Looking to Go bigger!

[skizzard22]

Hey guys, I currently have (in my opinion) a successful 55g reef tank. I have had several years experience with saltwater tanks and longer with fresh water. I have always wanted a BIG reef tank. I have always loved the variety and size of fish you can keep as well as the tons of coral. Next year we are planning on building a house and my wife and I feel that this is the best time to plan a big tank. Obviously bigger is always better but I am really trying to decide how big I want to go. I am debating on anywhere between 200 and 300 gallons. I really just wanted to get the opinions of all the experienced reefers here about jumping up to such a significantly larger size tank. I know that there will be significant price increase in equipment and maintenance and I am not as much concerned about those aspects. Is there maybe anything I should expect that I wouldn't now?

Thanks!

 

[toothybugs]

Your plumbing is likely going to get more intricate to handle the higher flow and larger volume, but the last time I ran a big tank it wasn't too far off from running multiple smaller tanks simulataneously - my 215 was similar to my 75 in most regards, just basically in triplicate all at once. Though it was interesting that my power bill didn't change all THAT much, less than expected but definitely more than it had been previously.

I miss that tank.

 

[E.Rude]

My suggestion is to get the tank that fits your space the best. Part of me wants to suggest getting the biggest tank that you can, too. Personally, I'm on my second tank upgrade: from 55 to 125, now I'm working on a 200. I probably would have gone larger if my space allowed. A big thing for me was to find a tank that fit the space well. A lot of the tanks that got me interested in this hobby were incorporated into the natural flow of the room that they are in.

 

[Raoul5Duke]

I am in process of making a similar leap in tank sizes. I had 4 tanks plumbed together (a 55, 40 and two roughly 35 gallon tanks) and I moved up to a 360 with and 80 gall. sump. The setup was more complicated because of some automation I am including, but at the end of the day its still the same basic setup tank, lights, pumps, powerheads, heaters and skimmer. I did invest in an automated water change system and a put together a mixing station to make life easier in the long run. The only other thing to consider is the need to deal with moisture in the house with a tank that size, but you can easily solve those issues. I would go 300+ if you can.

 

[Oldude]

A big tank is more work & more time consuming. I could turn my 400 gal into a full time job if I let it. That said I have an sps dominant reef so it depends on what type of reef you keep, etc.

 

[dave.m]

If you're in the planning stages I suggest you consider adding a fish room that would store all your support systems: sump, filtration, make-up water, quarantine for both fish and inverts, pumps, command and control, refugia, etc. etc.

Also, start planning on how you are going to evacuate all the humidity the tank and it's constituent parts are going to be releasing into your house.

Plan on how you are going to get water to the tank and drain water away from it (both intentional and accidental).

Plan on back-up systems and redundancy. Plan on how you will control all these systems and what you will do when everything fails on you (Murphy Factor).

Plan on separate water, power and heating/cooling for the tank and fish rooms.

That should keep you in the house for a few nights.

Oh! And go big, as big as you can fit and afford.

Dave.M

 

[skizzard22]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I will start actual schematics next year once we pick a layout for our new home, but I am doing tons of research and getting great ideas to incorporate into the build. Right now I have everything on my tank automated except for food, and I will definitely be carrying that over to the big tank(it just makes life so much easier). Humidity is one thing I haven't thought about yet but I have no doubts we can get that figured out. I am encouraged by your comments and I think at times, while worth while, the process can just seem daunting. Fortunately I have a great relationship with my LFS and they do a lot of custom work so this may be on of those times where I rely on their expertise and services to help me get all my bases covered.