75g or 125g Owners inside please...

[stereomandan]

After 10 years with my 38g, I'm upgrading to either a 75g or a 125g. There are pro's and cons to both. I'd like to hear your thoughts. BTW, I'm sticking to PC and VHO lighting. I have one 96W daylight PC, and up to 4 48 inch VHO bulbs.

Here are a few of my thoughts:

75g -
- I like that it's not too tall at 20".
- I like that 4 ft. VHO bulbs will light the entire length
- I like that 5-10% water changes are still manageable with 5g buckets.

125g
- I like the 6 ft. length. It has a "presence"
- Water changes would be a chore
- 4 ft lights don't cover entire width.
- I like the 22" height.
- I'm worried that the tank would look bare, changing over from a 38g.

Dan

 

[yeame]

I had my 75g for 3 years finaly got a 125g I started with a 29g go with the 125 if you can it is amazing how much room the extra 2' will give you. with the sides dark it will give you a plase for low light corals like chili coral or some mushrooms and it will give you the room for a tang or trigger or angel none of which were happy in my 75g

 

[stereomandan]

Great to hear from someone with experience owning both sizes. Thanks.

How is the maintenance between the 75g and 125g?

Anyone else?

Dan

 

[JJohn]

I was limited by space and went with a 4' 75G.

What I like:
I can reach the bottom to pick things up or rearrange rocks/coral.
It doesn't dominate the room, too much. (it is still pretty big)
I use 5G buckets for water changes 4.5G every week seems enough.
Big enough to do some creative aquascaping.
Harmony at home with my family.

What I hate: not big enough for a showcase fish like a big tang or angel. Okay, okay, I confess... I have a yellow tang but I have had him for about 7 years and he's doing great. That limitation is my only regret.

John

 

[theatrus]

What about the 4'x2'x2' 120g size?

 

[stereomandan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8027081#post8027081 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by theatrus
What about the 4'x2'x2' 120g size?

I thought about it, but I'd rather have my fish and corals spread out width wise, rather than front to back, which can hide corals, or make them hard to see.

Coming from a 12" tank (front to back) to a 18" tank will be great. The extra 6" is all I need to make aquascaping work for me. Plus, reaching into the back corners of a 120 would be nearly impossible.

Dan

 

[stereomandan]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8027053#post8027053 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JJohn
I was limited by space and went with a 4' 75G.

What I like:
I can reach the bottom to pick things up or rearrange rocks/coral.
It doesn't dominate the room, too much. (it is still pretty big)
I use 5G buckets for water changes 4.5G every week seems enough.
Big enough to do some creative aquascaping.
Harmony at home with my family.

What I hate: not big enough for a showcase fish like a big tang or angel. Okay, okay, I confess... I have a yellow tang but I have had him for about 7 years and he's doing great. That limitation is my only regret.

John

Thanks for the info. I'm not really into the "showcase fish". I'm more about tank layout for corals, being creative, and making cool places for the fish to swim around/through. Maybe a 75g is closer to my needs. Hmm...

Dan

 

[theatrus]

Well, for what its worth, I've seen some very impressive slope displays on a 120g. Once I move I'm going to upgrade to that size. Yes reaching to all the corners will be a problem, but you really do get 3 viewable sides on such a tank. Makes it look less like a facade

 

[reefinmike]

dont waste your money on a 125 if you dont plan on upgrading the lighting. it wouldnt do the tank a justice.

 

[JeBuS]

get a 4'x2'x2' 120g and ill trade u for my 72"x18"x18" tank i wish i had more depth i think the best tanks i've seen have alot of depth that make for more interseting displays. in my opinion,
get a 4 foot 120gal!!! Plus ur lighting would fit nicely with plenty of room to add more...

 

[mg426]

I have a 125 reef, my son has a 75 reef. His tank looks very nice. A 75 is nice size tank and would be a little cheaper to run?stock.I do like my 125 the extra 2 ft. do make a differance.

 

[yeame]

I have pc and vho lights on my 125 moved from the 75 made a canopy the tank looks great I love vho lighting it looks so much better than mh and dosnt cost $600 to make like the 4-150w hqi's I was going to buy I have 6-96w 10,000k bulbs and 4 80w vho's the extra 2' in the tank is a must all the fish are alot happier and I keep all diferent kinds of corals the clams are in a 20g but other than that you can keep allmost any coral or fish my pink tail trigger would of hated the 4' tank my tang was happy but I got him at 1 1/2" and sold him at 8"-9" and people still complain I had a sohal in a 75g

 

[RevHtree]

I had a 75g before I made the switch to my current 125g. I came across a killer deal on the 125g so I snatched it up. At the time all I had was 4ft PC's. I had 3 different fixtures and could not get much light from them. Here is a Pic of when it was set up with PC's:

PC's only:

Here it is after MH's were added, and before it crashed.

