CoralBay UK | Marine Marketplace guide
How to sell a reef tank breakdown on CoralBay UK
Selling a complete reef setup, clearing equipment or rehoming livestock? Create one organised listing, choose whether to sell in stages or as an entire setup, and keep buyers informed as the breakdown progresses.
CoralBay's Marine Marketplace is designed for real reefing situations: moving house, downsizing, leaving the hobby or selling several related items without making dozens of separate adverts.
Choose your selling method
Two ways to list a tank breakdown
The latest Marine Marketplace breakdown form supports both a staged sale and an entire setup sale. Choose the option that matches how you want to sell, rather than forcing every item into the same process.
Staged sale
Best when you need to sell parts of the aquarium separately, in a controlled order. For example, corals might be available now, while fish and equipment are available only after an earlier group has been cleared.
- Choose which groups are available now or later.
- Give individual items their own prices and statuses.
- Buyers select available items when enquiring.
- You decide when a later group is released.
Entire setup sale
Best when you want to sell the whole system as one package. Buyers can still see what is included, but your main offer is the complete setup at one asking price.
- Enter an overall asking price for the setup.
- See the individual-item value total and a suggested bundle price.
- Receive enquiries about the complete package.
- Choose whether to allow individual-item enquiries too.
You can use this for more than closing a whole tank. The same multi-item listing is useful for an equipment bundle, coral collection or livestock clear-out. A normal marketplace listing is still simpler for one individual item.
For sellers
Create your breakdown listing
The setup begins inside the ordinary Marine Marketplace listing form. The breakdown option reveals the extra controls you need.
- Open the selling form. Go to List a Marine Marketplace item and sign in to your CoralBay account if needed.
- Enable the breakdown form. Tick "Is this listing a full tank breakdown, entire setup, or multiple-item sale?"
- Choose the sale type. Select Staged sale or Entire setup sale under Breakdown sale type.
- Select your groups. Tick Rock / live rock, Corals, Livestock or Equipment as needed, then add the items in each selected group.
- Add the practical details. Enter your location, optional main description and photographs, and complete any other applicable form fields.
- Submit the listing. Use the form's submission button and allow the photos to finish uploading. The listing may require approval before it appears publicly.
Do not refresh during submission. Wait until the upload and save process finishes, particularly if you have attached several photographs.
Organise the sale
The four breakdown groups
You can enable any combination of groups. A group is simply a way to organise the items so buyers can understand what is included.
Rock / live rock
Pieces of live rock, coral-covered rock, aquascape pieces and similar items.
Corals
Colonies, coral collections and individual pieces being rehomed.
Livestock
Fish and other aquarium animals, with collection arrangements suited to their welfare.
Equipment
Lighting, skimmers, pumps, dosing equipment, tanks, stands and accessories.
Details for individual items
Each item can have a name, price, price mode, status, optional description and optional photo. For a staged sale, choose Fixed price or Open to offers.
Descriptive names such as "Purple tang, approx. 12 cm" or "Skimmer with pump and controller" are easier for buyers to understand than "Fish 1" or "Equipment".
Availability for each group
Choose Available now to show items immediately, or Available once earlier group is cleared for a later stage.
For a staged sale, the later group remains locked until the preceding enabled group is marked as cleared or skipped. You can also make two groups available at once.
Selling method 1
How a staged breakdown works
Use stages when buyers cannot reasonably collect every part of the aquarium immediately. The order below is only an example; choose the sequence that is practical and safe for your system.
- Choose the first available group. You might start with corals, or live rock that can safely be removed.
- Mark later groups as available after the previous group is cleared. These remain visible as an outline and item count, without the individual item details.
- Handle enquiries for available items. Buyers can tick one or more available items and contact you about those selections.
- Update item statuses yourself. Mark items Reserved, Sold or Withdrawn / skipped as appropriate.
- Move on when ready. Mark the group Cleared / move on or Skipped / move on to allow the next stage to appear.
Do you have to start with live rock?
No. The first enabled group can be any relevant group. If you are not selling rock, leave it unticked. If your livestock must remain in the tank until other items are removed, keep it in a later stage.
Likewise, Rock / live rock and Corals can both be made available immediately if that suits your setup.
Staging is a planning aid, not an instruction to dismantle a functioning aquarium in a particular order.
Important: Selling or reserving the last item does not automatically clear its group. The seller must update the group status to release the next stage. Enquiries do not automatically reserve items either.
