Time for Tank Reboot?

B

bigzman

New member
Well after trying to do more upgrades to my 210 it just struck me why not go bigger now and do a tank reboot (it is way over do). Problem is I am not sure what size and direction i should go. This is what I am thinking of doing.

1. 120x30x30 FOWLR No corals Acrylic
2. 96x30x30 Glass Mixed reef
3. 72x36x27 300DD SPS only

For #1 the only thing I would be able to keep is my skimmer but the up keep and cost of that much in coral steers me away. Cool part is that I can keep some nice fish at that size.

As for #2 I like the long look and can keep my tangs happy but I feel that for corals would look far better in a 300DD. Also 300DD would be far cheaper.

For #3 the cost would not increase and I can use almost everything I have now (of course there is going to be upgrades:) ) But the depth of the tank does not look right in that room. (I will post pictures of the room). With the 300DD I can setup a Frag tank next to it. I also missed out on FAOIS deal.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
Thx
 
I will be upgrading to a 96 x 30 x24 300 gal. when the wife and I build our new home next year.....Well I'm going to try....lol
 
Mike your opinion is null and void. lol :). The only reason why I am considering 96x30x30 instead of the 120x30x30 is because of seeing your tank :). Anyone know if Perfecto/Marineland make a 96 long tank? Our would it be custom order? Got a quote from glasscages while I was at coral mania.
 
10 foot tank would be killer!
Right now I have 12 foot of tank on the wall, just divided between a 120 and the 300. Thinking really serious about keeping the 120 running as my frag system.
 
Reef, glass. I can put you in contact with a builder if you decide to go that way. After researching it for months I don't think I would use a mass producer for a big tank.
 
I think you first need to decide which type of setup is more important/enjoyable for you...fish, coral, or both. Personally I like both, and they're equally important to me. Of course fish can be kept in every one of your options. If you find you would rather focus on keeping a ton of fish, go with #1, although I don't think the cost of setup or upkeep would be as bad as you might think for a reef tank of that size. At lest not compared to option #2 (its 374g vs 467g, so only another 100g).

I like the depth of my 300DD, so much so that I wouldn't go any shorter in depth after this. My next tank will be 8'/10' x 48" x 27" or I'll just keep my 300. So in that regard I'd say do the 300 over the 8 footer. Any reason you didn't include a 8 x 3 x 30 mixed reef? I wouldn't imagine the extra 6" in depth would add too much to the cost.
 
hobbzz said:
I think you first need to decide which type of setup is more important/enjoyable for you...fish, coral, or both. Personally I like both, and they're equally important to me. Of course fish can be kept in every one of your options. If you find you would rather focus on keeping a ton of fish, go with #1, although I don't think the cost of setup or upkeep would be as bad as you might think for a reef tank of that size. At lest not compared to option #2 (its 374g vs 467g, so only another 100g).

I like the depth of my 300DD, so much so that I wouldn't go any shorter in depth after this. My next tank will be 8'/10' x 48" x 27" or I'll just keep my 300. So in that regard I'd say do the 300 over the 8 footer. Any reason you didn't include a 8 x 3 x 30 mixed reef? I wouldn't imagine the extra 6" in depth would add too much to the cost.
Click to expand...


I like your thinking. I wonder at what point the cost of going larger levels out. If I ever did a bigger tank it'd be 8-10 feet and no less than 30 inches wide. 27-30 inches deep to keep lightning costs reasonable. I'm not sure there's a huge cost difference via maintenance between 300-500 gallons.
 
hobbzz,

Thank you for your input. To me, keeping SPS is first and second would be Fish that I can't keep with corals (Butterfly, angels, vlamingi tang, etc). As for the pricing on the 120" vs 96" I was very disappointed to see how much more it increased cost when pricing up the 120". In one qoute it was almost 1100 extra. Also a 467g sps tank would require that I upgrade everything I own now. In the case of the extra length I would have to double my lighting.

On the 96x30x30 I could keep skimmer (but be at level its rated for) and add one unit to my lights and I would be ok to keep some larger fishes.

Last option 300dd I would be ok with every thing I have now (but will not be able to keep some of the XL fish I want to keep).

Here is why I favor option 3:
One tank cost would be far cheaper :) (in the sense I only have to cover tank and stand cost). I can still keep a Frag setup next to it. Best of all on SPS is I can get very creative on rock work with that depth.

As for why I can't do a 96x36x30 (Which I wish was an option) is because of the room size. In the above picture you can see the furniture would meet the tank. If I do the 300dd and move it towards the location of then qt setup the furniture is not an issue.
 
Time for Tank Reboot?

Just remember, do what your gut is telling you (whatever that is). You are getting ready to spend a boat load of money, don't let 1500 or 2000 bucks steer you wrong. How many times have you bought budget then replaced with you initial gut???

I actually wish I would have done a 10' tank, but it never crossed my mind.
 
Mike,

I am LMAO as I just went back into time and remembered that I said I would never do a very large tank when I move to fl. Just to buy a 90 gallon and a year later I jumped to 210g. On the cost side with all added equipment I am around $2500 extra.

lol
 
That makes sense. I actually set up my 300dd for 5k, and that includes the brand new ATB skimmer I started with ($1300). I still need some lights so it'll be 5800 all said and done. Bought almost everything used. I transferred my apex, one tunze, and lighting for one section from my old tank, everything else was new (to me). So setup up can be very reasonable, relatively speaking. As long as you stick with reliable brands, just get everything used.
 
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