planning first tank

cmoore806

New member
Hi guys I am a planner by nature so I want to do things right. I've decided my first tank will be a 90 gallon. I have a great spot in our finished basement for it, sump will be behind it in the utility room giving me plenty of room for the necessities. My challenge is I want to setup a QT and I think a 20g would be a good size. I really dont know if I should just focus on the 90 gallon tank or if I should get a smaller 20 gallon tank first and run that as my first SW tank.

either way the first thing I buy will be an RO/DI system =)
 
Hi guys I am a planner by nature so I want to do things right. I've decided my first tank will be a 90 gallon. I have a great spot in our finished basement for it, sump will be behind it in the utility room giving me plenty of room for the necessities. My challenge is I want to setup a QT and I think a 20g would be a good size. I really dont know if I should just focus on the 90 gallon tank or if I should get a smaller 20 gallon tank first and run that as my first SW tank.

either way the first thing I buy will be an RO/DI system =)

I would definitely set up both, and the 20g as a QT. There os some great info in the stickies on how to set up a qt. And as a first sw tank, a 20g would be much more difficult to keep stable.
 
I would definitely set up both, and the 20g as a QT. There os some great info in the stickies on how to set up a qt. And as a first sw tank, a 20g would be much more difficult to keep stable.

Thats my thinking exactly. The information here in the sticky about QT tanks gives some good general information but I dont know anything about brands, etc and that makes it challenging. I've visited the three LFS in my area and the salespeople seem pretty laid back and not pushing junk so maybe they'd make recommendations but I'd like to at least be prepared with knowing more details before going in and getting stuck with an unnecessarily expensive QT tank.
 
Thats my thinking exactly. The information here in the sticky about QT tanks gives some good general information but I dont know anything about brands, etc and that makes it challenging. I've visited the three LFS in my area and the salespeople seem pretty laid back and not pushing junk so maybe they'd make recommendations but I'd like to at least be prepared with knowing more details before going in and getting stuck with an unnecessarily expensive QT tank.

Yeah I'll let someone else chip in on brands! I'm from Australia so brands and pricing are VERY different here!
But you don't need to go all out for QT, hell you don't even need lights baha. cheap filter, cheap air pump, I'd deffs go a reliable heater though ;)

Are you going FOWLR or reef?
 
Yeah I'll let someone else chip in on brands! I'm from Australia so brands and pricing are VERY different here!
But you don't need to go all out for QT, hell you don't even need lights baha. cheap filter, cheap air pump, I'd deffs go a reliable heater though ;)

Are you going FOWLR or reef?

my wife likes all the pretty colors of the corals and my kids like the fish...so likely a reef
 
If you have the room I would go with a 120 gallon tank instead of the 90 if you plan on keeping corals. The extra 6" front to back makes a huge difference in giving you room for corals.
 
Another planner here saying hi! I am still undecided on my tank size but I bought the RO/DI unit first too!
 
My wife didnt approve the 120 tank. she liked the 55 gallon 12" wide tanks, yuck. Maybe when all is said and done I will get my way and get the 120...the 90 was a compromise that truthfully isnt such a bad arrangement.
 
cmoore, I am about 3 months in on my first reef journey and I too started with a 90. Get the 120 if you can, it will allow you more flexibility with fish..I just setup a QT tank this week, as my Kole Tang is looking a little under the weather. I should have done it from the start but was a bit intimidated with the newness of it all. It's amazing what you learn in a few months of just jumping into it. One word of advice is don't let this website make you crazy. The information you gain is invaluable but you often get 5 different answers to the same question some time. Stick to the basics.
 
yeah guys the 120 is looking better every day. its more expensive but really the rest of the equipment is the same.
 
When budget allows, always go with the biggest tank possible even as a newbie, like all others here suggested, they tend to be more stable. And it's not the size of the tank that can be challenging but the size of the livestock. So you can have a large tank with very stable parameters as long as you don't go crazy stocking it right away.
And seriously you must take your wife to a public aquarium to convince her that a lot of fish can't even turn around in a 12" wide 55 gallon tank.
If I were you I'd get the 120.
 
It sure is fun planning out a first tank. I would love to do a 90 or 120. Planning on a 65 for my first though. It will be fun either way. Best of luck and I hope you get the 120.
 
Plan,plan,plan. I wish i had a little more, and will on my next tank. With the right equipment and diligence you can make any system stable. I have a 29 gal (all I had room for) while I have to mess with it two to three times a day (no ATO) my parameters stay as steady as anything.
 
big shipment came today! 120# dry rock from BRS. RO/DI unit (150gpd with water saver), QT tank supplies (hood/light, HOB filter, Ti heater, koralia nano circulating pump). Still need my main tank,sump,lights,pumps,etc. havent ordered them yet. Waiting for a few water tanks from us plastic to come before I decide on the final location for my RODI/saltwater mixing station.
 

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Hey guys. Planner here too. Brand new to the forum
I was hoping to get some opinions on tanks also. There is a 150 gallon for sale here in Orlando that is a giant cube. While it looks pretty nice, I am concerned that it would limit the water column for fish to swim after putting in enough LR to not look empty. Thoughts?
 
If the 150 is a true cube (32" x 32" x 32") it's an difficult tank to light, both from a depth standpoint and footprint size. Most of the LED's on the market are designed around a 24" x 24" area. Some of the more powerful LEDs will light a 30" square (like the AI Hydra 52), but to get it to cover 30" you need to raise the fixture and since your tank is I believe 30" tall or more you will not get much light at the bottom. It is also a major pain to clean a tank taller than 24" unless you are tall.
 
120 is a great size. You'll enjoy it.

Your QT is just critical. I'm dealing with a problem now that was totally avoidable if my QT process was strong. Once your reef is running treating disease is very difficult so prophylactic treatment in QT is your defense.
 
so I bought 120# of pukani dry rock from BRS for a 120 gallon tank. then I put it in a 4x2 area on the floor and realized holy crap thats a LOT of rock. Then I got a reply to a question I posed to BRS a week ago which suggests somewhere in the area of 80 lbs would be better for a 120 gallon tank (because the pukani is so light/less dense and more volume than most rock). Anyways, so now I have 40# too much rock. I think it might be best to put my 120# in a 180 gallon tank (observing the same proportions recommended by BRS). The 180 gallon tank gives me two more feet of length, which I have room for. Im going to have to build my own stand to save money, however.
 
Think about a 90 like this too. Its just a 75 that a little taller. IMO I would try to select a tank size with a greater width. A wider 120 is way better.
 
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