marineland 300dd share your experiences and setup!

1

1000rrstunna

Member
Hey guys so after reading about the marineland 300dd and 250dd failures on this forum for the last week i have almost talked myself completely out of going this route... But then i stopped and took a minute to think... HOW MANY GOOD marineland 300DD tanks are out there and how many HAPPY owners are on this forum? This is the exact reason for this post.

I am looking for EXPERIENCES from ACTUAL OWNERS! i dont need som internet know it all chiming in without any first had experience.

Please share the following info if you have time

How many years have you had the tank
what lighting are you using
how are your drains setup?
is the back glass drilled for return plumbing?
what size is your sump
what skimmer do you choose to run
how bad is the evap rate
pros of this tank and size
cons of this tank and its design

would you buy another



thanks again

I am looking at this for a in wall setup in the basement of my first home.. the basement is unfinished and a blank slate for me to create my man cave/fishroom centered around this beautiful aquarium. i prefer not to custom order a tank because it will be 2x and heavy to move in and out and i can only afford this or a glass cages build.. or a 180 standard tank....
 
Dont do it!! i got one last year and within 2 months the silicone got bubbles. Marineland replaced the tank. i had a professional company set up the replacement thinking that i may have made a mistake leveling and setting up the tank the first time. Well long story short the new tank had the same problem within 4 months of replacement
 
I bought the 300dd today. I'll roll the dice seems as if the bad tanks were built a year or so ago. I'm sure if they were spending more $ paying warranty claims they would kill the series. I'll take my chances on a 5% or less failure rate.
 
3 years strong, mine is built like a tank. I weigh 200lbs, and I put all my weight on the glass when cutting my frags.

d9fb0d46002b3f85fcebe3ffd1a60755.jpg


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
 
I've got a 300DD that I bought used. It was filled for about 20 months before I got it. I've had it filled for about 3 months. There are NO issues with the silicone. I was extremely careful to get it level and true... obsessive even due to all the negativity around the tanks. Now, I am much less concerned and I see no bowing, seam bubbles, etc. I love the starphire glass too. First time with that.

My tank is actually set up like a peninsula even though I don't display it that way. The original holes were sealed with 3/4" glass and new holes were drilled to accommodate 2 - 1.5" bulkheads (inner dia.). For me, the overflow is on the left side of the tank. I don't really like it there but whatever. If I did it again, I'd remove that overflow, glass it over, and install a much small overflow similar to gl*******s or synergy, etc.

For lighting, I'm using 4 x Onyx dimmable run through Apex. 2 x Jebao PP20 provide the in-tank flow (quite well in fact). I've got a 15000 gal/hr DC return that is WAY too strong, even though I've got it running reactors and refugium as well (it's on the lowest setting).

My sump is a 60 gal (48 x 18 x 16H). I also have a 40 gal refugium. Each has about 30 gal in it.

Skimmer is a Reef Dynamics INS300 - it's a beast and the best skimmer I've had yet.

Evap rate is probably close to 4-5 gallons per day I'm guessing.
 
Here are some pics of mine. I have more I am in the process of posting an update to my build.

IMG_1311.jpg


Dont mind the skimmer here. It was not happy about the Red Sea NO3:PO4 -X I dosed beside it.

IMG_1324.jpg


IMG_1307.jpg
 
You can read all about mine here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1692900

But to answer some of your questions
- I've had the tank about 7 years, and it's been in constant operation since late 2010 I think (somewhere around that time).

- I have three 250W MH bulbs for growth and custom built LED setup for illumination

- I used the standard overflow boxes

- No drilling for return, again just using the overflow boxes

- I have a 110+ gallon sump that I custom built to fit under the stand, which I also custom built

- I can't speak to the evaporation rate. My tank is plumbed directly to my RO/DI, which while has some risks, I've run this type of ATO system for near 15 years without failure. Minimizing flow rate with gate valves, multiple float switches in protected boxes, apex controller with max run times, and alarms to tell me when water is too high.

- the pros of this tank are the cost and the dimensions. I love the 36" width, and would like something even larger next time. I have a catwalk around mine, which is built into a wall, and I have no issues with reach (and a scraper magnet on the front keeps me from needing front access).

- the one con I've had is the top brace. granted my tank is a bit older, I dont know if theyve addressed this or not, but if I run my return too quickly the water level rises high enough in the tank that the top brace will be partially in the water. I don't care for that, though it's not a concern functionally that I'm aware of.

- If I was in the market today, yes, this tank would be at the top of my list. At the time I spent about $1300 for this tank, and a custom job from one of the main builders was about three times that cost. Granted I had a lot flexibility in that I was building everything around the tank, but I have no regrets on the purchase.
 
crvz said:
You can read all about mine here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1692900

But to answer some of your questions
- I've had the tank about 7 years, and it's been in constant operation since late 2010 I think (somewhere around that time).

- I have three 250W MH bulbs for growth and custom built LED setup for illumination

- I used the standard overflow boxes

- No drilling for return, again just using the overflow boxes

- I have a 110+ gallon sump that I custom built to fit under the stand, which I also custom built

- I can't speak to the evaporation rate. My tank is plumbed directly to my RO/DI, which while has some risks, I've run this type of ATO system for near 15 years without failure. Minimizing flow rate with gate valves, multiple float switches in protected boxes, apex controller with max run times, and alarms to tell me when water is too high.

- the pros of this tank are the cost and the dimensions. I love the 36" width, and would like something even larger next time. I have a catwalk around mine, which is built into a wall, and I have no issues with reach (and a scraper magnet on the front keeps me from needing front access).

- the one con I've had is the top brace. granted my tank is a bit older, I dont know if theyve addressed this or not, but if I run my return too quickly the water level rises high enough in the tank that the top brace will be partially in the water. I don't care for that, though it's not a concern functionally that I'm aware of.

- If I was in the market today, yes, this tank would be at the top of my list. At the time I spent about $1300 for this tank, and a custom job from one of the main builders was about three times that cost. Granted I had a lot flexibility in that I was building everything around the tank, but I have no regrets on the purchase.
Click to expand...


thanks for an amazing review!
much appreciated

glenn
 
my experience

my experience

How many years have you had the tank 5

what lighting are you using MH / VHO

how are your drains setup? custom ordered single chamber center overflow with (2) 2" closed loops and (2) 1.5" drains. (2) 1" supply lines over there rear of the tank page 6 post #127 in my build thread

is the back glass drilled for return plumbing? no
what size is your sump 220 gallons in basement fish room
what skimmer do you choose to run Deltec AP1003

how bad is the evap rate never checked
pros of this tank and size awesome front to back depth
cons of this tank and its design (2) cross braces - prevents me from running 4 MH pendants vs 3 that I am currently running. When coral get higher in the tank there is shadowing

would you buy another I would.. they are built well IMO/IME
 
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