Help Me Buying a 160g tank

[CamDAX]

Is anyone familiar with Oceanson 160 gallon aquariums? I'm thinking about buying a used one from someone local. This will be to upgrade my annoying 55 gallon to 160. It comes with a cabinet and what looks to be a short canopy all a dark cherry color. The tank itself has some plastic molding looking stuff on the bottom.

Concern #1: I need to install an overflow judging from the photo it doesn't have one. I'm worried it might be tempered, I asked the seller but haven't heard back yet.


Concern #2: The listing says it's dimensions are 56x18x30 you think that's LxWxH? Aquarium calculators say that's only 130g.

 

[JUNBUG361]

Me personally i'd go see the tank in person just to see what the negatives & the positive. Do more research on tank. I havent heard of oceanson tanks. Seem old(imo) did also add the sump volume. Total volume might be 160 gallons with sump.

 

[CamDAX]

Here is the photo the seller sent me.

 

[nereefpat]

I am not familiar with oceanson aquariums, but I can help keep the discussion going.

concern 1: If you can get ahold of some polarized sunglasses, you can tell what panels are tempered. Tempered glass will look like it has spot/lines in it. Check it out on google.

concern 2: My calculations match yours, about 130 gallons. As junbug said, maybe they are figuring in the sump. Who knows. It has baffled me over the years how many people don't know what size of aquarium they have. I've been told several times by someone that he/she has a 100g aquarium, when it's really a 90...or a 75...or even a 55.

...Anyway, check it out in person. You will have to decide if you want a 30" tall tank. Some folks don't like to get their armpits wet, but they do look nice. Good luck.

 

[CrayolaViolence]

That does look like a much older aquarium. The glass looks super green. I'd inspect it closely for etching. Usually etching isn't visible when the tank is filled but it can impact the quality of the view in some cases. Also, judging by the photos, I'm pretty sure that's not 160 gallons.

 

[CamDAX]

Sounds like it's a bust he just said its tempered. Well I will keep looking.

 

[nereefpat]

You sure? Uncommon for the sides to be tempered, but the bottom would be common.

Keep your eye on Craigslist.

 

[CamDAX]

You sure? Uncommon for the sides to be tempered, but the bottom would be common.

Keep your eye on Craigslist.

He wouldn't say. I guess hes giving it away now tho... Tempting. I'd hate to drive an hr in hopes the sides aren't tempered.

 

[JUNBUG361]

Looking at the picture, the glass seems to be really thin for a 130 or 160 gallon. The tank does look nice though

 

[Ron Reefman]

What is it about your 55g that you don't like?

If it's the fact that the front to back distance is too small, you REALLY won't like this tank at 30" tall and only 18" front to back.

I'd look around for a standard 180g tank that is 72"x24"x24". That's what I had for 6 years and I liked it... but it developed a leak. I now have a 125g that is 60"x24"x20" and I still like the 24" front to back and I like the 20" tall even better than the 24" tall. A tank that is 30" tall become harder to work in comfortably.

 

[CamDAX]

Well I picked it up. It's now in my garage. I tried circular polarized glasses and they only stop turning all black on the front curved parts of the glass. Everywhere else they work fine. So I guess it's not tempered after all...?

In response to JUNBUG361's concern that photo above shows the front and since the front two corners are curved they look thin but they are not. I am however concerned the stand doesn't have any 2x4s or any STRONG boards just panels. You all think that's a sturdy stand? It looks to be original matching to the tank.

I'll get some photo when I got good light. I got a lot of cleaning to do.

To be honest the depth might be the deciding factor. I'll keep you posted.

 

[tippmannsniper]

Most COTS stands are made almost entirely from panels. As long as the fasteners at the corners are holding them plumb, those panels are plenty strong. The 2x materials you'll find in DIY jobs are for the owner's comfort, not required to carry the load.

 

[CamDAX]

So I measured the inside dimensions of the tank to calculate volume. It comes out to 53Lx18wx27t or 111 gallons. NOT 160 like he claimed. At least it was free. I filled it up with hose water to see how things look. The back wall has TONs of scratches the front has enough to be annoying. There is some etching from calcium he must of had some hard city water there in Sacramento. I scraped off a lot of calcium deposits with a razor blade.

The back wall doesn't look like it's tempered as circular polarized glasses stay dark when looking through two pairs with the glass in the middle. I am going to test it again with different pair.

But looks like I'm going to use the tank. I just have to paint the stand, install an overflow box, maybe paint the back wall, and get all the rock, sand, plumbing, light, ect.

 

[tippmannsniper]

what is the plan for a sump? from an initial glance, it looks like the dividers beneath the displat tank are load bearing and will prevent you from adding a tank within the cabinet

 

[CamDAX]

what is the plan for a sump? from an initial glance, it looks like the dividers beneath the displat tank are load bearing and will prevent you from adding a tank within the cabinet

Oh that's the cool part I recently plumbed my 55 gallon into the garage with two runs of 1½ pvc (~17ft run). Right now I just have a 10 gallon sump with two chambers one for the skimmer where the water comes in, a bubble trap, and then my return pump. It's all low flow right now since its only a 55 DT. I have a spare 10g refugium I made I don't use it currently because I only had one fish for a long time and there weren't enough nutrients to keep the chaetomorpha alive. I'll probably get a 26g plastic container and make that a refugium for the 111. I plan on working on getting more fish as I'm tired of having just one fish. I have the purple dottyback and recently added a potters angel. Dam they are beautiful fish!

I'm waiting to get paid so I can start gathering the plumbing, sand, and rock I need for the tank. I'm thinking about getting a Eshopps Eclipse large slim overflow box and use a Simplicity Aquatics 1600 gph DC Pump. I also need a step ladder lol :lmao:

 

[tippmannsniper]

I also need a step ladder lol :lmao:

Empty salt buckets work great... They offer the added benefit of keeping your local doctor's office in business!

 

[TYC]

Empty salt buckets work great... They offer the added benefit of keeping your local doctor's office in business!

lol!

that's a nice tank for FREE with a seamless corner too!!