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opinions on new tank (1 Viewer)

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Guest

looks like i maybe moving in a few months or so, and will be able to get a new tank(maybe 2) for my study. wanted ya'lls imput on tanks sizes and why thoses tanks. i like the bow fronts and was thinking of going with a 175g bow and maybe a 52 or 90 corner tank. if YOU had this chance to do this what would you get and why?
 
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Guest

300g minimum! Always go for the biggest you can afford. The bowfronts worry me as most people on RC has either had a leak or it fell into pieces. You may want to do a search on bowfront on reefcentral.com. This is usually with Oceanic.
 
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Guest

Those corners are cool but everyone that has one has a terrible time trying to fit equipment under the tank.
 
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Guest

300 gallons are so cool!! I have always wanted one that size. There are so many things you could do with one that size, whether it be FO or reef. The bigger you get, the more you will ultimately have to invest. Of course if you aren't limiting yourself too much, then definitely go bigger... Go for something larger if it is possible.
 

aqua-nut

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I think buying a new fish tank should take a lot of things into consideration...

1. If you're planning to keep SPS, you'll want a tank that's not too deep or you'll spend a fortune on lighting and a huge chiller.
2. Unless the room is designated as the "tank room", putting a 300 gallon tank in a 9x14 room won't allow for much of anything else to be done with it.
3. I must agree... bowfronts or corner tanks are probably not a good idea for all the reasons listed above.
4. Insure that when you buy the tank, you also have enough money for the sump, the best lighting money can afford, pumps, etc. Ain't nothin' worse than having a hobby you can't afford to enjoy fully. A smaller, well equipped tank will be far more fun than a larger one you can't afford to equip and maintain.
5. Tanks over 90 gallons usually require a chiller. Put $600 in your plan if you want a large tank.
6. The bigger the tank, the more water you'll have to change and the more top off water will have to be added due to humidity in the winter months here in Houston. I'm stating the obvious, but if you don't have a RO/DI unit, you won't believe how much this helps with water changes and addition... budget $80 for one if you don't have one. ReefSafe Canada has them on Ebay for less than half of local retailers.

I hope this helps! I was given a very nice 150 gallon setup with good lighting, a chiller and large pumps... but I didn't count the costs of maintaining it, let alone filling it up with critters. Wish I'd had someone sit me down who knew all it would cost so I could have saved up the money to do it right instead of upgrading everything, which has been far, far more expensive.
 

jawsk2

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I've got a 92 corner bowfront from Oceanic that I absolutely love.
You're welcome to come check it out it you're gonna be in Clear Lake any time. I especially like the 3 foot depth in the center for aquascaping.
 
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lil info on the room its 18x14 so it has plenty of room if thats where we end up moving to. and i prob wont do anything that would need mh lighting but i might. i'd prob just go with all vho but they would all the way across the tank so that would be at least 8 i belive. or 16 depending on the size of the bulb i go with.(that would be on a 24" wide tank)
tank size i would like is ??x24"x24" of course the ones listed above
 

fishcraze

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I have a 180gal tank and happy w/ that size since it requires a moderate spending on lighting and equipment. When you go above 200gal, the equipment costs start going up quickly. For example, you may need at least a 1/2hp chiller (instead of 1/4 or 1/3hp ones), much bigger skimmers. And if the tank is too wide (>24") then you need more bulbs to cover, or too deep (>24") you may have to go w/ MH as the only choice... And it all depends on how much you can afford. When estimating the costs, don't forget the monthly spending on utility (mainly), supplement, food.. For a 180gal system, the utility costs could go b/t $50 - $100/ month -depending on the #s of pumps/ powerheads/ bulbs/ chiller/ heater/ fans..

For the lighting system, I would recommend a mix of 10K MH and VHOs - which would be both economical (in utility costs) and lighting-effiecient. When I upgraded from a 30gal to the 180gal, I also thought i'd stay w/ all VHOs, but then now end up w/ ~ 3 VHOs and 2 MH bulbs (and may add one more in the center brace section).
 
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Guest

think i am going to stay under 200gal i might can get a 170 for a good deal plus i will keep my 46 gal bowfront and might see what used tanks are out there when the time comes. maybe a 125gal or so i do want more than one but it all depends on how it all goes!!!!!
 

fishcraze

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Did you mean the 170g bow front? I heard many people had leaking problems w/ that type of tank. It's also hard to build a customed canopy for that tank too.

If you're interested in used tank, I am planning on selling my current 180 gal tank (tk+stand+canopy) when I move to the new house next month. I bought it last January, still pretty new. I'm going to build an in-wall tank - so I don't need the current stand and the canopy, and also want to change the tank to a 180 gal euro-braced tank (no center brace as the current one) or acrylic tank. I'll post this tank on the sale section soon.
 
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fishcraze said:
Did you mean the 170g bow front? I heard many people had leaking problems w/ that type of tank. It's also hard to build a customed canopy for that tank too.

If you're interested in used tank, I am planning on selling my current 180 gal tank (tk+stand+canopy) when I move to the new house next month. I bought it last January, still pretty new. I'm going to build an in-wall tank - so I don't need the current stand and the canopy, and also want to change the tank to a 180 gal euro-braced tank (no center brace as the current one) or acrylic tank. I'll post this tank on the sale section soon.

Why dont you get a bigger one now crazyfish? Or did you already tell them the dimensions?
 
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