What To Consider When Buying A Large Tank

[BPro32]

I fell for the nickel sized hippo tang ~2 years ago and now I have a 3-4" hippo in a 4ft 100g that is quickly outgrowing her tank. I checked the Crystal Dynamic site tonight and found they are running a 20% off sale. After a long talk with my incredibly supportive wife, we decided it just might be time for an 8ft 240g aquarium so we can keep the fish that we have grown so attached to.

Other than the cost of the equipment, what things do I need to consider? Things I think I'll need to look into/expect:

* Electricity load (and higher bill)
* Foundation strength (I have a raised foundation)
* Flooring type (does my laminate have to go?)
* More carbon, food, gfo, etc
* I plan to use LED only so I don't have to worry about having to change more bulbs

Am I missing anything?

 

[ashburn]

Increasing water bill.


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[ali1]

stand height. many make the stand height 30-36 so the tank is eye level

 

[BPro32]

Increasing water bill.


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I usually don't think of my water bill as an expense but this is a really good point. I'll be evaporating double the amount and water changes will be more than twice the size.

stand height. many make the stand height 30-36 so the tank is eye level

Thanks for the tip! I've always opted for 36" tall for this reason. It's high enough that I have a good view and it's easier to work underneath the tank but not too high that I have to take out a step ladder every time I want to work in the tank.

 

[BPro32]

I guess I can add another one. It takes a lot longer to clean the glass.

 

[jhuynh]

more salt buckets and longer time spent in water changes. ie: husbandry

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[Wip]

Bigger tank means you will buy more fish to fill it. I always do. Cant have a half empty tank. More risk in a bad event(Cracked glass, power outage, failures in equipment)

 

[JVU]

All the maintenance takes more time, is more expensive, and is usually more inconvenient.

As the maintenance gets to be more of a chore, you may find yourself more inclined to automate more of it, which costs more but isn't necessarily a negative.

 

[mav3rick478]

Not only a higher electrical bill but might have to change the breakers or add new ones with new outlets for the increase load depending on equipment choices.

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[ashburn]

Any salt sale is becoming real money saver when you buy in bulk.


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[BPro32]

Not only a higher electrical bill but might have to change the breakers or add new ones with new outlets for the increase load depending on equipment choices.

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I'm getting solar before the end of the year and they are going to have to adjust the breakers. I'll make sure to flag this so we have enough power for those outlets!

 

[BPro32]

So basically more time intensive maintenance, expect to buy a lot more salt, and I should build in a way to automate maintenance or at least make it easier because I'll get tired of it quickly.

I think the main unknown at this point (that I can't calculate on my own) is foundation strength. Other than that I think I have a pretty good handle on what to expect.


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[mav3rick478]

So basically more time intensive maintenance, expect to buy a lot more salt, and I should build in a way to automate maintenance or at least make it easier because I'll get tired of it quickly.

I think the main unknown at this point (that I can't calculate on my own) is foundation strength. Other than that I think I have a pretty good handle on what to expect.


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But you can estimate your tanks weight and then have someone check the foundation and floor to see if it will hold. Always estimate it will be heavier to be safe.

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[ali1]

Determine if beams running perpendicular or parallel to your tank

 

[BPro32]

But you can estimate your tanks weight and then have someone check the foundation and floor to see if it will hold. Always estimate it will be heavier to be safe.

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Any idea what type of professional I would call to assess? Calling a general contractor feels a bit overkill.

Determine if beams running perpendicular or parallel to your tank

Yeah that's what I've read. If they're running perpendicular it will evenly distribute the extra weight and it will essentiall be the same as 2 of my tanks next to each other. If they are parallel, I'll have to reinforce.

 

[sfdan]

All the maintenance takes more time, is more expensive, and is usually more inconvenient.

As the maintenance gets to be more of a chore, you may find yourself more inclined to automate more of it, which costs more but isn't necessarily a negative.

Yes. As the owner of a 350 gallon tank, this is what I'd say. The size is both a blessing and a curse though for maintenance. The tank will naturally be much more stable than a smaller tank, which means changes happen more slowly and you've got more time to course correct if something goes bad. On the other hand, if something gets out of hand, you don't have a small problem, you've got a big problem. As somebody that has dealt with a variety of big problems, there are many times I wished I had a smaller tank. But when things are going great the tank is truly a joy, and the amount of variety and diversity I can have in tank inhabitants because of the tank size creates such an amazing ecosystem.

Other than maintenance it's just a cost and availability issue for everything. There aren't as many choices for pumps/skimmers/stands/canopies/lights/sumps/etc, so you'll have to do a little more work to get everything set up. And then obviously your electricity/water/salt/supplement bills will just go up linearly, there is no real savings at scale (and at least for me, I pay more for water/electricity the more I use, so it ends up being an added expense).

 

[BPro32]

Yes. As the owner of a 350 gallon tank, this is what I'd say. The size is both a blessing and a curse though for maintenance. The tank will naturally be much more stable than a smaller tank, which means changes happen more slowly and you've got more time to course correct if something goes bad. On the other hand, if something gets out of hand, you don't have a small problem, you've got a big problem. As somebody that has dealt with a variety of big problems, there are many times I wished I had a smaller tank. But when things are going great the tank is truly a joy, and the amount of variety and diversity I can have in tank inhabitants because of the tank size creates such an amazing ecosystem.



Other than maintenance it's just a cost and availability issue for everything. There aren't as many choices for pumps/skimmers/stands/canopies/lights/sumps/etc, so you'll have to do a little more work to get everything set up. And then obviously your electricity/water/salt/supplement bills will just go up linearly, there is no real savings at scale (and at least for me, I pay more for water/electricity the more I use, so it ends up being an added expense).

This is great information, thank you for taking the time to write it out. I am nervous about the big disasters that happen, but excited about the extra stability and biodiversity that a large tank allows.


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[danreefman]

If you have any kind of bugdet. Double or triple it.

 

[BPro32]

If you have any kind of bugdet. Double or triple it.

This applies more broadly than large tanks and is great advice to anyone in the hobby!

 

[sfsuphysics]

Other things to consider is how you're going to service the tank, will you have access on all sides? Will you have a dedicated fishroom (for in wall setup), or are you going to do all the work in your family room making a mess for considerate wives to turn into ranging reef haters If you do have a dedicated area make sure you can do everything you need to from that area, this includes draining of water, getting water, consider having a tiny sink you can use.

How about water make up for the tank? Think long and hard about getting water storage containers, at least in the 100 gallon range, super nice to have ATO water on hand, super nice to have salt water mixed up and on hand a 20-30 watt pump can keep it moving until you're ready too so no worries about stagnant water or breaking the electricity bill.

Then how are you going to get that water to the tank, nothing says it needs to be right next to the tank, but then you got to worry about plumbing, however it can be super sweet. I simply got a couple pipes sticking out the wall with hoses attached when I need to add water, now that's convenience.

Think about reusing equipment as possible, got a 4 foot tank now, then great just get one more copy of that lighting for your 8 foot tank. I'm not really big on LED only setups because that gets viciously expensive when covering a large area, older technology such as T5s are much more effective at covering large amounts of space and regardless of what the LED industry would like you to believe... it's not that much of an energy savings.

That said, ultimately I'd say get a piece of a paper map out where the tank will go, how you'll access things, etc. Then think about everything you do on your current tank, and how to effectively do it on the other tank, how do you do water changes, how do you clean glass, skimmers, filter socks, or whatever. Basically make a plan for how you'll do things and often you'll find a more efficient way of doing those things.