Upgrade tanks

ShawnM24 · Jan 23, 2023

Good morning everyone I have currently a Red Sea reefer 200xl needless to say loved it when I got it wished I didn’t get it. Everything about it is challenging do to size limitations. Looking at 3 different options what do you all think?
Waterbox reef 100.3 nice 3 foot tank will not need any additional equipment. Controller Mounted on outside of tank

Waterbox reef 130.4 4 foot tank plenty of room under the stand to hold equipment

Waterbox peninsula 4820 4 foot something a little different I guess
Thank you everyone for input tank is mostly lps with a few sps on top now as is

FlowGod · Jan 23, 2023

I have a 100.3 and really love it. I wish I went bigger though. I have had her up and running for two years now. The glass sump that came with the tank sucked IMO and I sold it and bought a fiji cube sump. That was a huge life saver and makes running the tank so much easier. If I could rewind two years ago to when I bought my waterbox I wish I went with the 130 or bigger, but I didn't want to spend over 3k at the time. I would say if you can afford the 130 or 4820 go for one of those. Id say its up to you if you want a peni. style tank or traditional style, cant go wrong with either

ShawnM24 · Jan 23, 2023

FlowGod said:
I have a 100.3 and really love it. I wish I went bigger though. I have had her up and running for two years now. The glass sump that came with the tank sucked IMO and I sold it and bought a fiji cube sump. That was a huge life saver and makes running the tank so much easier. If I could rewind two years ago to when I bought my waterbox I wish I went with the 130 or bigger, but I didn't want to spend over 3k at the time. I would say if you can afford the 130 or 4820 go for one of those. Id say its up to you if you want a peni. style tank or traditional style, cant go wrong with either

Thank you for your opinion I love the 100.3 but having the 130.4 and being able to fit everything into the stand is a nice thought I definitely agree

ShawnM24 · Jan 23, 2023

SaltwaterandLime · Jan 29, 2023

Hey, so I know I just went with the 3 foot tank and am super happy with it, but if you have the ability to go for the 130.4 I say do it. I don't know anyone who gets a tank and later thinks "dang, I wish I went smaller".

There is a lot to be said for extra water volume, more cabinet space, and the ability for additional fish choices.

I always think peninsula tanks LOOK cool, but they come with their own set of challenges. Flow can be hard to manage, and it limits you with where it can go on your house. Also something to note, the water box peninsula tanks are quite a bit taller than their standard tanks. I know you're tall but it was a major deal breaker for me when we looked at them.

BamaCoastPyrat · Jan 29, 2023

ShawnM24 said:
Good morning everyone I have currently a Red Sea reefer 200xl needless to say loved it when I got it wished I didn’t get it. Everything about it is challenging do to size limitations. Looking at 3 different options what do you all think?
Waterbox reef 100.3 nice 3 foot tank will not need any additional equipment. Controller Mounted on outside of tank

Waterbox reef 130.4 4 foot tank plenty of room under the stand to hold equipment

Waterbox peninsula 4820 4 foot something a little different I guess
Thank you everyone for input tank is mostly lps with a few sps on top now as is

Along the lines of what @SaltwaterandLime said, I would go as big as you have room for and can afford. In the long run it's cheaper to make one big jump to the size you want than it is to upgrade and then upgrade again and then....