Got The Bosses Approval For a Larger Tank!!!!

[Peanut_Power]

Hey!!! I'm pretty new here, and am definitely new to the Dark Side, so I am looking forward to hearing some of your feedback and advice now and in the future.

I've had a 28gal Biocube set up for about three months now, it was already an established tank when I got it used, so that helped me out in jump starting the process.

Recently the wife unit has started getting more and more interested in the tank and its setup, and today, she gave me the OK to set up a 75gal tank in the living room. SCORE!!!

The kicker is I can only have one in the living room, so the 28gal has to go. The other kicker is she doesn't want it to be open top, so it has to have a glass lid.

What option would you suggest for lighting that will still allow me to keep all varieties of corals? Brand/Type/Style?

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Peanut_Power]

P.s.

Metal Halides are out.

 

[GSMclowns]

Reef tank simply can't have a glass top. it will trap too much moisture and can't have proper gas exchanges. This will crash your reef.
If she doesn't want an open top, then build a nice canopy for the tank and put the light inside the canopy. Some people build a very nice stand and canopy that would add more values to the living room. The tank, stand and canopy can become part of the living room instead of an ugly, smelly fish tank. Also if you are going to spend so much money to set up a tank already, go for a 120 gallons tank with the dimensions of 4" x 2" x 2". Make sure to buy the tank with 1 corner overflow. That tank has a much better dimensions for a reef tank and more spaces for the fishes and aquascape. it will cost a bit more money to run than a 75 but it shouldn't be too bad going from a 75 to 120.

A reef tank is very heavy, where are you going to put it? How is the structure of the floor? Do you own the house or rent? Those are some of the questions that you should consider before setting up the tank.

 

[Nanook]

Agreed, no glass lids! You need gas exchange.

Research the types of corals you want. If no MH, research T5 and LED fixtures, come back after two weeks of reading and tell us what you decided

 

[Nanook]

[welcome]

 

[Nanook]

The 120 is a no brainer

 

[gcarroll]

The 120 is a no brainer

and don't tell her it is a 120. Tell her it's a 75g. Really not much of a difference as they are both 4' long.

 

[GimpyFin]

You have a few different options. I agree with the others in that if you have the room, go for a slightly bigger tank (A 90 is generally the same as a 75, just taller, and the 120 is just a little wider than the 90.) Did she give a reason for the glass top? (It shouldn't smell once setup and running if that's what she's worried about.) Your lights will work best w/o a glass top (You can fairly easily make a mesh screen top with 1/4" clear netting and a window screen frame kit from Home depot.) Though, you can do a glass top if you will also be using a sump. Otherwise, as others have suggested, you will have poor gas exchange. If this will be in the living room, I would also consider some sort of canopy to keep the lights in so the tank doesn't light up your living room. There are several good LED fixtures that would fit the bill for lighting (Generic Black boxes, AI Hydra, Ecotech Radions, etc.) I'd research and decide what best fits your budget and what features you like. Congrats on the soon to be new tank!

 

[Elricsfate]

Here's another option. Do what I would do. Just tell her, "Look...about this whole "boss" thing...you do know I run this biatch right? And I'm gonna do, what I'm gonna do. So make me a sammich, and sit back and watch!"

Just trying to help...

 

[this is me]

and don't tell her it is a 120. Tell her it's a 75g. Really not much of a difference as they are both 4' long.

+

Lol. I like this idea. 120 would allow you to have a lot more flexibility for aquascape.

Also, a canopy is a much better idea to cover up the tank.

 

[Peanut_Power]

Thanks for the input everyone, I appreciate it.

Let me give a little more background on the situation.

We recently bought this house (our first house!!! ). Its an older house, with original hard wood floors. It has a basement, which I'm currently remodeling a room in for my own fish room. So the living room is technically on the first floor.

I already have a few extra 75gals, and a stand that would look good in the living room. That right there would help cut back on costs, and being its on the first floor with hard wood floors, the less weight the better. Plus I'm getting a fish room in the basement, I don't want to push my luck to far by trying to get in a larger tank. I'm happy she agreed to letting me do the 75gal.

