Marineland Kit

[Ron]

Anyone have any thoughts on a marineland saltwater kit? Here are the specs:
55-gallon Perfecto show aquarium with glass canopy and fluorescent light strip, Emperor 400 Filter System, Instant Ocean synthetic sea salt - 55 gallons SeaTesT Hydrometer, fasTesT Master Kit, marine aquarium instruction booklet. 200 watt aquarium heater, digital thermometer,water conditioner.

It is on clearence at my local Petco & I was wondering if it is a good deal at ~$180 - basically a cheap way to get into the saltwater hobby. I want start off with a FOWLR tank but, may want to add more types of life to it over time (Basically would I be buying a bunch of stuff that I would have to replace anyway) I would have to add a hang on skimmer to this right off...


Am I better off in the long run just buying a tank (pre drilled) LR & a good skimmer with a DIY sump??? (I know this would cost more initially, but is it cheaper & less trouble in the long run)

[fat walrus]

it would be a good purchase. the florescent light not needed, but may serve another purpose. the power filter you can use as a QT filter later. the tank, salt, hydrometer, heater, thermometer, and water conditioner makes it a worthwhile package. buying them separately will be much more money.

[Rob]

i agree, some of the stuff isnt needed, but for the price you its not too bad..

the NO lights will be ok, for a FO tank, but wont do very well for much more
the FasTest kits arent bad, i've used them. the salt is good, and as walrus stated, the filters probably wont be needed if the tank is setup properly

[V]

sound freshwater to me, with the LFS adding slower moving bits & pieces to flog it off as a salt-setup.

look in the trading post. i do hope u guys have such a thing, pre-loved paper with everything from the kitchen sink, to tractors, to opps my ass is to big, time to sell some stuff!

[Ron]

Thanks for the insight

I agree this seems like FW equipment with salt - just wasn't sure how good of a deal it was... I just spoke a my LFS & can get a AGA 75gal w/overflow installed for under 200 (no lid or lights...). But, I'm not sure I want to make that kind of commitment + the expense of that much LR etc... Has anyone done a smaller tank 30-40 drilled with overflow? (I think they would have to be drilled from the side & not the back - Does that make a gib difference?). Would that yield a tank upgradeable to reef yet inexpensive to start up (relatively speaking)?

I want to start out small (inexpensive) but want the equipment to be long lasting so I don't have to re-buy it later (AKA more expensive in the long run)?

Thanks Again

[V]

u can drill a bucket if u really wanted to! with any tank its up to your imagination. drilling at the back is ok, just remember the space needed to work behind there!
i doesn;t matter what size u go, try small & build upwards. if ur handy with DIY, just plumb the predrilled tank with the same length tank underneath. price depend on how big u go! but think simple ok & u cant go wrong!
any other questions we're here to help, just fire away!

to be honest id go a setup like gwens nano

[ghostbear29]

I agree with veriann. Get a smaller 20-29 gal. tank and get better equipment. It will pay off in the long run. I started off with a 16 gal. a few years ago. not really the way people get into the salt hobby. But my reasoning is I had the time to commit to learning the "art" of reefkeeping and developed my husbandry for the animals I kept. I am now in a 29 gal. due to overgrowth of coral specimens and just the need for something bigger and better. Next I should be like rob and get the big boy just to drive the wife nuts. he he.

[V]

ive just thrown some pic in a pile for u to have a look at, feel free to ask away

[fat walrus]

hey veriann, isn't that wildeone's tank? whose tank is the bottom picture?

[V]

what a better example! the middle two are i believe, actually maybe more than that but whos counting
i collect what i consider important to future ideas, everything gets swept in one place in my organisation systems, so as too full specifics of who'who & whats what, sometimes its hard to keep track

[Ron]

Nice tank & stand!
OK why in pic #4 does the drain on the right go into both the left & right side (Where the return water pumps from)

[V]

wildman, i thought u would like to answer this question, grab some floaties & get in here

[fat walrus]

Nice tank & stand!
OK why in pic #4 does the drain on the right go into both the left & right side (Where the return water pumps from)
this is one for wildeone, apparently, our aussie friend overlooked US copyright protection.

[V]

that rule never washes for me, its like another rule i know of & have total disregard for as well>>, if its got bitument on it ,i can drive on it! medium strips on 2wheels are my specialty, just like ripping peoples pics off! lol
hey timid1, where are u hiding, your the best person to answer this question:agree:

[V]

walrus, when u see W1 u might wat to page him to this location. u will see him before me i would imagine

[wildeone]

Sorry for the delay, Pic 4 was a bad idea on my part. I had designed it with the theory that water should run slower through the fuge than through the sump. I would throttle the fuge water with the valve. But in reality, there was less flow through the overflows and it really didn't need to be throttles and very little went from that overflow into the sump and bypassed the fuge.

So I reworked it. I took one line straight down each side to the fuge and the other to the sump. The return is in the middle. I can say one thing, it is ULTRA quiet.

See my jounal for details on the tees installed in the sump and fuge areas, this really quieted it down. Sorry for the delay again!

[V]

4 out for ain't bad...lol
thanks wildone

[Ron]

Thanks for the info! I'll check out the journal as I think this will answer many of my questions...

Ron