Venturing into Large Tank realm: Opinions Wanted, DSA 185g or 300 DD

Venturing into Large Tank realm: Opinions Wanted, DSA 185g or 300 DD

  • 185g Deep Sea Aquatics

    Votes: 4 16.0%

  • 300g Marineland DD

    Votes: 21 84.0%
  • Total voters
    25
ct_vol

ct_vol

Reefing On My Mind
Team RC
Sooooo... After a long time planning, I'm finally getting ready to set up a Large reef tank. Thus far, my favorite size has been my 120g. I purchased a brand new Deep Sea Aquatics 185g (60.5x30.5x24) 6 years ago and it is still sitting untouched by water in my garage. I do have the excuse of having moved from TN to IL shortly after purchasing the tank. Well, now that renovations in my living room are nearing completion, I have the opportunity to set up said tank... Only snag is a local reefer has a brand new 300 DD tank available at a reasonable price. My wife gave me the go ahead to do whatever I want, but I can only have one or the other. I plan on having this tank set up for the next 10 years or so. I had just convinced myself that I could get over having a deeper tank because I don't "fiddle" with my tank near as much as I used to, but now am concerned about tank failures others have experienced with the DD tanks. In TN I had a 150g I hated because I couldn't reach the bottom. Understand I'm a 5'8" short armed Hawaiian. Drawbacks of the 185g, less fish, no larger Angels. Drawbacks of the 300DD, few inches deeper, having read about tank failures, having to buy new tank and sell other. Any thoughts and opinions would be appreciated. I would prefer more of an explanation than bigger is always better though. ;)
 
But... But... bigger always IS better. ;)

It's all about YOU. What do YOU think? What do YOU want to do with the tank? What do YOU want to keep in it?

All anyone here can tell you is their own personal tastes, but it's going to be YOU who does all the work to set it up and then it's going to be YOU who continues to do all the maintenance. Stop and think about what you want, plan it all out, and then ask yourself if a 180 or a 300 gallon is going to get you where you want to go better.

And then get the 300 anyways. ;)

Dave.M
 
Go BIG!!! If I could seal my house and make it water tight I'd fill it and live in a tent in the backyard! Hmmm, wouldn't that be a cool build. Now why bigger, for one there's a broader range of fish, bigger fish, you can now keep comfortably. I like lots of fish.
 
dave.m said:
But... But... bigger always IS better. ;)

It's all about YOU. What do YOU think? What do YOU want to do with the tank? What do YOU want to keep in it?

All anyone here can tell you is their own personal tastes, but it's going to be YOU who does all the work to set it up and then it's going to be YOU who continues to do all the maintenance. Stop and think about what you want, plan it all out, and then ask yourself if a 180 or a 300 gallon is going to get you where you want to go better.

And then get the 300 anyways. ;)

Dave.M
Click to expand...

That's kind of what I figure, but most of my opinion now is basically theory or conjecture. I was hoping some could post their experiences and "if I could do it over again" scenarios. Part of me wants to just stop planning, set up the 185g and be happy I have a larger tank than my 120... The other part of me wants to take advantage and go BIG while Ashley is still nodding up and down instead of side to side. If I had both tanks now, I'd go 300DD no question. But I don't, so I'd have to buy the new one. Sell the "old" one. And start building stand/canopy. I'd probably still be apt to go Big if it weren't for a few DD tank failure threads that have me hesitating.

daveM100 said:
Go BIG!!! If I could seal my house and make it water tight I'd fill it and live in a tent in the backyard! Hmmm, wouldn't that be a cool build. Now why bigger, for one there's a broader range of fish, bigger fish, you can now keep comfortably. I like lots of fish.
Click to expand...

I'm really not sure I have any right to expect any different type of response than this from the "Large Reef Tanks" Forum. lol :) In my house in TN I had 7 different tanks going ranging from 24g to 150g... My wife said never again. So I've convinced her instead of Aquarium Quantity, we can replace that with size. The rest are relegated to my basement... :rolleyes:
 
ca1ore said:
Ah, it's a trick question ..... of course the answer is the 300.
Click to expand...

Not really. I guess I'm wondering how worried I should really be about a seam failure on the DD? You want to see a good way to end up leaving the hobby? Dump 300g plus of SW into my wife's newly renovated living room... :eek1:

Also the cheapskate in me doesn't want to drop another $2k+ on a tank and stand and then have to try and sell my DSA...
 
The trick is to outlast your spouse. Eventually a need will arise for a frag tank, or a seahorse tank (always works if there's kids around) but eventually you will find a really good cover story... er... well-reasoned explanation for the ABSOLUTE NEED for a second tank.

Dave.M
 
Extremely biased in this forum... :D I'll just show my wife the poll results.

It was a Landslide Honey!!! I couldn't disappoint the people! They deserve to watch me enjoying having the largest tank possible. It's public demand!!!!
 
I vote to sell the 185 and order a DSA 225. That's what I have. Like you, I considered the 300 DD. But there are a lot of posts about tank failures and getting a tall stand in the house would have been tricky. I felt the DSA 225 was a good compromise. The extra height and width make a big impact compared to my previous 180 and the build quality is solid. And it's plenty big for tangs and a large angel.

It's a little more work to sell and buy, and you may take a hit. But do what will keep you happy long term.
 
I too have the DSA 225 and am very happg with it, but I'm not sure tank/seem failure should necessarily be your on the fence decision. I'm willing to bet that there have been many more 300 sold than the DSA's so your going to get more failures.

But the main reaon for my post is that I approached my build with the assumption that my tank will fail. Installed a floor drain, waterproofed the stand, installed tile instead of wood or carpet surrounding it. While these precautions are not perfect they help mitigate a potential disaster.
 
DSA all the way. Marineland quality is sub par. I personally love my DSA. It is way over built with 3/4" glass :)
 
Took a day, but there are the DSA lovers. :)

I'm weighing my options still. Not sure that I'd ditch the 185 for the 225 as I'd be giving up 6" front front to back, only to gain 12" width. Doesn't seem worth the hassle of trying to sell for that.

Checking with Premium Aquatics about ordering a 300g DD in case I decide to go that route and the local guy sells his before I decide. Also thinking it's not entirely a bad idea to have the warranty should I go Marineland.
 
I don't have enough room for an 8' tank. 6' is pushing it. I'll have windows on either side of the tank and there's an extended countertop on the other side of that.

Found out some good info on the DDs... May have tipped the scales. :)
 
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