When do you know its time?

R

Reefer PT

New member
I'm talking about going big. I've had a 93 gal for almost a year and it has been a rocky road but things have steadied out now and I'm getting the itch for either a 220 or 300g but am wondering when. Should I wait until my livestock have overgrown my current tank or is it more about my experience level? and If its my experience level, how long do you feel I should be in the hobby before moving up? Obviously something on this scale will take some planning and I want any advice on how and when to go about the transition.
Thanks
Dave
 
If you have the money and desire, go for it!

Just make sure you plan, plan, and then plan some more. Bigger systems let you make bigger mistakes ;)

Why do you want to upgrade sizes? Any particular reason?
 
You need to be prepared for the cost of everything, both initial and ongoing. And the additional work to maintain a larger tank also prompts many for the need to automate as much as possible, which in turn drives the cost up even higher. Large tanks are not for those to whom cost is a concern, and really, that is the only reason I can think of not to go as big as you can possibly fit into your home and your budget.

Dave.M
 
+1 space being the limiting factor. I quickly found that actually moving a large tank into my house would be the limiting factor. What can you fit around corners? How wide is your door? Do you really want to have to remove that window...

Again, plan for every little thing!
 
As this tank is at my office waiting room cost and size are not problems. And current tank has apex controlling most things except WC's but I've grown to like doing WC's over lunch. The reason I want to go bigger is to have more swimming room for tangs and wrasses, have more interesting/natural rock work and to keep some larger reef safe fish. Also The sump is so small under this cube tank I need a shoehorn to get the equipment in and can't have more the 1L bottels for dosing 2 part and Carbon dosing and have only a small water reservoir that can last about 3 days at best. I would love a 40-55 gal sump with all mechanical's all neat and tidy I know I want a 6ft tank and because of the size of the room it doesn't matter if its 24" 30" or 36" deep so why not go big?
 
I have the same sentiments of inktomi and Dave. If you can afford it, and anticipate there being major budget over runs then go for it! Start planning and talk with a couple different tank designers to get their feedback and choose what works best for you.
 
If you feel you dont have enough stress in your life and have a ridiculous amount of disposable cash to spend...then its time :) Seriously though, I dont think there is anything can say you are ready to make the jump. If you have the time to plan and take care of and the money to spend then you are ready. As others have said....plan, plan, plan and plan again then ask, ask, ask and ask again.

Good luck!
 
Now that you've posted in the Large Tank Forum (aka Over Compensators Anonymous) you do realize that you are both morally and legally obligated to get at least a 180 within six months :)
 
Having a tank over 6' wide will open you up to some nice tangs that need the swimming distance.. If I had space!!
 
I sure hope you mean 6' long, not wide. Mind you 6' long AND 6' wide would make one heck of a display, too. And if it was 6' tall, to boot, well... ;)

Dave.M
 
I meant 6' long.. though I fully support any tank that requires scuba to clean!!

It seems like 6' in any direction other than depth is a minimum if you really don't want to have that one fish you love but can't keep (Achilles tang..).
 
I understand what everyone is saying about time and money but what about experience level? I've learned the lessons about QT all new critters and not slacking on maintenance but I'm sure there will be more new and exciting problems that I will learn from. So how long would one be in this hobby before you could say you have faced most things and should be good to go on something large scale?
Thanks
Dave
 
In my opinion you'll never know it all. As soon as you think you do, something new will come along.

In many ways, larger tanks are easier. There's more water mass to absorb temperature swings, more to even out different chemistries from water changes, etc.

It's not like flying where you can look at the training and see that you're required to have X, Y, and Z done before you can move on. If you think you're ready, and you want to try it, go for it! Other than needing more of everything, you'll find keeping a larger tank is very much like keeping a smaller one.
 
The bigger the tank the bigger the equipment to run it. You also run into more significant heating, cooling and humidity issues that will affect your build site. It's easy to soon find yourself getting into the custom market instead of buying off the shelf with big tanks. If you're handy you may choose to take some projects on yourself. Otherwise, read the large tank build threads here to see what problems others have run into, what they planned ahead for, what reached up and grabbed them by the @$$, etc.

Each builder of a large tank has personal goals and preferences. No two tanks are quite the same so the planning and design is always a bit different. No two reefers have the same background so some people come up with very unique solutions. We here all learn from these people by reading their build threads and asking loads of dumb questions.

If you're looking for cookie-cutter solutions I'm afraid I can't offer any. Have you read the many books available on reef keeping? A good theoretical background in all the many aspects of reef keeping can help. If you haven't been reading, may I suggest the Mr. Saltwater Tank books as a place to start?

Dave.M
 
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