Newbie here that wanted to say HI and HELP!

[My Vette N My Reef Tank]

Hello all, new to this site, actually this is my first Reefer Forum, only member of one other forum and that's the Corvette Forum. Glad to be part of this community. A little background on me. My name is Jesse, I'm 28, single and live in S. San Gabriel, I'm a Capricorn and like long walks on the beach.....but seriously folks...:rofl:

Ok, on to my problem. I always said that when I bought my first home, I would set up a reef tank in my living room so sure enough earlier this year, being blessed I was able to accomplish both but now my 30 gallon tank is in need of a serious upgrade :evil: I will be upgrading to a 180 gallon in the next month and have been trying to get quotes on the entire system set up. Today I got a quote of $7500 that includes tank, stand, canopy, 2-400 watt lights (metal halide), 120 g sump/fuge, euro reef RS 250 skimmer,1/2 hp chiller, 80 watt u/v, 600 lbs LR, 200 lbs LS and 300 gallons of their own system water, included is also delivery and set up. My questions are does this sound like a good deal? Do most of you buy individual parts and put it together or buy the entire thing from a mom and pop shop? Lastly, do you guys and gals think Euro reef is the way to go or ASM or is there a better skimmer out there? Want to have lps and sps mix with about 15 fish.

Thank you all for your help and sorry about the long introduction thread. Thanks for reading :hello:

-Jesse

 

[kmax74]

what store gave that price to you i would shop around

 

[afelder]

Welcome

That sounds like a pretty decent price to me for a new system. If it is used it might be a little on the expensive side but again IMO not too bad. Most Euroreef skimmers are good (I have been having nothing but problems with mine) but most people who have them like them. While most of us buy our equipment piece by piece it is nice to have everything all in one shot. Depending on the size of the fish you want will depend on whether people make other recommendations as to your equipment.

GOOD LUCK and HAVE FUN

 

[EyeReef]

price sounds fair too me, but of course if you do shop around you can definitely spend a lot less money. But it's time consuming. If I had the cash, I would buy everything new.

 

[crex111]

welcome!

 

[pookstreet]

Welcome Jesse. If you have the time, shopping around will get you a much better deal. Good luck.

 

[My Vette N My Reef Tank]

Thank you all for the warm welcome. Like many of you, I too sometimes think I have saltwater running through my veins :top:

Kmax74, not sure if its against forum rules to name the shop that gave me this quote, but the guy was very nice, a bit pushy but very informative and in Artesia.

He said that the price was so because it was all top of the line filtration. I would like to shop around but can anyone suggest places to shop around or shops to get quotes from? Also, are there other skimmers that are considered better and very reliable? Planning on keeping approx 15 fish, the biggest being medium size naso tang and hippo tang. Thanks again for any and all help. :tee:

 

[kmax74]

what city do you live in

 

[My Vette N My Reef Tank]

border of Montebello and S. San Gabriel on Paramount by mall...

 

[nahtanoj]

Thank you all for the warm welcome. Like many of you, I too sometimes think I have saltwater running through my veins :top:

Kmax74, not sure if its against forum rules to name the shop that gave me this quote, but the guy was very nice, a bit pushy but very informative and in Artesia.

He said that the price was so because it was all top of the line filtration. I would like to shop around but can anyone suggest places to shop around or shops to get quotes from? Also, are there other skimmers that are considered better and very reliable? Planning on keeping approx 15 fish, the biggest being medium size naso tang and hippo tang. Thanks again for any and all help. :tee:

it is fine to name the store you deal with, this forum is all about sharing info, deals, concerns. we do not like senseless bashing, if you have a true complaint about service or a product, let us know, but to just call a store crap for whatever, it just turns into a ***** session. so no worries on naming stores.

and welcome to the board, feel free to ask any questions no matter how simple they may seem.
jon

 

[My Vette N My Reef Tank]

Thanks Jon, I feel right at home on this forum. The store that gave me that quote was Atlantic Tropical in Artesia on Pioneer Blvd. Very friendly staff and VERY knowledgable, I was just wondering what some of you on this forum thought about the quote as I value your opinion knowing that many of you have been in the hobby for many more years than I have (total of 5 yrs).

I don't want to break the bank with the complete set up as I know that much more money is going to be spent on coral and fish, but yet I know that filtration can be expensive and am not griping about it. I was just wondering if for complete system set up, most of the people on here do it themselves or get it from a particular spot/shop/store in So. Cal. :tee:

 

[pookstreet]

I've never had personal experience with ATA but have only heard of bad things from other reefers. The best deals are from those who are leaving the hobby. You can usually get a great deal on an entire system. Of course, the only drawback is that you'll have to wait around until you find the system that meets your needs.

 

[kmax74]

I've never had personal experience with ATA but have only heard of bad things from other reefers. The best deals are from those who are leaving the hobby. You can usually get a great deal on an entire system. Of course, the only drawback is that you'll have to wait around until you find the system that meets your needs.

i second that if you look on other forums you will see mostly bad comments about that store just a heads up
you can try total tropical in upland kinda far but ron is honest

 

[kmax74]

try this link
http://zoyzoy.com/aquarium/aquariumstoresmap.asp

 

[Bruce]

i second that if you look on other forums you will see mostly bad comments about that store just a heads up
you can try total tropical in upland kinda far but ron is honest

Another thumbs up for Ron and Total Tropical....

