Buying Aquariums on Ebay - Page 2

Shawn D · 10-30-2006, 09:45 PM

I bought my 75 gallon tank off of ebay and i got a great deal, but I think that it is very important to ask a lot of questions before bidding like gm said and going for a local tank which would enable you to see the tank before you buy it and talk face to face.

fishuz · 11-01-2006, 07:26 PM

I like to start new...But i did see the video of gm333 tank and I'd have to say it looks like e-bay was worth it that time ( nice tank gm333 your fish look happy

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gm333 · 11-01-2006, 07:36 PM

Thanx, but I looked for about 5mnths before I found this tank. As far as starting out new, I would have cost me about 6,000.00 dollars to get the setup I wound up with.

fishuz · 11-01-2006, 07:42 PM

Thats kinda what I thought

Sukai · 05-07-2007, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andy53

Just a thought, you may want to buy from ebay with caution. You never know what someone did to the tank before you. What if the used chemicals or something in an attempt to clean it. It would suck to buy a tank and then have it kill all you fish because someone else posioned it.

I got mine off of craigslist. I like it better than eBay (at least for tanks) because it is a local search and I can go look at it (and no shipping!) It is harder to find things local on eBay.

What was attractive about the one I got is that it had live fish in it. If there are live fish swimming around it makes me a lot more comfortable than buying something drained. I always imagine people getting frustrated with dying fish, draining it and selling it for cheap. You don't know if these people just dont have any idea what they were doing. Maybe they wouldn't let it cycle etc or maybe they really messed it up somehow.

Its good to look for moving deals. People who have a working tank and have to move, they cant take it with them. They often include the fish as well. Be sure to bring a car/truck with a big trunk as well as containers to transport the water (I use 5 gallon buckets with lids, gallon milk jugs work too) Take as much water as you can with you. I went to go look at the tank, bought it, took it home and had it up in my room fish and all within a few hours. It was a great experience but beware of deals out there that are too good to be true.

my 2cents

regulatorocks · 05-07-2007, 03:53 AM

FORGET EBAY

use craigslist.org

in the bay area alone theres hundreds of different tanks for sale, plus alot of other things

eruheru · 08-04-2007, 02:31 PM

craigslist is a lot better than ebay for that kind of stuff. It's all local and its easier to negotiate prices. I've found a few nice local aquarium societies and adoption centers through it as well.

elpaninaro · 08-10-2007, 10:54 PM

For the more experienced, I think buying used tanks can be a great idea when you stumble on a really good deal and have the know-how to get the tank clean and be sure it is safe for use- but even though I have had a few tanks I still refuse to buy used. Here's why,

1. From what I have seen, the best deals come with really large tanks that have lots of extras. In other words- a used 100 gallon reef-ready tank with lots of toys will be a lot bigger bargain compared to new than a basic 20 gallon freshwater setup. If the big RR tank is what you want- then great- but most people are not looking to go that route.

2. Over the years I have seen lots of used tanks on consignment in various LFSs, and virtually all of them have been in a condition I would never permit for any tank of mine. And this is just basic condition and cosmetic care- who knows if the used tank is being sold because someone keeps killing fish in it? A good cleaning can fix that, but that takes a lot of time and investment too- I think very often more time and investment than is worthwhile to save a few bucks by buying used.

3. The tank is the critical basic living environment for the fish- but it is NOT the most expensive part of the whole setup. I got my current 37G tall brand new with pine stand and hood for $137. The gravel, plants, filter, heater and other accessories in this aquarium (and nothing fancy) were more than the cost of the tank. And the fish living in that tank were well more than the cost of the tank.

In the grand scheme of things my fish tank, hood and stand were about 1/4 the total cost of the setup I have going. And it costs about $15 a month to keep it going between food, filters, dechlorinators etc. At $15 a month- that is about $180 a year (not including occasional equipment replacement) to keep it running- which is more than the cost of the tank per year for maintenance.

And yet, the tank is the basis on which the entire investment- and the lives of the fish I am responsible for provided a good life- is rested.

So I just cannot see taking chances by purchasing used tanks for the most part.

If I ever decide to do a massive reef tank, I may well look for used. But I will do so with the expectation that I would need to make a large investment of my time and funds in making sure that tank was as good as new once I started using it.

And, as others have said, I would go craigslist or some other route that would let me inspect first and pay cash after. Sight unseen is no way to buy an aquarium- and I cannot imagine how the cost of shipping one at current going rates could ever make a used one sent via mail any cheaper than a brand new one at the LFS.