Reasonable Price For A 280 Gallon?

[attibones]

I'm looking on the Craigslist this morning because I'm broke and I don't want to get out of bed, but I saw a 280 gallon freshwater with stand and lights for 1200 dollars. I just wanted your opinions on something like this. Is that a reasonable offer? Something in me is telling me it is a ridiculous price. The tank is beautiful though. If only I had more money.

Sort of unrelated but I've also been looking into just building my own larger aquarium. Of course, I'm bad at math, but I think the only thing I would need to look into would be the thickness of the glass. Is this cheaper than buying a built tank, do you think?

 

[Sickbound]

I would imagine that building your own aquarium would be a lot cheaper, but extremely difficult to do; not to mention risky if you didn't do it right. 

 

[attibones]

Of course I would have to be careful and consult several people who know more about this than I do, but I was just curious. The stand that comes with the aforementioned tank is absolutely beautiful. 1200 is pretty steep, though, which is why I wanted to know about the price of building.

 

[DanielAnderson]

I would say that this is a great price as I paid about 1400 for my 55g with stand and hood only in a fish store

 

[attibones]

Well that's the thing. This is a used tank and stand. I paid about 150 for my fifty-five gallon, filter, heater, stand, and hood.

 

[Wills]

It sounds like a good deal to me - about £791 to us in the UK - I paid £600 for my 135 gallons which was a new price but big tanks like this are not exactly common are they? With the stand and the lights its a good price I think.
 
An other cost to consider with tanks this size is - moving them... do not underestimate the weight of the tank!! Its an incredible weight and you really do never fully appreciate it.
 
Wills

 

[attibones]

I don't know how I would move the thing (if I were to come into some money), as I know it won't fit in my truck. I had issues enough with getting my 55 into my truck with the stand. I don't think I would be comfortable pulling in on a trailer either, as its a two hour drive one way. If I were to get the tank, I imagine at least the tank would fit in the bed of my cousin's truck. We could wrap it in blankets. Then I could either borrow his trailer or try to fit the stand in my truck. It sounds like a hassle.

I would love to upgrade from my 55, though. I could probably scrape up the money, too, if I spent frugally, got a second job and sold my 55 and its stand. Of course, one never knows how long the individual will have the tank before it is sold.

I assume that a canister filter would be the way to go with a tank like this?



I decided to post an image of the tank. According to some calculations, the tank itself will weigh well over one ton when filled with water. I would have to have a contractor or somebody check the stability of my floors.

 

[snazy]

Oh, wow, how do you open the lid on that thing?
 
Filtration, substrate, decor, possibly plants if you are getting are all going to add quite an amount.
I would not use just one filter on that size tank, you'd need several, two large canisters minimum, so that's quite a lot of money additionally if you want to do it right.

 

[attibones]

The listing says it comes with a filter, which I'm assuming is a canister. I have no idea how one would get in there, but it looks beautiful, and it appears to have a decent width to it, which means loaches (possibly). It's probably not going to be possible for me to purchase the tank because of the finances alone. Substrate wouldn't be too expensive. It would run me about ten dollars, and the decor I could use from other tanks. It would be the plants, heater, and additional filter which would break the budget, not to mention transportation, fish, and the guy who would determine if my house would fall down or not.

Problem is I really want it! Birthday is too far away, too.

 

[Wills]

Depending on the filter it will cost as much again for all the equipment you would need. I would run 2 big external filters like FX5s at least if not 3 or 4 lol. I would want 3 or 4 good heaters in there as well - the substrate will be pretty cheap and also dont underestimate how much decor they can take but I do like a big island in the middle of a huge tank which leaves loads of swimming space on the outside.
 
Tanks like this do come up now and again and I think the fact your interested now it makes sense to start saving for when the right one comes along
 
Wills

 

[attibones]

My doctor says that aquariums are good for me. My wallet, not so much. I love having projects, which helps several of my disorders, and my doctor and I agree that aquariums keep me busy and interested, and they are a good way for me to do obsessive research on things which won't just make me anxious. I'll make a new goal of mine, as this one has come up during a bad time for me. Oh well, it's fun to think about anyway.

I may just start researching equipment and stuff now, figure up the approximate cost of everything, and turn my savings account into "I REALLY WANT THIS FISH TANK" account.