Monster difference: What new challenges come with a big tank?

[AKL1950]

Don’t forget count the fish. Although I have slowed don’t that task since I put the lid on the tank.

 

[CMO]

Divorce...

 

[aquamn1999]

My tank 350 gallons is not what I would call huge. Besides the upfront cost (tank, equipment, salt, rock, stand, floor support, etc.) the running cost is a big difference. Your electric and water bill will be significantly higher than compared to a smaller tank. Between water and electric it will be a couple hundred $ more a month. Your return pump, wave makers, skimmer, etc. run 24/7.

 

[Stefaan F]

I chose the first 3 options, but really all options are true, as a large tank needs a different strategy on many levels.
I really believe you need to think everything through and make everything as easy as possible, else maintenance won't be done and you end up with an ugly monster of a tank.

I have a tank of 12' x 4' x 3'2", so about 1000 gallons + 250 gallon sumps running little over a year.
I supported it with stone walls right on the concrete slab below the house, and used 4 strong steel beams to divide the weight.
A little bit overkill, but 1000 gallons of saltwater on your floor wouldn't be funny. And it really doesn't cost a lot.

Flow really is different in my belief, I use 6 maxspect gyre 350's ont the top of the tank. 3 on each side, alternating at 100% every 2 minutes. And the return pumps blow via nozzles on the sanbed so there is also enough flow between the rocks.
My thought process here was not to put flow pumps everywhere to get flow, but have a strong current throughout te tank with pumps blowing in thesame direction. The scape is adapted to this philosophy, as there is enough room on top and below to not have too much resistance. It works, I can grow even SPS on the sandbed.
I think it would be much harder if I was using pulsating flow pumps and pumps in every direction. I would need many more, and it would ofcourse cost much more in electricity.

Light in my opinion is easier. With a large tank you need more fixtures, and as a result you have always got a better spread. No puck light with a lot of shadowing.

Placing the corals is a headache, but otherwise maintenance is for me less then a small tank.
I have fleece filters, a skimmer that dumps automatically in the sink, so almost no maintenance there.
I have a cellar with 150 gallon barrels, so waterchange is just dumping a full bag of salt in the barrel, and pumping it upstairs by the change of a valve. Dosing is easy with a controller.
I had a 150 gallon for half a year to learn the basics (freshwater past), and it took me a lot more time for the standard maintenance.

Cost really depends, I think I got off really cheap, as a lot was bought young (max 1 year old) second hand at half the price or less.
And I was lucky with some reefers quitting in my area, while there are not many interested buyers. So I got a lot of coral and fish for cheap.
Maintenance costs are high. 25 kg of salt every 2-3 weeks and electricity bills are the highest. Dosing doesn't cost a lot (200$/year) if you make your own by using balling with generic salts.

For filtration, testing, controller,... I think looking at the overall cost and ease of mind it is an easy choise to automate more, make the processes easier to maintain and control, and really an ICP once a month doesn't cost as much compared to the risk you take when not doing it.

 

[hans4811]

Heard too many stories of people with large systems downgrading to 100 gallons to less systems and actually enjoying the hobby more which keeps me happy with my 3ft. 65 gal system.

Second that….RedSea 250 for the win at about 70g total !

Recently ran across an almost new CADE 1500 (170g ttl) with roller mat and skimmer, lights, etc for a great price. Was all excited at first, but after realllly thinking about it…what everyone is saying here, cost, time, space…I passed on it. Want to simplify my life at this stage of the game (retired) and not become a slave to my tank.

And just the thought of starting alllll over again…arrrgh…honestly, I don’t know how some of you guys manage some of these monster tanks !


…oops…sorry…was doing a par check ….lol

 

[KrisReef]

Second that….RedSea 250 for the win at about 70g total !

Recently ran across an almost new CADE 1500 with roller mat and skimmer, lights, etc for a great price. Was all excited at first, but after realllly thinking about it…what everyone is saying here, cost, time, space…I passed on it. Want to simplify my life at this stage of the game (retired) and not become a slave to my tank.

And just the thought of starting alllll over again…arrrgh…honestly, I don’t know how some of you guys manage some of these monster tanks !


…oops…sorry…was doing a par check ….lol

Looks easy, as in Reef by numbers!

What lights, what par at stations 1, 10, 7, (if you have the numbers handy?)

 

[KrisReef]

I'm also stouter than tall so I have lost my desire for a monster tank. If I get rich suddenly I might reconsider a big tank but I'd probably rather purchase an island and just snorkle in situ.

I still enjoy the monsters (some fine examples posted in this thread) but I'm ok with less room and fewer specimens as I near the finish line.

These larger tanks provide superior habitat for most of the fishes we keep to dwell in, so get one if you can!

 

[hans4811]

Looks easy, as in Reef by numbers!

What lights, what par at stations 1, 10, 7, (if you have the numbers handy?)

Here…just took a pic of my notes…

Got a Radion G6 Pro in the middle, 2x Kessil A360x on the outsides, and 4xT5’s…radion is at 35% and Kessils at 90% at peak hours. Got those deflector thingys on the Kessils and Radion has the reflector.

