Thoughts in Progress: My Big Tank

[Bleigh]

Any recent ideas?

I’m not sure why I wasn’t getting notifications that people had said anything on this build. Lol. Nothing in that direction yet. I sold the guest room bed and moved my desk upstairs. The office is now sitting empty, waiting on me to have time, money, and energy to get to it. I also wanted to figure out all the stuff on the 60 gallon, since that’s my first experience with a sump. Don’t want to make a bad decision about the massive tank out of lack of knowledge/experience.

 

[Bleigh]

Go big or go home! Lol. I also say don’t do acrylic. It sucks! Just remember to not forget flow. Tons of flow

Thanks! I’ve been paying attention to the different loops and wave makers people use in bigger tanks. I’ve managed to scratch every glass tank I’ve ever owned, I can’t imagine how bad I would be on acrylic. But people tell me it’s not hard to buff the scratches out.

 

[Bleigh]

I have 2 acrylic tanks and easy cate and everything in tank magnified. Can’t believe I didn’t do acrylic sooner.
Agreed: Bigger is Better

So do you like acrylic or not like acrylic?

 

[AiKkz]

If I could do 2 things different on my 300 it would be going acrylic and bare bottom!! Yeah they scratch easy, but not if you don’t have sand
Plus with bare bottom you can have unlimited flow!

 

[Bleigh]

I have an in-wall tank and it is the greatest thing in the world. The area came with the house but there wasn't a tank. It is a unique size, took me a year to find a tank that met the dimensions. A few things I would recommend.

1. Go with a standard reasonably available size. Tanks fail and sometimes you have to replace them. Having a custom tank built is very costly and not better then standard ones in mass production. Also prefer glass due to increased strength and less prone to scratching/chipping.

2. Length is very important. My tank is 6' and I really wish it was 8'. The 2' extra means all the difference in the world when it comes to fish. One fish that really would be a great one to have is a sohal tang, but I don't want to put one in a 6' tank. My clown trigger is getting big and the 2' extra would be a big game changer.

3. Height and width are not your friends when it comes to cleaning. Personally for a rectangular tank I would not go more than 2' for both, especially height. Cleaning an in-wall tank can be tricky, the easier it is the more likely you are to do it. My ideal dimensions would be 8'x2'x2'.

4. I have a fish room immediately behind my tank and love it. Having a large sump and all your equipment in a spacious area will make the maintenance much easier and will lead to a prettier DT with less work.

I’ve thought about putting the tank in the arched doorway. There’s a door on the other side of the room. This means it would be accessible in both the front and back and I could probably do a bit more width... maybe. The 60 gallon tank I have is 2 feet deep and it’s a struggle to reach the bottom. My son’s grandfather was watching me this weekend. My entire upper half was soaked by the time I was done placing everything He jokingly said he thought I’d have better luck if I just snorkeled in it. I definitely don’t think I could go deeper, unless I planned on an 8 inch sand bed. Lol.

 

[Bleigh]

If I could do 2 things different on my 300 it would be going acrylic and bare bottom!! Yeah they scratch easy, but not if you don’t have sand
Plus with bare bottom you can have unlimited flow!

My thought is bare bottom too. I think I’d like to do mainly sps in it, so it seems like a better choice.

 

[AiKkz]

My thought is bare bottom too. I think I’d like to do mainly sps in it, so it seems like a better choice.

Yep, I’ll never do sand again!!

 

[Panky]

Thanks! I’ve been paying attention to the different loops and wave makers people use in bigger tanks. I’ve managed to scratch every glass tank I’ve ever owned, I can’t imagine how bad I would be on acrylic. But people tell me it’s not hard to buff the scratches out.

Kinda hard with livestock in it

 

[Panky]

I’ve thought about putting the tank in the arched doorway. There’s a door on the other side of the room. This means it would be accessible in both the front and back and I could probably do a bit more width... maybe. The 60 gallon tank I have is 2 feet deep and it’s a struggle to reach the bottom. My son’s grandfather was watching me this weekend. My entire upper half was soaked by the time I was done placing everything He jokingly said he thought I’d have better luck if I just snorkeled in it. I definitely don’t think I could go deeper, unless I planned on an 8 inch sand bed. Lol.

That’s part of the fun! P.s. if your son won’t do homework in there I will!! lol. Larger tanks are so much easier to care for

 

[Panky]

My thought is bare bottom too. I think I’d like to do mainly sps in it, so it seems like a better choice.

Remember starting bare bottom takes twice as long to get everything settled in.

 

[crusso1993]

I’m not sure why I wasn’t getting notifications that people had said anything on this build. Lol. Nothing in that direction yet. I sold the guest room bed and moved my desk upstairs. The office is now sitting empty, waiting on me to have time, money, and energy to get to it. I also wanted to figure out all the stuff on the 60 gallon, since that’s my first experience with a sump. Don’t want to make a bad decision about the massive tank out of lack of knowledge/experience.

One of the beautiful things about being here is that the lack of knowledge/experience can be helped by others. Like you, however, I'm a believer in wanting to learn and know what is required as I'm not such a fan in depending on others.

 

[PYRU]

As a big tank and monster fish hoarder since early 2k I'll share my experiences.

Once you get over 180-220g price increases drastically, maneuverability is hampered, & if glass becomes an over 2 person job moving. Also monthly salt cost etc starts to get you. I'm 6'4 with long arms at 24" tall sitting on a 30" stand my armpits are wet reaching toward the middle.

