New to Hobby

[wholagan]

this is the one I found http://sandiego.craigslist.org/esd/for/3743973397.html it says it has internal overflow. im guessing it's ready to go

Yep, looks like a left corner clear overflow.

[sherrerb]

Welcome to SDR, the Hobby and maybe, a new addiction! that 135 is a great started tank, same size tank i started out with in 2006. I also live in Chula Vista and know a few guys down here that would be more than willing to open their door for you to take a look at what you are getting yourself into. My door is also open anytime you want to come by and check some stuff out. I also have a nice garage with many wood tools and could help you build a custom stand to fit you better than buying a stand. I have found, and many other reefers on here, that custom stands are way better! they give you a great way to start everything out! check out my build thread and take a look at my stand i built for my 125 peninsula. also, i would highly suggest you take your time when setting your new tank up. it may take 2-6 months to do it the right way and not kill your wallet all in one week. if you would like to come by and check my tank out and ask some questions, shoot me a PM and we can schedule something. i am free in the evenings during the week and anytime on the weekends. have a great day and again, WELCOME TO SDR!

[FoxhoundTSX]

Welcome to SDR, the Hobby and maybe, a new addiction! that 135 is a great started tank, same size tank i started out with in 2006. I also live in Chula Vista and know a few guys down here that would be more than willing to open their door for you to take a look at what you are getting yourself into. My door is also open anytime you want to come by and check some stuff out. I also have a nice garage with many wood tools and could help you build a custom stand to fit you better than buying a stand. I have found, and many other reefers on here, that custom stands are way better! they give you a great way to start everything out! check out my build thread and take a look at my stand i built for my 125 peninsula. also, i would highly suggest you take your time when setting your new tank up. it may take 2-6 months to do it the right way and not kill your wallet all in one week. if you would like to come by and check my tank out and ask some questions, shoot me a PM and we can schedule something. i am free in the evenings during the week and anytime on the weekends. have a great day and again, WELCOME TO SDR!

Thanks for the offer, now I have two ppl that have offered to show me and school me on reef aquariums, that's awesome. I saw your build, it was really nice, I actually have a tab open with the build for reference. The tank im going to purchase today has a stand and canopy so I guess I won't need to worry about that. Yes, I will take my time and do it right. Thanks for the suggestions.

[sherrerb]

If its the Craigslist tank you previously posted, its a grwat looking tank. the only thing i would change would be to make the door openings bigger, that will be something you will thank me for later when you are working under your stand inside your sump. also, you might want to think about putting a door on one end in case you ever want to pull your sump out due to a leak or need to do work on it. these are thing that reefers think about when designing a system.

[bigkahuna]

Welcome to Sdreefs.

[FoxhoundTSX]

Well I guess I am the ultimate newbie........

I went and got the tank, the guy seemed really nice and the tank didn't look in bad shape, I was inspecting it left and right, I didn't even know what I was looking for, all I could tell was that it needed to be cleaned out majorly. it was hard to move, specially in my home, since it was just me and my wife, we ate dinner and I decided to clean the tank, I used water and a small amount of vinegar (to remove the white build up, I read this online). As I am cleaning the tank I noticed there was a crack in the back .... F$%^!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

not the way I was planning to start this, I don't even know if the crack was there or it if happened as we where moving it, we were extremely careful and we didn't even drop it. I'm so demoralized right now, I don't even know what to do, did I just buy a huge glass trash can?

[slicktoppomp]

Aww man sorry to hear that. The least you could do is try to resell the tank again as a reptile tank just to make a little something back. Don't let it get you down though. Keep going.

[bbandu]

First let me say Welcome to the forum and to the hobby.

Second, sorry to hear about the bad experience you had in buying your first tank........ But don't let it get you down.

Have you tried contacting the person that you bought the tank from. You can always find out what it would cost to replace the glass
but whatever you decide to do, I would not use a cracked tank even if it held water.

[socalaly]

Agree with Larry contact the person you bought it from. I've heard not sure if its true but you can replace a glass side. However that might be more expensive than just buying a new tank. If this one doesn't work out there are usually a lot of great tanks FS on the equipment thread. Good luck!

[FoxhoundTSX]

First let me say Welcome to the forum and to the hobby.

Second, sorry to hear about the bad experience you had in buying your first tank........ But don't let it get you down.

Have you tried contacting the person that you bought the tank from.

Yes I did, I called and he didn't answer, so I texted him " Hello Mario, I was just cleaning the tank and noticed there was a crack in the back of it, you didn't mention this to me, and I failed to inspect it properly and didn't see it, please call me so we can discuss this further" obviously he didn't reply :/

I'm trying not to get upset, but how could I have missed that?, someone come to my home and smack me on the face please.

[sherrerb]

What's your address? i'll be there in 5! just kidding man, sorry to hear your misfortune, but like everyone else says, don't let this stop you from enjoying a hobby that you and your wife will love. as for the tank, you were talking about "white" stuff, i would think you might be talking about bleached coralline algae. if that is the fact and there was alot built up on the back glass, it is very possible that you would not be able to see it if the glass had not shifted. so don't beat yourself up about it. I would try to get ahold of this guy and talk it out, if not, then just write it off and move on and find another tank. If you do find another tank, see if someone on here wouldn't mind going with you and helping you out to inspect and move the tank. i have a truck and wouldn't mind at all to go help anyone out!

[wholagan]

Man that sucks. Def try to flip the tank and recoup some cash. Hope it works out.

[FoxhoundTSX]

So as soon as I woke up, I decided to inspect the tank further, and to my surprise the crack is now bigger, it went past the overflow. I left the hose in the tank and it was leaking water inside overnight, so the water level went up slightly, therefore increasing the pressure. I also noticed a chip on the top of the tank which is where I am thinking the whole crack originated from.

an hour later, the guy called me and told me that he inspected the tank prior to selling it and he is going to try to contact someone to try to fix it. He seemed very honest, He said he felt really bad and that he wasn't expecting this unfortunate outcome. He is trying to help, but I still posted the tank on craigslist, at this point I just want it gone, I should have never bought it. :/

[sherrerb]

now that you have posted some better pictures, it looks like the overflow box is a DIY overflow box. which is not a bad thing, but i personally dont touch tanks with any DIY mods when it comes to a glass tank. Just my personal opinion though.

[FoxhoundTSX]

Yeah I wish I would have waited on the tank, I should have never bought it, they guy has officially declined every single offer that i've thrown at him so I can get my money back. is not even worth it anymore...