Where do you get your large tanks from?

[SmknReefer]

I'm talking 200+ gallon, where do you get them? Second hand? Online ordering? Or do you build? In the process of making plans to upgrade my fowler and will be building the house around it. I've been slowly buying larger equipment in pieces and plan to have a huge tank in the basement and a smaller maybe 90g upstairs.

What's your dream stock list?
No triggers please and I'm thinking I want an emperor angelfish for the display tank.

 

[HumbleFish]

Unless you can find something quality second hand, I would probably have it custom built by a reputable manufacturer such as Deep Sea Aquatics or Marineland. I know a couple of people who own the Marineland 300 gal "Deep Dimension" and it's pretty BA.

As far as getting an Emperor, I suggest you stock around him. Holacanthus & Pomacanthus can get quite aggressive as they grow and really dominate a tank.

 

[Cu455]

If you are building the house around it I will get it custom made. If It's going to be an in wall tank you can build it out of wood and only use glass for the front. Not sure how your house looks but you can also do the plywood build and then use drywall,marble, wood or whatever to make it look nice.

 

[bfin3]

I wouldn't buy a used tank that large unless it was relatively new and acrylic. You don't want that thing to pop.

 

[SmknReefer]

I was thinking of a wall build but i really like the idea of having it viewable from the sides...
Any significant drawbacks from a cylindrical tank?
Thanks for any and all your help!

 

[SmknReefer]

Any experience with the AGE hybrid tanks? Glass front, PVC bottom and acyrlic walls?

 

[Kairus]

Any experience with the AGE hybrid tanks? Glass front, PVC bottom and acyrlic walls?

I don't quite understand the point of a tank like that. I like the PVC bottom, but why mix glass and acrylic? I would put acrylic on the front for the clarity, and if you're going to use glass on the front, might as well just go with glass on the sides.

I would just go with a tank with low iron glass on the viewable panes.

 

[MrTuskfish]

I was thinking of a wall build but i really like the idea of having it viewable from the sides...
Any significant drawbacks from a cylindrical tank?
Thanks for any and all your help!

Cylindrical tanks are generally too tall for the water volume. They don't give you much surface are either, vital for gas exchange. Every cylindrical tank I can remember seemed to be totally void of life and activity in the upper third or so.

 

[HumbleFish]

To the OP: I don't know if you've ever owned an acrylic tank before (apologies if you have), but here are the pros & cons IMHO:

Acrylic - Pros: Lightweight, clearer than glass, peace of mind (no leaks) Cons: Scratches easy, can be a PITA to clean. If you get a little lazy when it comes to wiping down or take an extended vacation, the acrylic tank will make you pay. IMO; Acrylic tanks are best suited for those careful, anal retentive, perfectionist types (so, not me ).

Glass - Pros: So much easier to clean. If you can't get it off with an algae pad, there's always the razor blade. Cons: Heavier, and more prone to leak.

 

[SmknReefer]

I don't quite understand the point of a tank like that. I like the PVC bottom, but why mix glass and acrylic? I would put acrylic on the front for the clarity, and if you're going to use glass on the front, might as well just go with glass on the sides.

I would just go with a tank with low iron glass on the viewable panes.

I don't understand it either, but my guess is for less scratching on the front and making it lighter weight? It is a bizarre concept. I am a big fan of the PVC bottom.

As for the owning if an acyllic tank, I'm the proud owner if an acyllic sump, so no, I've never had the joys of cleaning it. I guess I was thinking more about weight than long term cleaning.

Gotcha on the cylindrical- definitely not what I want. Now that you mention it, I've always seen the top half empty too. I was thinking of potentially getting stingrays again... I had a pair of California rays for 6 years they were so friendly.

So I guess I'm back to getting a manufactured tank or paying almost twice as much for a custom. The marineland doesn't seem to have the exact overflows I want and doing some research I found they have a warranty for life if you buy their stand, which would eliminate a wall build.

 

[viggen]

It's really difficult to suggest specific fish not knowing the size of the tank. When you state 200+G does that mean a 4ft, 6ft, 8 ft tank and 225g max or is 1000g the max?

Depending on that.... A emperor could be a very poor choice

Like stated good and bad with both (glass vs acrylic). I would say acrylic isn't good for those anal people due to the fact that someday it will scratch and that scratch will bother them.

My 120x30x30 is acrylic and yes it can be a pita to keep clean and my tank is only viewable from one side. I have used acrylic the majority of the time for the 20+ years I have been in the hobby. I actually wanted glass for this tank due to ease of cleaning however the cost was way to much. Glass was well over 4x the cost of acrylic mostly due to shipping.

If my tank was glass I would have at least one robosnail keeping the tank clean

I also prefer multiple side viewing however my old house that wasn't a option. If you are going to go this route and also want a emperor angel minimum size would be 8ft long and at least 36in deep.... Since the house isn't built I would go 48in and at least 30in tall which yes is difficult to reach the bottom but looks so much better especially when fish get big.

I have never been a fan of cylinder tanks, they just cost way to much for what they are. A simple rectangle is all that's needed and go as big as you can. However big you go you will quickly realize you didn't go big enough!

Curious why no trigger?

 

[Zoodiver]

Cylinders are cool if you do them correctly. Most people make them too narrow and don't have proper air circulation/venting inside the canopy. They also try to squeeze in a very small sump and neglect the idea of gas exchange.
It would give you a lot of viewing area if that is what you are hoping for.

The down side is they can be a PAIN to clean.

Personally I'd do a long shallow tank with lots of work space planned around it.

 

[m0nkie]

a little off topic.. if going custom build, what makes some glass easy to see from all directions, but some gives you get headache instantly

 

[AntiSatan]

DSA does some very nice custom tanks and use PVC bottoms on thier larger tanks cutting down a fair amount on wieght.

 

[Curt2199]

I bought my 700g acrylic used and the eurobrace had been repaired (acrylic on both sides of the crack). It's been holding fine for a few months now. I have a lot more faith in the structural integrity of Acrylic than glass being that the acrylic corners are a chemical weld vs silicone. I found mine a couple hours away on craigslist. My last two tanks have been on craigslist and there's actually another very large on on there currently but I don't have room for another, lol.

 

[SmknReefer]

I'm not very far from you Curt2199, but as far as large tanks on Craigslist there isn't anything really my way -I do know they occasionally pop up and I've put some feelers out to the local fish guys. I don't plan on this being a forever home, so we will build again in maybe another 10 years, so I'm not as concerned on making a definitive purchase for life.

I truly like the thought of acyllic but to be honest every once in awhile I get into a slump where I'm a bit lazy on maintanence....:eek2: Never anything too severe. I had our architect design for an 8ft long tank, but I like the larger deeper viewing area which would make cleaning a pain unless I decided to snorkel.

At this time I have a 36 gal solana reef tank, a 90 fowler and a freshwater 55. I anticipate moving the reef to the 90, or possibly using the 90 as a sump. My lovely kiddos scratched the front with a mag float...not severe but enough to aggravate me. My current fish stock that will be in the large tank for sure is my foxface, and Koran angel...they both have such wonderful personalities -my foxface spits water up when I go to feed. I don't want any triggers because there is a possibility of adding a stingray, unless I can convince the hubby to let me have a smaller shallow "petting" tank. I haven't brought it up, and I'm not holding my breath.

So basically, I'm overwhelmed with just building the house, and the tank would need specific attention and focus all on it's own and I can't even make my mind up on flooring much less planning out a ???gal tank. My plan is to include a large tank build when that time comes -as of now still in the early planning stages.