New to hobby and would like some expert advice

[djray77]

I currently have an innovative marine 10g tank and of course, I want to go bigger.
I have been thinking the red sea 250 or the SC 66, I really want to have some tangs for this tank. Would these be big enough? if so which would be a better system to go with? I have been reading reviews and doing some research but I thought you guys could point me in the right direction. Thank you for any help you can give me.

 

[iLLwiLL]

What kind of tangs are you looking to house? I personally don't like any of those all in one kits. I'd much rather find a nice display then piece together the lighting and filtration myself.

If your dead set on any tangs something 6 feet long would be a good starting point. I had a few in an old 180 that did amazing, had tons of flow and a huuuuge skimmer tho. Recently I tried to have more than one in my shallow 80 (48 x 24 footprint) and it didn't go so well.

 

[djray77]

I really like the Blue tangs. So I really need to step up to the red sea 350? or is there something out there that isn't so expensive but still a similar setup? I really would rather get a system like that, cause it's almost ready to go right? just add lights/skimmer/heater?

 

[ReefTank_20g]

Kole tangs are pretty cool. I'm thinking about getting one for a 75 gallon reef

 

[Flippers4pups]

Most all tangs will do better in a 6' long tank. Why, swimming room. They love to swim from one end to another and need to, to be healthy.

Blue tang? Hippo's need a large tank, most like 180-200+ because they can get 1' in size. That's one foot!

Bristle tooth tangs will do fine in a Red Sea 350. Kole, Tomini......

 

[Broadfield]

The Red Sea Reefer tanks are not really an "all in one" setup. They come with a stand and sump... then the plumbing for the overflow. You still are choosing everything else... heater, skimmer, reactor(s), lighting, return pump, tank controller and so on. The price point, amazing quality, great aesthetics and the ability for the consumer to pick and choose their own supporting equipment, is what makes the Red Sea Reefer series tank easily the most popular thing going right now. You absolutely can't go wrong with picking one up. You definitely want the largest one you can afford and fit... especially if you want to keep tangs. If you are wanting to keep a blue tang or powder blue tang, then the absolute smallest I would go is a Reefer 450... even that would be on the small side at 5ft. A 750 would be spot on though.

 

[djray77]

So I have been thinking between the Red sea XL425 or the Cadlight 100g Artisan II. Can you guys help me out with advice on one of these?

 

[Flippers4pups]

$2000 is a lot for a 90 gallon tank!
$2000 is a lot for a 100 gallon tank!

Between the two on price, I'd get the cadlights 100 gallon.

 

[Whipples]

Much to the other member's points, you can keep the bristletooth tangs in the 425xl fairly easily, and even a yellow/purple tang would be ok if you set up a more open scape for them to swim around, but if you can make it work the 525XL would be better for the tang family as a whole. I am not too familiar with the Cadlights tanks, but you can also check SC Aquariums (SCA) or Crystal Dynamic for more options beyond the Red Sea and Cadlight offerings. You can also save some money by going with the tank only and building a stand!

 

[djray77]

I just love the rimless style tanks and the stands look really well made and nice. Way better than I could build myself. If there is a cheaper option but keeping this similar setup I am all ears.

 

[djray77]

XL525 is $2500, I thought 2k was bad enough LOL!

 

[Whipples]

You can buy a rimless tank from SCA, Cadlights, Crystal Dynamic, Miracles, and there are a few others I think I am missing and then drill the tank/build the stand and plumb it. Raw materials for a stand will likely run you about $200-300 depending on how fancy you want to go, and plumbing with schedule 40 fittings and a beananimal style drain would probably be another $200-300, assuming you need to purchase the overflow. Sumps can be made cheaply using the Petco $1/Gallon sale, a few cuts of glass from a big-box hardware store, silicone, and time. Lots of options!

 

[djray77]

Crystal Dynamic are in the same price range also from what I see

 

[Broadfield]

$2000 is a lot for a 90 gallon tank!
$2000 is a lot for a 100 gallon tank!

Between the two on price, I'd get the cadlights 100 gallon.

Just so there's no confusion, the Red Sea tank is actually larger than the CAD Lights. When Red Sea calculates their gallons, they subtract glass thickness, overflow displacement and even where the actual waterline sits in the tank.

Red Sea is 47" x 22" x 22.6" = 101.2 Gallons
CAD Lights is 47.5" x 23.5" x 20" = 96.6 Gallons

 

[djray77]

So with the red sea I will have more visible volume of water?

 

[djray77]

I've been reading that Customer Service is really bad with Cadlight, that's pushing me towards red sea. I would even go used to save some money but I am not finding anything in my state at the moment and not many people want to ship.