Long term member needing help

[Carabelli]

Hi all - it has been a while since I have been on the boards - long time reefer/member since 2001 ... I readily admit I have a bit of an obsession with saltwater aquariums, and in particular the build-out side of things ... I recently left my previous dental office to open my own, and, I need to look at selling my entire setup due to time and money restraints ... namely timefor those of you that know me, I like to go big and go all out - so, I didn't skip any expenses when building this system, and it has grown to be quite the beast ... I am really hoping to find a store or individual that can come and take it all -preferably when I am gone as I don't have the heart to part it out - too painful ... I am hoping for some suggestions on how to find a seller ... also how to set a price - I shudder to think of it, but, I am sure I have over 30K in the system ... at any rate, here are some highlights  4 display tanks ... 180 gallon sps dominant with large colonies ... gyre 150, 2 mp40s and 3 apex pumps and flow is still a little light (tons of sps) ... 90 gallon bubble tip dominant system with 20-40 rainbow, rose and neon green bubble tips - mp10 for flow ... 30 gallon lps dominant system ... nano standalone system ... the 3 big displays are tied together into a building an obsession custom sump, 2 vectra L1 return pumps, newest apex system with apex doser and reservoir, large external octopus skimmer with neck cleaner, redundant pumps for the 2 feed pumps and skimmer pump, chiller, nano box led lights, all rimless custom pumps and custom stands ... elaborate system ... please help a long term hobbyist find his way with minimal pain

 

[Steve]

Dallas North Aquarium can assist you with making it painless, as far as logistics. It's never painless to break down when it's going to a new home.

 

[jenkinscrew]

I was going to suggest checking with a local fish store as well. I have also seen Saltwater Paradise post and part out some systems as well.

 

[jccaclimber]

I guess the question is, do you plan to get back in?  If you do I'd honestly sell all of the livestock, then mothball the rest in storage.  Even 5-10 years out you'll be ahead vs. selling and buying new.Want to sell it to a fish store?  Just a guess, but I'd guess some fraction of wholesale (I've always wondered about this on large system breakdowns).Finding someone to move it shouldn't be hard, there are plenty of people both on the board and in the LFS community capable of executing a move of that magnitude. Starting with lowest return and least pain:Sell to a LFS outright.Then increasing order of pain but also increasing returns (I've seen all of these done in DFW in the last year)Sell with moving costs included, and pre-arranged moves.Sell as-is, but require the buyer to arrange the move.Sell, and let the buyer move.Part it out.

 

[alanbetiger]

Ahhh that sucks man. I met you last year to trade the miami hurricane chalice. I literally just thought about it myself, but I got lucky and grabbed a few relief shifts per month to stay put.So my current 350 gallon with about 100 sump with all equipment that was 11 months old was probably about $8000. Then livestock. Best I could do is about $2000. In my experience I've only be able to recoup about 10% or so of the original cost when selling on forums or through a store with larger tanks. Personally as long as you are staying in your house, I'd just leave it running and only top off the system with RODI. Don't do water changes and you'd be surprised what lives.