I give up - everything for sale

[CrystalAZ]

This is NOT an April Fool's joke. You want a new tank? READ THE ENTIRE MESSAGE BELOW VERY CAREFULLY.

I am now 5 months pregnant and we are getting ready to move to Flagstaff, and I am seriously considering selling my tank.

I just don't have time to maintain it as I'd like, and I don't see that getting better with a baby coming. I think I'll just start over when we build our main house (we are temporarily moving into a guest house so we can build the main house).

Here's my problem. I am (or will be) extremely choosy about who I sell to. The lives of my fish, crabs, starfish, urchins and even pods are my responsibility. This is as serious to me as finding a home for a dog or a cat... I don't want it to go to just anyone.

The person who buys my tank should have some experience with reef aquariums. They should appreciate the sanctity of life as much as I do. I would never use Interceptor in my tank and kill my pods, for example. And when cleaning parts or filters, I sift through to find and save any mini-stars and pods. I call it "no pod left behind".

Anyway, I know it sounds silly and saving every little critter is VERY time consuming. But I don't want my tank to go to someone who doesn't feel the same way. Because then the lives lost are my fault. Know what I mean?

And what does the buyer get?

120g 4X4X2 tank with a 30g long sump
ASM G-3 skimmer
250W SE MH with 2 VHO
Maple stand and tall canopy
2 Seio 1100 PHs and a few other types that need to be cleaned (don't kill the mini-stars that live in them though )
Return pump - I forget what it is
Magnum 350 canister filter that needs to be cleaned
Lots of supplies, supplements, test kits, salt, etc.
About 300 pounds of extremely live rock

1 lineatus wrasse
1 scott's fairy wrasse
2 ocellaris clowns
1 zebra goby
4 longspine cardinals
2 green chromis
1 yellow tang
Hermit crabs, astraea snails, porcelain crabs, pods, mini-stars (1000s of them), bristleworms, a couple of peppermint shrimp, limpets, asterinas, hair worms, nassarius snails, feather dusters, and lots of other small critters

Lots of soft corals (zos, palythoa, shrooms, leathers, xenia) All the hard ones were lost in my dino crash about 1 1/2 years ago.

You also get something bad, which you have permission to kill. I have quite a few small colonies of colonial hydroids and the only way to kill them is to chisel them out of the rock. The thing is that mini stars live in them, so you have to be willing to save them. I also have a few aiptasia but not many - no big job to get rid of them.

I am looking to sell the whole setup for $600, which is less than you would pay for just the animals in the tank.

I will ONLY SELL AS A FULL SET. No parting out. This will not change, so if you are looking for parts, don't look here.

And lastly, I am not quite ready to part with it yet. It would be in the next month or two. You'd need to have people come and help you tear everything down and transport it since I will be very pregnant and won't be able to help. And of course you have to be willing to save or sift the sand to get all the worms and snails out.

If you are interested, please reply to this thread. I'll talk with you about it and will decide if you are the right person.

You can see older pics of my tank by clicking the red house at the top of the post. Note that none of the hard corals are there now and that the glass and tank are dirtier due to lack of maintenance. I'll try to take a new pic in the next few days.

Just posting this makes me sad and more than a little sick, but I know it is the right thing to do for my animals.

Crystal

[CrystalAZ]

I forgot 2 titanium heaters, fan, light timer, ballast, etc. in my post. I am sure there is more that I am forgetting, but it is a full system.

Crystal

[CrystalAZ]

One last thing - my website has a page called "Setup" that explains what all the equipment is and even has cost information.

The items on that page add up to $2641 spent on the tank, and that doesn't include the thousands spent on live rock and stuff since then. Ok, now I really feel sick.

Crystal

[Doglover_50]

Crystal, you've got PM.

[Red Sox Fan]

I have some experience. I use to have a reef tank for a few years. Probably not as much as you want, But I am dying to get back into it and your tank sounds perfect.

[CrystalAZ]

Originally posted by Old Rookie
I have some experience. I use to have a reef tank for a few years. Probably not as much as you want, But I am dying to get back into it and your tank sounds perfect.

The amount of experience isn't as important as the attitude toward the life in the tank.

I would just like the buyer to have enough experience to where they can take apart and put together the system on their own and then begin caring for it without a lot of instruction from me.

Crystal

[kirstenk]

Sorry to see ya getting out but with the baby and a move in the future I can understand.

Best of Luck!!

[badfish]

First off, Crystal I want to congratulate you on the baby.
I have been to Crystals house a few times back in the day and this is a beautiful setup. I see you finally got the "bully" Squarespot Anthias out.

[iboard2]

I am interested, you got PM

[CrystalAZ]

I have several PMs... I will be responding to interested people within the next week or so.

As noted above, I want to make sure it goes to the right person. And yes, I know I am charging much less than the setup is worth - money isn't a factor to me. Just want to get it in the right hands.

Crystal

[CrystalAZ]

I have several PMs... I will be responding to interested people within the next week or so.

As noted above, I want to make sure it goes to the right person. And yes, I know I am charging much less than the setup is worth - money isn't a factor to me. Just want to get it in the right hands.

Crystal

[azhockeynut]

Crystal it is very sad to see you go.
I have 4 kids of my own and had to go from the same size down to a 29g nano setup. Broke my heart. Best of luck and congrats on the pregnancy.

[random_ryan]

Good luck crystal. hope to see you back in the hobby soon.

[CrystalAZ]

I'll be back. We still plan on building 2 in-wall 300 gallon tanks in our new home, and I'll just start over then. I may have to pay someone to do water changes and cleaning, but I can't see my life without a tank.

Thanks for all the well-wishes! As much as I love my tank, I can't wait to meet and fall in love with my son.

Crystal

[cwegescheide]

Sorry to see your getting out. I remember seeing pics of your setup quite some time ago. You have a very nice tank. If I was close I'd take it.

Good luck with your new baby