 

[Tmrvstyle]

Other, concepts are all the same, money is more, power costs suck, fixing issues costs more, a 100 gallon water change is only 50% of a 220 gallon display or only 30% of the total system for me. Using a Brute trashcan means, 2 to 4 cans to make an impact if something is way off

 

[FishTruck]

In slowly going from 60 gallons to 1500 gallons I found that most of the complexities and costs go up proportionally, but, some go up exponentially.
1. Flow - the cost of pumps and powerheads (or need for closed loop) has been more than I thought. My flow budget was about 25% of what ultimately worked best. Bye bye reeflo and ecotech, hello abyzz and panta rhea.
2. HVAC - the effect on the cooling / de-humifying bill for the house was much greater than I thought. Constantly, working out more efficient ways to deal with humidity and heat.
3. Space - I had to build a house around a fish tank to make a room large enough to house a 1000 gallon tank. Plus the fish room and supports. Even when house shopping, I found no houses that could easily house a monster tank without serious modification.

 

[SJMFW]

Just went from a 40B with hang on equipment and a couple of kessil A80s and two nero powerheads to a 4ft 120 with a sump... two different animals with their own unique challenges. The new tank is still cycling but so far I've replaced the lights with two Red Sea Reef90s, bought two Sicce return pumps and a Red Sea skimmer... all new sand and rocks. Need new heater(s) still.

I agree, the initial investment is substantially higher, but I'm crossing my fingers for a balanced system that is easier to maintain, and hopefully the cost factor stabilizes as the tank does.

 

[Zach B]

I would vote for all of the above. However once stability is attained, it's fairly easy

 

[JaysLittleOcean]

As a recently upgraded aquarium owner I can say that a lot has changed and I think everyone has touched on bits and pieces of it on this thread. First off their is no debating that cost, maintenance and labor go up when you go bigger, it's just basic math. What really changes though are the methodologies you use to care for your aquarium and learning how everything behaves with such larger water volumes to deal with. For example when I had a smaller aquarium I would only run a handful of test through things like the Reef Kinetics ReefBot and the GHL KH Director per week. It affected my salinty level and would cause my salinity to go down beacuse my autotop off would replace the removed saltwater with freshwater. On a larger system I can do test like the GHL KH Director Multiple times a day and not have to worry about any swing. I have also moved away from things like two part dosing to a calcium reactor. But the best change is being able to hold a wider variety of corals and clams for me since I'm not limited to the smaller space.

Note: I'm sure that once this is filled with clams and corals glass to glass I will want to upgrade again.

 

[TheSharksDen]

I would say cost as well. My first used tank was $2000 for tank, light, sand, rock, water, skimmer, filter, ect. New tank was around $12,500 for all goodies and tank and setup and water station I need now instead of using 2 buckets was another $1500 and I used as much salt to mix two barrels that lasted about 2 months as I would in 6-8 months with my RS170.

but I’m fortunate that I was able to do it. I love the fish and coral!!! Can hold a lot more!

takes longer to clean and do the changes as well and I feel the water to get balanced is harder to keep it at 1.025 salinity.

but my LFS (QCC) is always there for help and advise. Some good guys and tons of coral. Glad they are close to me and did my move and setup.

 

[hans4811]

Space - I had to build a house around a fish tank to make a room large enough to house a 1000 gallon tank. Plus the fish room and supports. Even when house shopping, I found no houses that could easily house a monster tank without serious modification.

Seriously !?! I’ve had many ’hobbies’ in my life, but NEVER have I had to build a HOUSE around them! Sorry, just can’t wrap my head around this …. lol.

 

[Charles Zinn]

If you're not a taller person, working in the tank can be a challenge. I'm 5'8" and when I had a 220, reaching into it was a chore. It was so much of a chore that I went down to a 125.

That's why I stayed with a de p th under 30 inches and a width index 37 inches. Still need a tool to reach some places
Gluing corals in some places can be a pain

 

[nezw0001]

The biggest thing for me is the shear amount of water, both salt and fresh, you can go through.

 

[Charles Zinn]

Seriously !?! I’ve had many ’hobbies’ in my life, but NEVER have I had to build a HOUSE around them! Sorry, just can’t wrap my head around this …. lol.

BONSAI TREES can be expensive and time consuming too

 

[hans4811]

BONSAI TREES can be expensive and time consuming too

Lol…got 3 of those myself ! Maybe that’s my problem…too MANY hobbies !

….but still…seriously…a HOUSE !! lol

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Coming from someone going through all those challenges I've try'd my best to work through them. Beefing the floor, finding the right amount of flow and dealing with cords on the end of the tank that you view is a pain. My next project is to get a canopy built and hide the cords in there. I could go on and write a book on this new build but I'm not to keen on writing a book, lol. The tank is a 312 gallon panencala built by @Glasscages The dimensions are 96×30×25. The sump is a custom built 110 gallon that I made with most of the features I wanted.

That's pretty much my exact tank. Need to pics. Where's your build thread?