Just for kicks I went back and took a look at a dozen or so pages of posts from the first few months that this forum was up, and I couldn't help but find it interesting just how far we have come in a relatively few short years.
Back then it seems that the majority of tanks were in the 225-400gal range, with 300/300+ being quite the norm. Anything over 500gals seemed to be the exception rather than the rule. And those select few that went into four digits....? Well, they certainly must be crazy, but oh how we dreamed to be able to trade places with them.
But now.....
It does appear that the old standby 225gal doesn't even get the blood worked up anymore. 300+ gals is so yesterday, and even 400gals seems to be right on the edge of making the jump from the everyday reefer to the guys in the secret handshake club. One need only take a look at the last few months of posts to see that 500gals, 700gals and even 1,000gals are popping up more and more frequently.
Even more interesting is the number of reefers who I am noticing are leap-froging from smaller tanks to relatively large systems without the usual stopover at something in-between. I'm talking about the folks who have maybe a year or two in the hobby that pop in asking about upgrading their 40gal reef to a 96"x36"x30" monster. Now, I'm certainly not trying to pass judgement on whether I think this to be a sound practice, but rather pointing out what I perceive to be a direction the hobby is taking.
But with all of this I now find myself wondering where will the ceiling be in a couple years? Where will we level off at? If at all. Will a 1000+gal tank be just another normal setup by 2009? Will Mr. 4000 be looked upon as a pioneer who inspired so many that there will be a glut of custom homes on the market that will come with their very own in-wall 1,000gal or 2,000gal aquariums? Will designers and builders become so familiar with big tanks that they will be able to incorporate a fish room into that new custom home with a few mouse clicks? ...."You'll need a floor drain for water changes won't ya bub?" "2000 gallons? No problemo." "Fish or reef? OK, gonna need to upgrade the HVAC for that one ....how many gallons is that sump again?"
Or, will rising utility costs level us back off and send us downgrading to something more manageable? Will stricter regulations on wild caught collections price us out of store bought corals altogether? Will the increasing plagues such as red bugs and flatworms push people over the edge until they throw in the towel? Will 300gal complete systems be so common on the used equipment forum that you'll literally be able to pick them up for a song?
Where are we headed?
More importantly, where will we end up?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Brett
Back then it seems that the majority of tanks were in the 225-400gal range, with 300/300+ being quite the norm. Anything over 500gals seemed to be the exception rather than the rule. And those select few that went into four digits....? Well, they certainly must be crazy, but oh how we dreamed to be able to trade places with them.
But now.....
It does appear that the old standby 225gal doesn't even get the blood worked up anymore. 300+ gals is so yesterday, and even 400gals seems to be right on the edge of making the jump from the everyday reefer to the guys in the secret handshake club. One need only take a look at the last few months of posts to see that 500gals, 700gals and even 1,000gals are popping up more and more frequently.
Even more interesting is the number of reefers who I am noticing are leap-froging from smaller tanks to relatively large systems without the usual stopover at something in-between. I'm talking about the folks who have maybe a year or two in the hobby that pop in asking about upgrading their 40gal reef to a 96"x36"x30" monster. Now, I'm certainly not trying to pass judgement on whether I think this to be a sound practice, but rather pointing out what I perceive to be a direction the hobby is taking.
But with all of this I now find myself wondering where will the ceiling be in a couple years? Where will we level off at? If at all. Will a 1000+gal tank be just another normal setup by 2009? Will Mr. 4000 be looked upon as a pioneer who inspired so many that there will be a glut of custom homes on the market that will come with their very own in-wall 1,000gal or 2,000gal aquariums? Will designers and builders become so familiar with big tanks that they will be able to incorporate a fish room into that new custom home with a few mouse clicks? ...."You'll need a floor drain for water changes won't ya bub?" "2000 gallons? No problemo." "Fish or reef? OK, gonna need to upgrade the HVAC for that one ....how many gallons is that sump again?"
Or, will rising utility costs level us back off and send us downgrading to something more manageable? Will stricter regulations on wild caught collections price us out of store bought corals altogether? Will the increasing plagues such as red bugs and flatworms push people over the edge until they throw in the towel? Will 300gal complete systems be so common on the used equipment forum that you'll literally be able to pick them up for a song?
Where are we headed?
More importantly, where will we end up?
Inquiring minds want to know!
Brett
thats actual tank size.