Ron is definitely honest... Sometimes brutally so. BUT... I like that honesty. He'll tell me when I'm tossing my money down the toilet on something... Which is a refreshing honesty IMO.

YMMV

 

[newnanoboy]

For God Sakes Man.... Do Not Do Business With Ata! For Some Reason Newbies Always Fall Into The Hands Of These Crooks. Perhaps It's The Low "fake" Prices That They Advertise To Lure Em' In. In The End, You'll Never Wish You Heard Of This Store.... Kiss Your Hard Earned Cash Goodbye!

But On A Brighter Note, Welcome Aboard.... Be Sure To Check With Ron At Aquariums In Motion For Corals And Fish. He Won't Do You Wrong, I Promise! I Think Everyone On This Forum Can Vouch For That. Another Good Place To Go For The Selection (not Price) Is Tong's In Fountain Valley. They Have Probably The Biggest Selection Of Corals And Fish In One Location. They Also Have A Huge Inventory Of Tanks If You Want To See It Before You Buy It. Amazing Reef In Tustin Has All The Hard To Find Corals And Reef Safe Fish. Also Check Out Jimmy At Fish Collection In Placentia. He Is Usually Good At Making You A Deal If You Buy A Whole Set Up. He Can Get You Anything You Want. Hope This Little Bit Of Info Helps... Just Be Cautious Of Ata. I've Been Ripped Off There Before. They May Seem Nice Before You Hand Them Money. After That, You Are On Your Own If You Run Into Any Problems. Btw, Take A Really Good Look At Their Fish If You Should Happen To Drop In Again. Most Of The Fish They Sell Is Infected With Fungus/ich... If You Do Happen To Do Business With Ata, I Wish You Luck. But In My Own Opinion, There Are Better Reputable Shops Out There That Will Take Care Of You Should A Problem Arise. It's Better To Start A Relationship With A Store Like Aquariums In Motion Because They Will Take Good Care Of You Down The Road.

 

[My Vette N My Reef Tank]

Thanks for all the great info everyone. I will definitely take all that into consideration. For now, my search continues, not only for the tank I want but some patience as well. I completed my entire first project (30g reef tank) in the first two months and everything is thriving, but I should have taken more time in the entire process. Let's see if I can do my 180g the right way, with lots of time and patience. :tee:

 

[Bruce]

Hey, Nano, this may well be the only post I've ever seen that's had every word with a leading capital...

It may sound odd, but it gave me a headache to read it!

Great advice, though. I haven't really done much business with either of the Aquarium in Motion's (Ron or Jason - geographical issues more than anything, I'm sure), however Jason is really supportive of our club and I hear both of them take really good care of their customers.

I've also heard the horror stories about ATA (aren't they the ones who'll sell you a tank for like .99c but in order to get that price you have to buy the glass lid for a couple of hundred bucks?).

I'd also like to reinforce the importance of developing a relationship with your LFS. It's not only a good opportunity to make new friends, but they might (and probably will) be willing to go the extra mile to help you out in a pinch.

Again, welcome!

For God Sakes Man.... Do Not Do Business With Ata! For Some Reason Newbies Always Fall Into The Hands Of These Crooks. Perhaps It's The Low "fake" Prices That They Advertise To Lure Em' In. In The End, You'll Never Wish You Heard Of This Store.... Kiss Your Hard Earned Cash Goodbye!

But On A Brighter Note, Welcome Aboard.... Be Sure To Check With Ron At Aquariums In Motion For Corals And Fish. He Won't Do You Wrong, I Promise! I Think Everyone On This Forum Can Vouch For That. Another Good Place To Go For The Selection (not Price) Is Tong's In Fountain Valley. They Have Probably The Biggest Selection Of Corals And Fish In One Location. They Also Have A Huge Inventory Of Tanks If You Want To See It Before You Buy It. Amazing Reef In Tustin Has All The Hard To Find Corals And Reef Safe Fish. Also Check Out Jimmy At Fish Collection In Placentia. He Is Usually Good At Making You A Deal If You Buy A Whole Set Up. He Can Get You Anything You Want. Hope This Little Bit Of Info Helps... Just Be Cautious Of Ata. I've Been Ripped Off There Before. They May Seem Nice Before You Hand Them Money. After That, You Are On Your Own If You Run Into Any Problems. Btw, Take A Really Good Look At Their Fish If You Should Happen To Drop In Again. Most Of The Fish They Sell Is Infected With Fungus/ich... If You Do Happen To Do Business With Ata, I Wish You Luck. But In My Own Opinion, There Are Better Reputable Shops Out There That Will Take Care Of You Should A Problem Arise. It's Better To Start A Relationship With A Store Like Aquariums In Motion Because They Will Take Good Care Of You Down The Road.

 

[afelder]

Hey, Nano, this may well be the only post I've ever seen that's had every word with a leading capital...

Bruce the reason that every word started with a capital is the software won't let us shout if we use the quick reply anymore. If you type in all caps it just makes every word capitalized. IT'S NOT FAIR I LIKE TO SHOUT ON OCCASION.

 

[Bruce]

Bruce the reason that every word started with a capital is the software won't let us shout if we use the quick reply anymore. If you type in all caps it just makes every word capitalized. IT'S NOT FAIR I LIKE TO SHOUT ON OCCASION.

Ah... IC. I learned something new today!

I thought about how tedious it would have to be to type in caps like that...

Good to know, Ariel! :top: