Trying to decied on tank please help

[ReefingBliss]

I am looking at one of two tanks to do a large built in aquarium in my basement will be built into the wall with a separate sump room. Looking at a 150 gallon Syengery overflow drilled tank from SCAquariums, dimensions are 60*24*24 or a 240 gallon wide from glass cages dimensions are 60*36*24 that one has a standered overflow. What would I be able to keep in a larger one that I wouldn't be able to in the smaller one. Is there a better size that you guys would recommend. Maybe a 72*24*24. I really like the Syenergy options if they are available. Any help is appreciated.

 

[JoshH]

If your hoping to keep any larger fish in the tang range the 72" would be the most ideal out of those options, is there a reason why you want to stick in the 60" range?

Not knocking the 60" length, I just got a custom 60" × 30" × 17"

Where will this tank be? Is it a through wall with access from the back? Or going up against a wall with no access??

 

[Salty Lemon]

I am looking at one of two tanks to do a large built in aquarium in my basement will be built into the wall with a separate sump room. Looking at a 150 gallon Syengery overflow drilled tank from SCAquariums, dimensions are 60*24*24 or a 240 gallon wide from glass cages dimensions are 60*36*24 that one has a standered overflow. What would I be able to keep in a larger one that I wouldn't be able to in the smaller one. Is there a better size that you guys would recommend. Maybe a 72*24*24. I really like the Syenergy options if they are available. Any help is appreciated.

It is always better to go with a bigger tank if possible. If you want to keep tangs or some of the larger angels -- you will need at least 200 gallons and and a six-foot length for those fish. If you can afford both, I'd go with the bigger of the two. How exciting for you! I'm anxious to see what you decide and of course, your build thread. Welcome to R2R!

 

[ReefingBliss]

If your hoping to keep any larger fish in the tang range the 72" would be the most ideal out of those options, is there a reason why you want to stick in the 60" range?

Not knocking the 60" length, I just got a custom 60" × 30" × 17"

Where will this tank be? Is it a through wall with access from the back? Or going up against a wall with no access??

I plan on cutting a hole in a wall in my basement. Having the tank stick out of the wall 6-9 maybe even 12 inches in the viewing room and the rest will be in a separate sump room behind the tank. Simular to this look (picture below) but not flush sticking out a bit so I still get some side view.

 

[mitch91175]

I second the at least going 72" with the length of the new build. You will really appreciate those extra 12" later, but you will need more lighting if you plan on keeping certain types of coral. If you want to run LEDs and T5 you may have looked into the hybrid T5 fixtures already. If not the AquaticLife Hybrid fixtures are really good. You definitely have to think about lighting a 72" tank more than on a 60" tank.

You can also looking into MH lighting with going in wall and having a dedicated fish room behind. No worry about heat and can supplement with other types of lighting. If I had a fish room option, my dream lighting would be MH/LED/T5 mix. In my mind the problem with just LED is getting the correct spectrum. You can tweak it too much if you are not patient and do more hard than good. Then you need more of them to cover the tank. In come T5 lighting to fill in the lighting gaps. But that pure punch of light from MH is unmatched. But hey everyone is entitled to their opinion right.

On the depth, if you can go 36" I'd definitely say do. Much more swimming room for your fish and you can do much more with the aquascape than in a 24" deep tank.

Good luck with the build.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

A 5 foot tank is better than a 4 foot tank and a 6 foot tank is better than a 5. I have a 120 gallon tank, I need a bigger tank. Fish need to be able to swim and turn around, so 30 wide is really nice as well. So a 72 x 30 x 24 is ideal choice for me at least.

Since you have choices, get thoughts about everything can be helpful. Have you looked into Crystal Dynamic Aquariums they are in San Diego and they have an interactive website, letting to check different sizes and cost.

Is this tank going down stairs around corners?

 

[garbled]

I was just about to post to ask about different tanks. I'm also looking for something in the 60" range (I have a limited-space area near the front door that currently has a 48")

I'm looking for something with a reef ready internal overflow, and I will have no back access. I'm really not a fan of corner overflows for this, as I have a good side view on at least one side. The tank will house a puffer, and potentially an angel or something else, dunno. Mostly a puffer. So needs to be glass, all internal returns and overflows.

Has anyone used glass cages? Opinions?

 

[JoshH]

@ReefingBliss With the fish room in behind I would say (And this is just IMO) go with a 72" x 36" x 24". In a tank like this getting the most out of your length and width for swimming lengths I feel is more important and then finding a happy depth for easy maintenance after you get that worked out. Once you start gettin into the 30" + depths, lighting and maintainence can be a REAL pain. Keeping your height a little lower can also have the added benefit of not needing to step up in glass thicknesses which can save both weight and money.

 

[Salty Lemon]

I was just about to post to ask about different tanks. I'm also looking for something in the 60" range (I have a limited-space area near the front door that currently has a 48")

I'm looking for something with a reef ready internal overflow, and I will have no back access. I'm really not a fan of corner overflows for this, as I have a good side view on at least one side. The tank will house a puffer, and potentially an angel or something else, dunno. Mostly a puffer. So needs to be glass, all internal returns and overflows.

