Getting back into hobby....deciding on new tank

[notrosh]

Hey everyone...
I am getting back into the hobby after about 15 years. My previous tank was 40g and pieced together based on my economic ability at the time. We got rid of the tank because life changes - kids, houses, money, etc. I am ready to jump back in. However, I'm not sure which tank to get. I have decided that if I'm going to do this I'm going to do it better than I did last time. I am thinking that I want to go with a red sea reefer max setup and have it narrowed to two choices.

Reefer MAX 350 G2+ (72g)

or

Reefer MAX 300 G2+ (65g)

The price difference is really negligible. However the 72g is larger in terms of length and footprint. Roughly 1ft longer. I personally would prefer to get the 65g simply because of the footprint. However, I don't want start off on a bad foot based on 1ft and $200.

Here are my question:
Will I have much benefit by buying the 72g and why?

Thanks so much for the help....

 

[onegreenray]

Bigger is better. More room for error. Remember building a reef takes years but they can come crashing down overnight. I always looked at the bigger tanks are better because you have more water volume and more room for error. Another positive you can always have more fish and corals.

 

[Reefing102]

Welcome to RC! I agree with the above. Bigger is better. However, I don’t know the full dimensions, if you want a tang or other highly active fish, that 1 foot could really help too

 

[notrosh]

Hey gang...
Thanks for the quick response.
I would definitely like to get a tang and some "more active" fish. So I guess I going with the 72 is better choice.

Full dimensions are as follows:
65 = 35.4“L x 22.6“W x 21.7“H
72 = 47.2“L x 19.7“W x 20.9“H

The 72 is much wider but not as deep....not sure that matters.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for the help.
-n

 

[Reefing102]

Many will say tangs need at least the 4 foot length (which the 72 is (rounded)). That extra front to back width in the 65 won’t be huge for fish concerns but makes aquascaping a tad harder especially if you’re looking for an open front and back swim area (no rock leaning against the back glass). Disregarding personal preferences against RedSea, I’d go with the 72.

 

[notrosh]

hey reefing102.
Thanks so much for help and apologies for the 20 questions. However, before I spend 5k I definitely want to know your personal preferences against Red Sea. Heck....I want to know all information against them.
I choose them because their shipping seems somewhat quickly and it seems to a be complete setup, but I am open to others. Just don't know where to look.
-n

 

[Reefing102]

No worries. So my main issues are past and current seam break/leaking issues. The vast majority occur it seems in the G1 tanks not the G2 with the center brace in the stand. Just given the quantity I’ve heard about, I’d never buy a Red Sea. There’s not much on here about the seam breaks but there’s a large thread on R2R about them. Now all brands have their issues, it just appears Red Sea is more prevalent then others.

That said, some other brands you can look into is Waterbox, Innovative Marine, Cade, and ProClear. I have no experience with either brand, including RedSea, and emphasis should be on it appears most are on the G1 tanks not the G2.

 

[shred5]

I do not believe in bigger is better.
Been in the hobby and not sure where that came from.
Bigger means if something goes wrong it is harder to get under control. Bigger water changes, more carbon, more what ever.
If you need to manually go in there and remove algae. Certainly would be less time in a 40 gallon than a 120 gallon.
If parameters go out of wac it certainly is going to be harder to get under control.
I think maybe bigger is better used to apply.
I would say all my years in the hobby more people have left the hobby because they went to big and bit off more than they can chew.
First off lots more money. More maintenance, more glass to clean.

That said neither of those tanks are that big or that different in size.

I agree with above personally would never buy a RedSea Aquarium after all the seams breaking and especially since they did what ever they could to hide the issue.

 

[griss]

I say bigger is better but for a different reason.

I’ve been in the hobby for a bajillion years. The SW hobby started for me when I was in High School and my parents bought a used 200 gallon fish only tank back in the 80’s.

After I graduated college, I started a 30 gallon reef. But, the urge for a larger tank got me and I’ve seen more than my fair share of hobbyists who constantly want to upgrade to a larger tank.

Since that 30 I’ve had…
- 58 Reef & 55 Fish Only
- 15 gallon reef (moved to our first house and downgraded to save money)
- 200 gallon reef & 75 gallon clown/anemone tank
- 450 gallon reef
- 40 gallon reef (downgraded due to job loss/reduced income and kids in sports)
- 92 reef
- 40 reef (current tank)

Currently planning a basement remodel and upgrade to a 75.

So, as life changes, I’ve always upgraded when I can afford it.