Selling method 2
How an entire setup sale works
This option is designed for one complete package, even when you want to show buyers a detailed list of what's included.
Set the package price
Enter the amount you are asking for the whole setup in "Entire setup asking price (£)".
The form calculates an Individual sale value total from your available items, alongside a Suggested package price based on roughly 30% off that total.
That suggestion is a reference point only. The seller decides the actual asking price.
Decide how buyers can enquire
Buyers can use "Enquire about full setup" to contact you about the package.
You can also enable "Allow buyers to enquire about individual available items" if you would consider splitting items from the package.
Turn that option off if you want enquiries about the complete setup only.
Pricing example: If individually available items add up to £1,000, the suggested package price would be around £700. That is not a required discount, an automatic selling price or a guarantee of market value. Use realistic second-hand values and set your own total price.
Keep the listing current
Manage items and groups from My Account
After creating the listing, visit My Account / My listings, find the breakdown and open "Manage breakdown item and group statuses". Save your changes when you finish.
Individual item statuses
Buyers may select this item in a live staged group.
Shows the item as reserved and stops new item selections.
Shows that the item is no longer available to purchase.
Use when the item is no longer part of your sale.
Group statuses for staged sales
Leave this selected while the group is still active.
Use when the group has been dealt with; the next eligible stage can open.
Move past a group without indicating that all its items were sold.
Remember: CoralBay does not infer that an item is reserved or sold just because you received an enquiry. Accurate statuses are the seller's responsibility. The management screen also allows changes to the breakdown sale type and entire-setup price.
For buyers
What buyers see and how enquiries work
A breakdown appears as a single marketplace listing with its included groups and item details, rather than one separate advert for every fish, coral or piece of equipment.
Available now
In a staged sale, open groups display the individual items with their prices, descriptions, photos where provided, and statuses. Available items can be selected for an enquiry.
Available later
Locked groups show that more items are planned, with their group name and number of items, but the detailed item list remains hidden until the seller releases that stage.
Enquire privately
Buyers sign in to CoralBay and send a private message using the relevant enquiry button. In an entire setup sale, there is a dedicated full-package enquiry option.
Enquiry does not mean purchase. A message simply begins a conversation. Buyer and seller still need to agree the price, arrangements for collection, timing and payment. The breakdown form is not an automatic reservation or staged checkout system.
Practical selling advice
Make the breakdown easier for everyone
For a clear listing
- Use a clear main photo and add item photos for valuable or easily confused items.
- Use specific item names and realistic prices, rather than hiding every price in one long description.
- Include dimensions, condition, equipment faults and which accessories are included.
- State whether collections can happen now or only when a later stage opens.
- Update statuses promptly when items are reserved, sold or withdrawn.
For a responsible breakdown
- Plan the order around animal welfare and the continued operation of the aquarium.
- Keep appropriate heating, circulation, oxygenation and biological filtration in place until livestock is safely moved.
- Agree how buyers will transport fish, corals, rock and heavy equipment before collection.
- Do not feel pressured into releasing items before they are ready to be removed safely.
- Use your CoralBay messages to confirm the details in writing.
Common questions
Tank breakdown FAQs
Is this only for a full tank closure?
No. The same tool can organise an equipment clear-out, livestock sale or multiple related items.
Do I have to enable all four groups?
No. Tick only the groups you need. If you are not selling live rock, for example, you can leave that group disabled.
Can I show corals and rock at the same time?
Yes. Set both groups to Available now if the items are ready for collection.
Does the next stage open when every item is sold?
Not automatically. Mark the earlier group as Cleared / move on or Skipped / move on.
Can buyers enquire about one item in a full-package sale?
Only if the seller enables individual-item enquiries. Enquiries about the complete package remain available.
Can I revise the asking price or sale type?
Yes. Open the breakdown management controls from your listing to change the sale type and, for entire setups, the package price.
Are items automatically reserved when someone messages?
No. You must update the relevant item status yourself after agreeing a reservation or sale.
Does the buyer need an account?
Yes, in the current default setup, the buyer signs in or creates a free CoralBay account to send private CoralBay messages to the seller.
Ready to list your aquarium breakdown?
Make one organised listing, choose your selling method and manage the process at your own pace.
This guide describes CoralBay Marine Marketplace's multi-item breakdown tool. Listings are arranged between independent buyers and sellers. Check the relevant CoralBay terms and policies for the rules that apply to your transaction.