RJKain-777
Well-Known Member
There the same width front to back. 75 gallon is 4ft, 125 is 6 ft.
if your going between the 2, get a standard 120, there 4x2x2 and the perfect tank
Tank Upgrade Recommendations
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if your going between the 2, get a standard 120, there 4x2x2 and the perfect tank
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Joe Tony
Active Member
Why not 125?
RJKain-777
Well-Known Member
125 is 6ft and 18 inches front to back. The extra 6 inches front to bad makes a world of difference. If your going with a 125 you may as well get a 180 for that 6 inch difference. It makes a word of difference scraping a tank
180 is 72x24x24
125 is 72x18x21
120 is 48x24x24
75 is 48x18x21
Out of all those tanks I’d go with the 120 based on what you plan to do.
Uncle99
10K Club member
It Is better to have some depth for aquascaping so 120 standard 48x24x24 is a popular choice.
5 ft tanks are annoying for lighting, and 6 ft needs more of course.
Years from now you’ll be glad to have that extra water.
Your not interested in Tangs so length is not as important and the 120 can easily handle 2-3 so more versatile IMM.
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Joe Tony
Active Member
Alright, so let's say I get a 120 gallon tank.
Do I really need to get a skimmer, sump, etc. for a tank that size?
What would the water change maintenance be like (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and how many gallons?)
And how much live rock should I have for it? Currently I have about 40 pounds of live rock in my 30 gallon, and a 5-inch sandbed.
Do I really need to get a skimmer, sump, etc. for a tank that size?
What would the water change maintenance be like (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and how many gallons?)
And how much live rock should I have for it? Currently I have about 40 pounds of live rock in my 30 gallon, and a 5-inch sandbed.
Uncle99
10K Club member
80-100lbs in rock for 120.
You can reuse the sand bed but wash it good, your current 5” will be much less in the 120 which is fine, DSB can be problematic.
Sump. No.But everything has to go in the tank then.
Skimmer. No. But that will increase water changes.
Sumps give us an area to maintain different filtration methods and hide all the stuff, like skimmers, heaters, ATO, probes and meters.
Skimmers help to reduce maintenance by pull crap from your water., so less water changes.
Water for 120.....RODI....evaporation say 15g week
Saltwater change for 120......say 15g week....so 30g week.
You can reuse the sand bed but wash it good, your current 5” will be much less in the 120 which is fine, DSB can be problematic.
Sump. No.But everything has to go in the tank then.
Skimmer. No. But that will increase water changes.
Sumps give us an area to maintain different filtration methods and hide all the stuff, like skimmers, heaters, ATO, probes and meters.
Skimmers help to reduce maintenance by pull crap from your water., so less water changes.
Water for 120.....RODI....evaporation say 15g week
Saltwater change for 120......say 15g week....so 30g week.
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Joe Tony
Active Member
Hmmmm... so I guess a protein skimmer makes for less frequent water changes then, and sump is for the equipment. I guess it's not a matter of need for bigger tanks so much as practicality.
Uncle99
10K Club member
Other ways to remove nitrate and phosphate, Algae scrubber, Chaeto, roller mats, carbon dosing, bio-pellets
Everyone has their own combos that work for them.
Lots of porous rock is the foundation for a successful reef, the more the surface area for the good guys, the better.
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Joe Tony
Active Member
What would you say about a 180 gallon tank, compared to a 120, factoring in the previous posts?
zukihara
Well-Known Member
In reading here, it seems you have been talked into a lot bigger tank than you originally wanted. Consider a cube... maybe 80, 90 or 100 gallons depending on how much length you want.
hubble
Active Member
Innovative Marine makes some very nice All-In-One Tanks. They come in various sizes and are a good choice for someone who wants no sump. All the equipment and pumps fit in the back of the tank. I had one years ago and was happy with it. Just another option.............
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Joe Tony
Active Member
A cube doesn't really interest me. I want a tank that's very wide as a display for my living room when we move. And yeah, I am starting to come around to the idea of a big tank.
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Joe Tony
Active Member
Interesting. I'll look into them and see.
Uncle99
10K Club member
I run a 180g. I did need to reinforce the floor joists underneath.
Either one IMM makes a great tank.
It’s not overly expensive to jump from 120 to 180 in maintenance.
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Joe Tony
Active Member
Presumably you would need about 200 pounds of live rock for a 180, compared to about 130 pounds for a 120 tank right?I run a 180g. I did need to reinforce the floor joists underneath.
Either one IMM makes a great tank.
It’s not overly expensive to jump from 120 to 180 in maintenance.
Terry Le
Active Member
Between 180 and 120 yes more rocks, more sand, more water and if you are going to dose then that too. But you will love the dimensions of the 180 until you want bigger tank and upgrade to a 375 like I did lol
RocketEngineer
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I’ve owned a 75g system that I then upgraded to a 125g system (same stand/sump). Now I’m building an IM-100-EXT. I went this way because the 18” width made it hard to aquascape and I found the 6’ length harder to manage flow and lighting for. Also, the 21” height made reaching the bottom a stretch. My new tank is about 48”x24” footprint for easy aquascaping but just 19” tall meaning I can reach in much easier. To me, this is an ideal size for myself who is getting back into the hobby after a couple years.
