Good Deal Decisions?!?!?

[weezawoo]

Ahhh
I search for ages for deals and end up having a couple at the same time!!!

I have been offered 25kg of LR delivered by courier for £85. £3.40 per kg

Then someone that lives near me has just got in touch. He is shutting a tank down and has a few things for sale. 50kg rock £5 per KG. so thats £250. BUT he also said I can have a 200l tank FOC dimensions would fit as a sump so doubles my sump as current one is 100l and also his CUC FOC, he said it is only like 6 hermits and maybe some other bits, he has Trigger who liked inbetween snacks! He will deliver for free

I am very tempted to go for the one with the other tank purely because it makes my sump and total litres better! The only problem is the CUC as my tank will not be ready for them. He said I can have 40kg now and the other 10 when he has sold the fish, do you think this would cause problems adding more rock once my tank was cycled and adding the CUC? I know adding extra rock causes mini cycles. This seems like a good deal and I cant make my mind up. Was meant to send the money over the the guy for the 25kg tonight!

Buying the 25kg means I need to still buy something like 20kg so say this was £5 a KG would total £100 extra.

ARGH

What would you do? Any questions I need to ask myself or them?

 

[woody88]

Go for the one with the tank! Adding extra LR doesn't make much difference so long as it's transported quickly and stays in water.

I've added extra rock to my tank quite a few times and never had any probs. Certainly no ammonia spike or anything like that. Although I did get a small amount of diatoms but that didn't last long with CUC.

 

[HappyGeorge]

Agree with Woody, if you can get rock and CUC and as long as you can heat it and get a bit of flow in there then the CUC should be ok. Plus you presumably know what his rock is like, where as with the other stuff I assume you haven't seen it so will be taking a chance.

 

[weezawoo]

I have asked for pics, I cant go to see the rock as he is 40mins away and I don't drive.
I am only worried about the CUC but if I can setup the tank for 2-3 weeks before the last bit of rock comes it should be ok?
He has actually also offered me 2 chromis for £10.

 

[HappyGeorge]

Well a marine tank isn't going to do anything until the Live Rock goes in, up until then it's just a box of salty water, as long as it is the right temp and salinity if you then stick the rock in and it has been kept submerged then you should be ok, I would skip on the Chromis though for now. I only paid £4 for my Chromis from the LFS so £10 for 2 is no kind of deal at all.

 

[woody88]

Well a marine tank isn't going to do anything until the Live Rock goes in, up until then it's just a box of salty water, as long as it is the right temp and salinity if you then stick the rock in and it has been kept submerged then you should be ok, I would skip on the Chromis though for now. I only paid £4 for my Chromis from the LFS so £10 for 2 is no kind of deal at all.

Agreed! My 3 green chromis were a tenner so tell him to #29### off on that score!

Or better yet offer him a fiver for the 2.

Actually like HG says don't get them or any fish just yet. Need to get the live rock in first and leave for a few days.

 

[weezawoo]

Thats what I thought, wasn't sure on their value but didn't want to be getting fish yet tbh!

Feel bad on the other guy but seeing as I get this other tank also I think it would be better! Waiting on definate dimensions of it to guarantee it fits in the cabinet, but he said 1ft wide so thats same as the current one!

Be more beneficial to have that extra 100l

SO do you think I could go for the full 50kg at once then? Just if I do that the CUC come with it at that point.

 

[woody88]

If you can get the full 50 kilo in at once then that would be better. Just try to keep it in water at all times if you can.

If its coming out of an established tank and it's transported in water then I'm betting you don't get a cycle at all.

Like HG says tho you will need heat and flow if the CUC comes with it. How far away is it from yours?

 

[weezawoo]

I have asked him if he can transport in saltwater to prevent as little dieoff as pos! Its only a 40min drive 50 at max if traffic is bab. He is 35 miles away by motorway.

I have to get my plumbing in this week so hoping it goes well!
The only small problem with this is I will have to be running it with the current sump tank until the other one comes with the LR. Now do I:

1. fix in the plumbing running to the sump but no baffles etc in place. Return pump is with flexi tube so won't be fixed in. Will running it without baffles until I get the new one fixed be a problem?

2. have a lower level of water in the tank below the current holes and just run the water with heater and P/H in the tank. Have the plumbing ready for when the new tank is ready to be made to a sump and fitted

3. Get a large water container, leave tank empty and put rock and CUC in the tub with heaters etc until I get the tank properly sorted.

Hope this makes some kind of sense!

 

[HappyGeorge]

If you can get the full 50 kilo in at once then that would be better. Just try to keep it in water at all times if you can.

If its coming out of an established tank and it's transported in water then I'm betting you don't get a cycle at all.

+1 to that, did 30 miles for the rock for my nano from a mature tank breakdown and got no cycle, then did 55 miles for the coral covered, 100kg of LR and CUC bought back stuck it in a bath of salted, heated and skimmed water and experienced no cycle at all and lost neither any coral or any of the CUC. Then more recently did 75 miles for 50kg of rock for my 5 ft, again with a small CUC and once again no cycle. In all cases they came out of immaculate tanks, with good lighting and I tested all those tanks water at 0 Nitrate and Phosphate, then I stuck all the rock in plastic crates and submersed them in tank water for the journey.
So no cycle is more than feasible.

 

[weezawoo]

I have asked him about the tank paras and if he ran phosphate remover etc just waiting for a reply!

 

[woody88]

Even if his params aren't perfect, so long as they're not awful then you'll be ok as you have no live stock in and you can leave the tank to settle for a few days. You'll know if the guys tank has phosphates in or not as the LR will prob be covered in green hairy algae! Lol

 

[weezawoo]

Well here are some pics of the rock:

He runs phos reactor and said no problems ever in the tank. He got the rock from a lfs that has a good rep as I have heard on another forum.

Looks ok as far as I can see!

 

[woody88]

Nope! No green hair algae on that rock!...........Go, get it!

 

[weezawoo]

Im getting very excited! Hopefully getting the piping etc tomorrow. Plan on getting the LR next weekend. I have waited too long for this