300 vs 375

[McCrary]

I have been meaning to upgrade my 110 for a while now and decided to go with an AGE Starphire 300 (96" long x 24" wide x 30" tall) or AGE optiwhite 370 (96" long x 30" wide x 30" tall). I talked to my local shop and he said that the price is going to go up quite a bit with the 370 because it is going to use thicker glass and won't be a standard size. I am waiting for quotes for the 300 and 370, but it doesn't seem like they have come in yet. I was hoping some of you guys could tell me if you think the extra 6" of width is going to be worth the extra money and what I can expect to pay for the tanks. Also, if you guys have any advice on bracing it would be appreciated, the quotes are for eurobracing, but if there's a better bracing design I would love to hear from about it. Thanks

 

[Black Mammoth]

I would really say it is up to you. Another 6" would be nice and you get the extra depth look. But why stop there, why not another 12" or another 24"? It just never seems to end. At some point you will have to decide on what you feel is best for you. I don't know how much the extra 6" will cost you, but if you are comfortable with it, then go for it. If you have doubt, I would just go for the 300. Actually, I'm in the process of trying to procure a 300g myself. Also, you may want to think about how the tank will be displayed; meaning is it an in wall tank or something you can walk around? With the in wall tank (provided you don't see the end), you will only gain depth with the 6" and not viewing area. So maybe it isn't worth the extra money at that point.

 

[crvz]

Having a 24" tank (front to back), I'd really like something in the 30 or 36" range. So I'd go with the 375. BUT, I don't know that I'd like a 30" deep tank, seems like access for maintenance would be a pain.

 

[dvmsn]

375 all the way. I just got one of the new perfecto 36 tanks and will never go back to a tank with smaller dimensions.

 

[klviper]

I went 375. I love the depth look and is giving me a lot more options with the rock work. With 24 it's almost straight up and down with the rock work.

 

[McCrary]

klviper- How thick is the glass on your 375?

 

[rlxwcapt]

I am working with a customer that was in the same delima as you. I convinced him to go 36. If it was me I would change the height as well. Make it shorter 24 26 or 28. If you go 30" with euro-brace it will be impossible to clean and move things around. If you lower the height you will save more then going wide. The higher you go the more pressure so the glass needs to be thicker. Good luck Nick

 

[sabodish]

i can tell you my old tank was 96x24x36 and i loved it..made of 1/2" glass and cross braced. the extra depth does look good, but i guess it would depend on how much extra it was..if it doubles the cost of the tank, i would stick with the 300.

 

[hawaiian_boi]

why not go 30 deep and 24 high..... would save on the starfire glass i suppose since it will be shorter.... i have a 240 and its 24 deep and would have loved the added 6 inches.......plus isnt 96x 30 x24 high a standerd size?

 

[klviper]

I went acrylic.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13005780#post13005780 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by McCrary
klviper- How thick is the glass on your 375?

 

[wmilas]

IMHO depth is more important than height. I'd sacrifice some height for more depth. I went 36 deep and 30 high. I'm a larger person so the 30" high for me is ok. I would have loved to be 48" deep but I couldn't get it in the house without knocking down brick walls/windows.

 

[McCrary]

Well seems like the extra depth may be worth the extra money. I am still waiting on the price quotes for the two tanks, hopefully the 370 won't be too much more than the 300.

 

[savethereef]

i had a tank that was 48L x 18w x 30H and the 30 inch height really killed it. It was really beautiful but maintanance was a pita. As for me in the future i will go with a 6 foot long 30 inch wide and 24 height. deeper tanks look nice.

 

[McCrary]

I got the price quotes back from AGE and the 370 isn't going to be that much more than the 300, good news.

 

[tangers]

I would def. go with the extra depth. You can never have too much when it comes to aquascaping.

 

[Cheekymonkey]

If I could afford the extra tank, I would have went for the 375 as well.

 

[FishTruck]

375 for sure. Some considerations... make sure you can get the tank into the room through existing doors. I had to trim my tank plan to 28 inches depth for this reason. With proper tools, the 30 inch height won't be too difficult to manage if you are somewhere close to 6 feet tall. You need to aquascape in a way that you can still scrape your panels easily.... so think about that too.

 

[McCrary]

Yea, the tank can get into the house, but it can't get into the room that I was originally going to put it in, which means I am going to end up rearranging the living room.