What is the best "medium"size tank?

[jda]

180 is pretty good. They are still easy to light and get equipment for. You can have a good amount of livestock.

 

[Flynsqwirl]

I just bought a new 180. My thoughts were (coming from a 90) more depth(front to back) for rockwork and corals, and at 24" deep still can reach the bottom with my hands for maintenance. That said, I was checking out my tank at the LFS this weekend and thought "dang, shoulda gone 220." lol

I also said to the LFS owner "This is it for me. Biggest tank I'll ever have..." and he smiled and said "I'll take that bet."

I will say, if I had bought a 120 instead of a 90 to start with, I might not be upgrading right now. Then again I really like tangs, and your options are pretty limited in a 4 foot tank.

I searched for a long time for a used 180, but they were few and far between. And the ones that did come up were pretty rough.

Yup pretty much and I bet if you started off with a 180 you would want a 220.lol. I wonder what size just become more of a chore than a smaller tank

 

[cracker]

I had a 220 that by providence started leaking . I went with the 180 with a 75 for a sump & I love it. plenty of room, I can reach the bottom, (still get my t shirt sleeve wet), water change & equipment not too much work & $$. Not sure 180 gallons would be considered a "medium "size tank though .

 

[rck329]

Yup pretty much and I bet if you started off with a 180 you would want a 220.lol. I wonder what size just become more of a chore than a smaller tank

Yeah, I'm already fretting the water changes. I typically do 20% biweekly so, 40 gallons compared to 20... oye... I may need to upgrade my water tanks...

Of course there is always Triton or the ATI system, but I'm trying to simplify things and that seems to go in the other direction.

 

[srad750c]

Going for a while new tank for only 6 inches seems weird but it is a big difference. I say do the 150. This is my second tank and it seems like I'm happy for a year and then want an upgrade. Thinking of finding a size I can grow into and just keep it for years.( Hopefully)

This is my 10th tank. The area I’m putting tank limits me, but I’m really considering the 150. Will have to brace floors. I’ve had the 90 for 22 years so I will be happy with either. I’m going to go with the minimalist look with small fish. I think I will be happy for another 10 years at least

 

[Flynsqwirl]

I had a 220 that by providence started leaking . I went with the 180 with a 75 for a sump & I love it. plenty of room, I can reach the bottom, (still get my t shirt sleeve wet), water change & equipment not too much work & $$. Not sure 180 gallons would be considered a "medium "size tank though .

Yeah what is a medium size to one is small to another. It is true about wanting bigger and bigger.

 

[PatW]

The 180 gallon is a good tank. It is 72 by 24 by 24. It is long enough to make many of the tangs happy. It is also just about the largest of the mass produced tanks.

If you want low iron glass, you are pretty much in the range of a custom tank. The Red Sea Reefers are low iron. Marineland makes low iron tanks. The largest is 72 by 36 by 27. It is 300 gallon. The depth of 36 makes for nice aquascaping. The height of 27 is a bit hard for access.

If you want the larger tangs, you might need an 86 or 120 length and that is getting pretty large.

 

[Flynsqwirl]

The 180 gallon is a good tank. It is 72 by 24 by 24. It is long enough to make many of the tangs happy. It is also just about the largest of the mass produced tanks.

If you want low iron glass, you are pretty much in the range of a custom tank. The Red Sea Reefers are low iron. Marineland makes low iron tanks. The largest is 72 by 36 by 27. It is 300 gallon. The depth of 36 makes for nice aquascaping. The height of 27 is a bit hard for access.

If you want the larger tangs, you might need an 86 or 120 length and that is getting pretty large.

Not even wanting the large tangs, just some of the smaller ones would make me happy. I don't own a house and seem to move every couple years. I've been in the hobby for 3 years and havnt had to move a tank yet but am planning on moving when my next lease is up and even though my 70g is small I'm still scared so I know the bigger the harder it is to move. I've also heard of tank crashes after being moved. I hope not cause I have lots of money in sps and coral I'm general

 

[PatW]

Moving is not THAT hard. You get some Brute trash cans and 5 gallon buckets. You take everything out of the tank. Carry it all over in buckets. Dump it into Brute trash cans at the new place. You can almost certainly hire a crew from the LFS to move the tank, sump and stand for you. A 180 glass tank is pretty heavy so an experienced crew is a good idea. It will cost a few $$ but not that much in most places.

 

[acer]

Coming from a 90 for years - I went with the SCA 150 about 18 months ago and love it. Here is a link to my build thread- https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/acer-new-150-build.260497/

 

[Leslie Tabor]

6x2x2 180 gallon or a 4x2x2 120 are a couple of my favorites.

But my top one is the 6x3x27" 300DD

Do you have a 300DD? I am looking into them and all the horror stories are starting to really scare me! But custom tanks are so much more money...my hubby is gonna have a stroke!

 

[hybridazn]

Do you have a 300DD? I am looking into them and all the horror stories are starting to really scare me! But custom tanks are so much more money...my hubby is gonna have a stroke!

No I don't, but that will be the tank I upgrade to in the future

 

[jasonrusso]

Do you have a 300DD? I am looking into them and all the horror stories are starting to really scare me! But custom tanks are so much more money...my hubby is gonna have a stroke!

How is that a medium tank? I see medium as 75-90.