Has anyone used glass cages? Opinions?

I had to hop on their website to see what they are about -- seems interesting. They have many sizes available and you can customize. My biggest issue about them, is that they only have a 90 day warranty on their silicone seams. That doesn't seem very long to me. "The aquarium is warranted by Glasscages.com LLC, not to leak or come apart at the silicone seams for a period of ninety (90) days from date of purchase." http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=AqWarranty

 

[PatW]

For many fish, the most critical dimension for a tank in length. This is especially true for tangs. Only small tangs will make it in a 4’ tank. Quite a few tangs will prosper in a 6’ tank. For the larger tangs, you need 8’, 10’ or even 12’.

Depth of a tank influences aquascape. You don’t want your rock work right up on the glass. So if you give a 4” gap, a tank with a 24” depth gives you 18” to play with. An 18” depth gives you 10” to play with. A 36” depth gives you 28” to play with. So the deeper tanks give you far more scope to get creative with aquascapes.

Height of a tank has various considerations. Frag tanks tend to be shallow. It is easier to work on corals in a shallow tank. And the light does not have to penetrate much water column. Increasing the height can make a tank more visually appealing because of the aspect ratio. But for most people, 24” is good because it is hard to access a tank with more height. My tank is 27” and I am 6’ and working on the bottom is a bit challenging. I am glad that I did not go with 30”.

 

[garbled]

Yeah.. I'm somewhat looking at the SCA 150 (60"), but the stands are.. bleah.. The glasscages stands on the other hand look amazing, but the tanks are... eh..

Sigh.. I'm really trying hard here not to have to DIY a whole tank again. I kinda just want a big tank so I can put a puffer in there and call it a day.

 

[ReefingBliss]

I second the at least going 72" with the length of the new build. You will really appreciate those extra 12" later, but you will need more lighting if you plan on keeping certain types of coral. If you want to run LEDs and T5 you may have looked into the hybrid T5 fixtures already. If not the AquaticLife Hybrid fixtures are really good. You definitely have to think about lighting a 72" tank more than on a 60" tank.

You can also looking into MH lighting with going in wall and having a dedicated fish room behind. No worry about heat and can supplement with other types of lighting. If I had a fish room option, my dream lighting would be MH/LED/T5 mix. In my mind the problem with just LED is getting the correct spectrum. You can tweak it too much if you are not patient and do more hard than good. Then you need more of them to cover the tank. In come T5 lighting to fill in the lighting gaps. But that pure punch of light from MH is unmatched. But hey everyone is entitled to their opinion right.

On the depth, if you can go 36" I'd definitely say do. Much more swimming room for your fish and you can do much more with the aquascape than in a 24" deep tank.

Good luck with the build.

What Kind of spread do you think those ATI Hybrids would have with the Radion 30Pro's. I am wondering with the 36" front to back if I could go with two 36" Hybrids Left to Right for a total of the 6 feet or If 3 of the 36" Hybrids hung perpendicular would be better? Nice thing there is I guess I can always add.

 

[ReefingBliss]

For many fish, the most critical dimension for a tank in length. This is especially true for tangs. Only small tangs will make it in a 4’ tank. Quite a few tangs will prosper in a 6’ tank. For the larger tangs, you need 8’, 10’ or even 12’.

Depth of a tank influences aquascape. You don’t want your rock work right up on the glass. So if you give a 4” gap, a tank with a 24” depth gives you 18” to play with. An 18” depth gives you 10” to play with. A 36” depth gives you 28” to play with. So the deeper tanks give you far more scope to get creative with aquascapes.

Height of a tank has various considerations. Frag tanks tend to be shallow. It is easier to work on corals in a shallow tank. And the light does not have to penetrate much water column. Increasing the height can make a tank more visually appealing because of the aspect ratio. But for most people, 24” is good because it is hard to access a tank with more height. My tank is 27” and I am 6’ and working on the bottom is a bit challenging. I am glad that I did not go with 30”.

Good to know I am about 6 foot tall myself. My plan is to plumb a small frag tank in my sump room directly to the tank and sump system. I figure then my frags are acclimated very well to the tank. Like I said this is just the beginning workings my goal is to start cycling summer or fall of 2020 going to go slow with dry rock so I can get more creative with the Aquascape.

 

[mitch91175]

What Kind of spread do you think those ATI Hybrids would have with the Radion 30Pro's. I am wondering with the 36" front to back if I could go with two 36" Hybrids Left to Right for a total of the 6 feet or If 3 of the 36" Hybrids hung perpendicular would be better? Nice thing there is I guess I can always add.

I think it really comes down to your aquascape as well. You can use an AquaticLife Hybrid fixture an mount the lights perpendicular, but will need more of them doing it that way. I would say at least 5 of them minimum with the AquaticLife fixture.