And here it is today:

 

[stereomandan]

Beautiful tank RevHtree.

Thanks everyone for the help. I'm still torn.

The 125g has the wow factor, and I love the 22" height. That's just right.

It's just everything that comes along with the 125 that is holding me back... more rock, more salt for water changes, more lighting, higher electricity bill, bigger pumps... Plus if something ever goes wrong, it's a much bigger problem.

I love the thought of a 6' tank though.

I've always liked the look of the 75g. I think the dimensions work very well together. I'm just a little concerned that I will outgrow it. Considering I've lived with a 38g for 10 years, maybe that's not a concern.

Dan

 

[RevHtree]

Thanks. Thought I would share a light comparison.

The 125g IMO is more forgiving, but the maint plus the equipment is a WOW factor as well...hehe...

I would seriously consider a 120g if I were you. There is so much you can do with it over a 75g.

 

[JJohn]

I got good advice once on this subject. I was torn between a 55G and a 75G. Buy the biggest you think you will ever want or have room for. In the long run you will save money. You will probably never regret going bigger and you may if you don't. Having extra room to let your corals grow out, more swimming space for any larger fish, and more options on landscaping is very nice. The slightly larger tank is no harder to maintain. The initial cost differential will be forgotten in just a few months and you will save money by not buying a bigger tank in just a few more (or ten) years. And, I ask, what price would you put on regret or frustration if you find yourself wishing you went with the larger option?

Just my two cents,
John

 

[stereomandan]

Well, I went out and looked at the 75g during lunch, and I think it's closer to my taste in a tank. I'm concerned that it may be a little too short, so I'm going to look at a 90g tonight also.

The 125g is just a little too large for me. Like I said, I've really enjoyed my little 38g tank, and the extra maintanence expense and cost of equipment for the 125g just put it too far over the edge at this point.

The 120g is a nice option, but this new tank might end up being an in-wall, so the sides wouldn't be viewable anyway. That's a major drawback for the 120g if I went that route. The extra 6" of front to back depth vs the 75g probably wouldn't pay off with my aquascaping style.

Thanks for all the input. You guys and gals are great as usual.

Dan

 

[mattls]

I have a 120g and the extra 6" from front to back is a big difference. The 2ft front to back on the 120 is great. I don't see how your aquascaping style will have anything to do with the 120. WHat ever you can do on the 75 or 90 you can do on the 120 and more. Whether the sides are viewable or not(you still get more water volume which is key). If you start to consider the 90 than I think your making a mistake by not just going with the 120G. Most people regret not going with the biggest tank you can use or afford.

 

[stereomandan]

Well, there are other reasons for not getting such a large and expensive tank at this time. I’m just finishing building my house. I was the general contractor/builder, so it took all of my time besides my regular job. That’s why I haven’t been on this site much over the last year or so. I just need to seed the lawn this week, and it’s finished.

Building a house tends to put a crush on the pocketbook, and a 120g or 125g would really be pushing it right now. I figured if there was enough justification to go with the larger tank, I might go that route and bite the bullet, but I’m leaning towards the 75g right now after hearing the Pro’s and Con’s.

As far as the extra water volume goes… yes, more water is nice from a stability standpoint, but I’ve had great success with my current smaller system (38g tank and 10g sump.) I’ve kept SPS (Monti’s, Acro’s, and Mille’s), softies, and LPS. Everything has grown well in the tank and it’s been stable for a LONG time now. It’s been very neglected over the last year, but I just cleaned it up, and can’t wait to transfer over to a larger tank.

To be honest, I’m sure I would love any of the tank sizes mentioned in this thread, and there are great reasons to own each one. My preference just seems to be leaning towards a 75g or 90g right now.

I do appreciate the input though.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[mattls]

Nice house. Try and go with the 90 then . The equipment you would use for the 75 would be basically the same for the 90. So I don;t see an overall cost differnence between the two except for a few extra dollars for the 90 tank itself. Good luck.