Eels, puffers, & triggers have an unreal bioload. You will also have no cuc to help you so a big nutrient export filter is a must and more dilution the better. If your wanting the big boys like a clown trigger, s&s puff etc then it would be wise to get over 300g. If you can make compromises and get fish that max out at 12" then you could probably do a 180-300 depending on how many.

Also remember this is for fun the last thing you want is to turn your hobby into a job. Try to match your tank sizes and stocking to accommodate how busy your life is. The loss of a 180+ sps dominate tank would be devastating mentally and financially.

I highly recommend a snowflake eel. I just recently bought one but it has quickly become a family favorite. Everyone loves feeding the eel. The interaction with a puffer is almost dog level especially with something like a porcupine.

 

[vetteguy53081]

So do you like acrylic or not like acrylic?

Like it a lot. My drop off is also acrylic. was afraid if it, and its better than Glass !!!

 

[tdlawdo]

Love it!! all! you never cease to amaze

 

[Bleigh]

Love it!! all! you never cease to amaze

You're the kindest!

 

[Bleigh]

As a big tank and monster fish hoarder since early 2k I'll share my experiences.

Once you get over 180-220g price increases drastically, maneuverability is hampered, & if glass becomes an over 2 person job moving. Also monthly salt cost etc starts to get you. I'm 6'4 with long arms at 24" tall sitting on a 30" stand my armpits are wet reaching toward the middle.

Eels, puffers, & triggers have an unreal bioload. You will also have no cuc to help you so a big nutrient export filter is a must and more dilution the better. If your wanting the big boys like a clown trigger, s&s puff etc then it would be wise to get over 300g. If you can make compromises and get fish that max out at 12" then you could probably do a 180-300 depending on how many.

Also remember this is for fun the last thing you want is to turn your hobby into a job. Try to match your tank sizes and stocking to accommodate how busy your life is. The loss of a 180+ sps dominate tank would be devastating mentally and financially.

I highly recommend a snowflake eel. I just recently bought one but it has quickly become a family favorite. Everyone loves feeding the eel. The interaction with a puffer is almost dog level especially with something like a porcupine.

Luckily I have some time to think it through still. I don't think I would mind hiring a company to come in and do a lot of the mundane maintenance, if it did become too much of a hassle. So there's that.

 

[JumboShrimp]

If you have 16' wall to play with, how about a 6' FOWLR in the center, flanked by two 2'-3' coral tanks-- one on each side. Dream big!!

 

[tdlawdo]

Luckily I have some time to think it through still. I don't think I would mind hiring a company to come in and do a lot of the mundane maintenance, if it did become too much of a hassle. So there's that.

You need a personal Tank Doctor to do house calls it could be a whole new line of business

 

[Fin]

OK, just found and read through your thread. Nice digs! If you need help on how to extend your build, I'm your guy. I ordered my 125-gallon Reef Savvy tank May of 2015. It is still not finished. My Pukani rock, which I don't think you can even get any longer, went into a trash can a week or two later. Still in there. Procrastination is my game!

I had a 200-gallon fish only tank 30+ years ago, really a tad before reefing really became doable for most people. I enjoyed it, but got bored with it and sold the whole deal and got out of the hobby for a few years. I did enjoy the size though (84x24x24) and would have liked to have gone with the same size for my "new" tank; however, the wife decided that furniture in our small living room was more desireable.

When reefs became more prevalent, I tried a 75-gallon reef tank. I was hooked and there was no turning back. For me, I would likely not have a fish only tank again. The diversity of life that can go into a reef makes it far more interesting to me personally - and I can have fish too. A peninsula reef tank would be way up on the awesome scale, because you would have so much more viewing pleasure with two long viewing panes and additional places for corals. If I had it to do again and had a suitable place in my home to place it, that is the way I would go.

It is good that you have a place to try out ideas before taking the plunge. I see so many threads on here that ask advice after the fact. Following along to see where this goes...

 

[Bleigh]

OK, just found and read through your thread. Nice digs! If you need help on how to extend your build, I'm your guy. I ordered my 125-gallon Reef Savvy tank May of 2015. It is still not finished. My Pukani rock, which I don't think you can even get any longer, went into a trash can a week or two later. Still in there. Procrastination is my game!

I had a 200-gallon fish only tank 30+ years ago, really a tad before reefing really became doable for most people. I enjoyed it, but got bored with it and sold the whole deal and got out of the hobby for a few years. I did enjoy the size though (84x24x24) and would have liked to have gone with the same size for my "new" tank; however, the wife decided that furniture in our small living room was more desireable.

When reefs became more prevalent, I tried a 75-gallon reef tank. I was hooked and there was no turning back. For me, I would likely not have a fish only tank again. The diversity of life that can go into a reef makes it far more interesting to me personally - and I can have fish too. A peninsula reef tank would be way up on the awesome scale, because you would have so much more viewing pleasure with two long viewing panes and additional places for corals. If I had it to do again and had a suitable place in my home to place it, that is the way I would go.

It is good that you have a place to try out ideas before taking the plunge. I see so many threads on here that ask advice after the fact. Following along to see where this goes...

Yes! Im super glad someone suggested I start a planning thread before I was ready to buy the stuff for the tank. It’s still at least a year out. Otherwise I’m sure I would have jumped at it before I was actually ready. I am lucky that I have plenty of space as far as rooms go. I have two rooms in the front of my house that aren’t used.

I put my 60 gallon where I would have put a peninsula. Now that it’s there, I’m not sure if something bigger would work well there.