff you don't need.

 

[Langemc]

i'll give exact brand and exact size of sump and skimmer and lights when i go to store to write down each product they recommend i think with a sump, stand, canopy aquarium, pumps, thermometer, live sand 60 pounds, saltwater, power strip, a timer, test kit, hydrometeer, heater, and pump, i was looking at was 1587 when he quoted me does that sound about right??? i dont know if powerheads were included in that price though

the one question i had was lights on a FOWLR tank how nice of lights are recommended he had 50$ lights i'll let you know brand and type later


im assumming starting with half live rock and half base rock, having the base rock just become LR over time

i'll be sure to keep you guys posted next week on what brands they are recommending me though

thanks for everything

 

[Langemc]

btw they LFS tried getting me to stear away from LR and go towards an underground filter, but b/w you guys and the book's i've read i told them i'll take my chances with the LR =) the only thing is should i invest in a quarentine tank from the start?

 

[Fluff]

A QT is a good investment.

 

[Langemc]

maybe a dumb question but i'll shoot anways

are you suppose to put LR in a QT before introducing it to your aquarium?

 

[Fluff]

If you are just starting the tank you can use the rock to help cycle the tank. But, any additional rock you get after the tank is done cycling, you may want to for a few days to be sure it's cured and isn't gonna throw your tank into another cycle from die off.

 

[sdellin]

FYI, DRSFOSTERSMITH.com and ebay have some good prices on equipment. I've saved a lot of money over the prices at the lfs and shipping didn't take long. Also, you might check out some of the sponsors on this site to compare pricing. I try to help out the lfs with fish and smaller stuff, but I'm not stupid either!

Question for the experts: QT is a good investment, but what should be in it, I mean the whole setup? I have a 15-gal tank that was to be my QT tank, but it's simply turned into a second aquarium for me. The only thing I haven't added is inverts and a protein skimmer, but if I have sick fish, I'll have to treat the fish in this tank also. May set up a new QT tank if advised.