As for the glass top, she is concerned with the smell and most importantly the chance of mold. We've been to lots of LFS over the years, and have seen our share of mold on the walls due to open top tanks. That coupled with the fish room in the basement, glass top is what gives her piece of mind, so I'm going to do my best to keep her happy. Happy wife, Happy Life. Ha

I do plan to have a matching canopy, and may install a few fans to help out with extra circulation/cooling. I am wanting to run a sump and refugium, so hopefully that will help with the gas exchange issue. Will running a HOB filter on the main tank help with that as well?

As for lighting, I don't even know where to start looking. I know I want to do either T5, LED, or both. Do the T5s need to be HO?

Would it be better to do a 4 bulb T5 and a supplementary LED fixture, or a 6 bulb T5 without the LEDs?

 

[lg2725]

Is your fish room going to be in the basement right underneath the tank? If so, you can put your sump/fuge down there and depending on the sump's size, you might be able to get away with enough gas exchange from down there to cover the DT. Look for used 120's and use your 75 as your sump. That's my exact set-up and no fear of sump ever over-flowing. Just watch your head loss and get a strong pump. That was my mistake that I am in the process of correcting.
And Welcome to RC!

 

[LX20000]

Why the requirement for top?? Water splash? Noise? How about a mesh top?

 

[f3honda4me]

If glass top is requirement then there is no point in doing it. Honestly. It's going to cause a lot of problems, including possibly/eventually a tank crash. Glass tops are for reptile tanks. Not reef. Not to mention they would totally negate the point of installing fans in the hood.

 

[GimpyFin]

LEDs do work quite well, and they're good for energy usage and low heat. They vary on price, features, etc. so researching some of the common ones (Reef Breeders, generic black boxes, AI, Ecotech, Kessil, etc.) would be a good place to start to see what you like and what you want to spend.

FWIW, unless you're already having issues with mold/humidity in your house, an open top tank in your living room isn't going to give you problems, IME/IMO. I have a small living room and the tank is pretty close to the wall in the corner (110g w/ mesh screen top and canopy.) The stand is also completely open in the back underneath where the ~40g sump is. Not only are there no moisture/mold issues, but unless I stick my nose in the skimmer cup, I can't smell anything with the tank. (As much as my wife loves the tank too, she would complain at the slightest smell.) Anyway, your lights are going to be hindered a decent amount with a glass top (Even more-so as it gets foggy/dirty), so just something to keep in mind.

 

[bblumberg]

Reef tank simply can't have a glass top. it will trap too much moisture and can't have proper gas exchanges. This will crash your reef.
If she doesn't want an open top, then build a nice canopy for the tank and put the light inside the canopy. Some people build a very nice stand and canopy that would add more values to the living room. The tank, stand and canopy can become part of the living room instead of an ugly, smelly fish tank. Also if you are going to spend so much money to set up a tank already, go for a 120 gallons tank with the dimensions of 4" x 2" x 2". Make sure to buy the tank with 1 corner overflow. That tank has a much better dimensions for a reef tank and more spaces for the fishes and aquascape. it will cost a bit more money to run than a 75 but it shouldn't be too bad going from a 75 to 120.

A reef tank is very heavy, where are you going to put it? How is the structure of the floor? Do you own the house or rent? Those are some of the questions that you should consider before setting up the tank.

Really? All of my tanks, reef and otherwise have lids to keep evaporation down. The reef tanks all get plenty of oxygenation and gas exchange via the sump and skimmers as far as I can tell.

 

[BryanS4]

Here's another option. Do what I would do. Just tell her, "Look...about this whole "boss" thing...you do know I run this biatch right? And I'm gonna do, what I'm gonna do. So make me a sammich, and sit back and watch!"

Just trying to help...

Im glad you said it first.

My wife has just accepted the fact new tanks and equipment shows up more often than not. She stopped asking eventually.

Good luck with your upgrade, definitely go for the 120.

Glass top out for sure. Just make a screen top..it doesn't mold walls or smell.

 

[R1ant04]

Really? All of my tanks, reef and otherwise have lids to keep evaporation down. The reef tanks all get plenty of oxygenation and gas exchange via the sump and skimmers as far as I can tell.

+1... cover my tanks with glass and no skimmer. No problems whatsoever with gas exchange or light. I think thats bad info being put out. Maybe it might would b an issue if ya didnt have a sump but most do.

 

[moondoggy4]

How bout a 48'' x 24'' x 16'' tank.

 

[thirsty saltine]

Congrats! I have a 75 gallon in my living room and it is perfect, not too big not too small. I want a nano tank again as that is what got me started in this hobby and I miss it.