What size?

[Flash0416]

Hello,
I am in the planning stage of setting up my first marine tank. I've been doing a ton of reading and have watched how people will start and stop tanks, buy larger etc. I'd prefer to buy one tank. I am told that the larger they are, the more stable. So, I am trying to decide how large. Aside from the initial cost, its clear that larger systems will have higher costs. I'm also a gear head, so I'll enjoy the selection, set up and maintenance of the gear and learning how it works, the science behind all of it, too. But, when I start reading about ongoing cost of $1 per gallon with a large tank, well that doesn't seem wise.

I really like the idea of 120 X 48 X 30. But, at 750 gallons, thats huge and I am worried would be more than I could handle. So, then I look at 500 gallons and then at 300 gallons.

If the experience reef keepers could help point out the pros and especially the cons of each size, I sure would appreciate the feedback. I am concerned that I am leaving some important items out of the consideration, so all thoughts are appreciated.

 

[mfinn]

You need to figure out what your budget is for your tank first.
Unless you have really deep pockets a 300-500 gallon tank is going to be a major purchase.

When people say bigger is better, IMO they mean that a 29 gallon tank is better than 10 gallon and and a 75 gallon would be better than 29.
The idea is to try and not start out with a really small tank.

IMO a really good first tank for someone would be in the 75 gallon to 120 gallon tank.

You didn't say if you have any freshwater experience.

 

[W1ngz]

300 Gallons is a LOT of tank. By the time you're done you could easily have spent over 10,000$ on a full setup for something like that, and not have a single fish yet. If you decide you don't enjoy it for whatever reason, you won't be getting anywhere near that much back when you try and sell it.

Start conservatively, and if you're wise and up-size some of the initial gear a lot of it can be reused if you begin with a 4' tank, or even a larger say 6' 125, and later decide to go all in with a large tank.

Don't underestimate the learning curve, and don't ignore the advice to go slow.

If you really do get hooked, then buying a new, bigger tank and planning a new setup, backed up by some experience will be a project you really look forward to.

 

[Auquanut]

First of all, welcome to R2R. You've definitely come to the right place for the best advice from the friendliest people. I couldn't agree more with what's been said. The expense involved with the biggest of tanks is staggering. If this will be your first reef tank, I would suggest something along the lines of 75 to 125 gallons. Get your feet wet. Get the feel of the reef life. When it's time to go huge, you'll know.

 

[Flash0416]

First of all, welcome to R2R. You've definitely come to the right place for the best advice from the friendliest people. I couldn't agree more with what's been said. The expense involved with the biggest of tanks is staggering. If this will be your first reef tank, I would suggest something along the lines of 75 to 125 gallons. Get your feet wet. Get the feel of the reef life. When it's time to go huge, you'll know.

Thanks. I have experience and I’m not the usual newbie, I have goals beyond personal satisfaction of just having a tank, the way most people look at it. I’m budgeting 10K for the water box, 30K total.

 

[Flash0416]

You need to figure out what your budget is for your tank first.
Unless you have really deep pockets a 300-500 gallon tank is going to be a major purchase.

When people say bigger is better, IMO they mean that a 29 gallon tank is better than 10 gallon and and a 75 gallon would be better than 29.
The idea is to try and not start out with a really small tank.

IMO a really good first tank for someone would be in the 75 gallon to 120 gallon tank.

You didn't say if you have any freshwater experience.

Thank you. After spending a few years researching and thinking, I’ve gone beyond those concepts long ago. But, like most people, I started out thinking smaller was better.

My budget is $30k. I figure $10k for the tank.

 

[Flash0416]

300 Gallons is a LOT of tank. By the time you're done you could easily have spent over 10,000$ on a full setup for something like that, and not have a single fish yet. If you decide you don't enjoy it for whatever reason, you won't be getting anywhere near that much back when you try and sell it.

Start conservatively, and if you're wise and up-size some of the initial gear a lot of it can be reused if you begin with a 4' tank, or even a larger say 6' 125, and later decide to go all in with a large tank.

Don't underestimate the learning curve, and don't ignore the advice to go slow.

If you really do get hooked, then buying a new, bigger tank and planning a new setup, backed up by some experience will be a project you really look forward to.

Please tell me more about the learning curve. I’ve put years of research into this...I actually want to avoid buying multiple tanks. I want to do it right the first time and aside of loving fish and water critters, I’m interested in coral conservation.

 

[Auquanut]

Please tell me more about the learning curve. I’ve put years of research into this...I actually want to avoid buying multiple tanks. I want to do it right the first time and aside of loving fish and water critters, I’m interested in coral conservation.

It's a little hard to explain. A successful reef tank is as much about intuition and constant attention as it is about mechanics and chemistry. As your tank matures, you mature as an aquarist. I know I'm not making much sense, but once you get started, you'll know what I'm talking about. Just realize that the larger the tank, the larger the issues that you can encounter. If you have the resources to go big from the start, go for it! We're all behind you.

 

[W1ngz]

Thank you. After spending a few years researching and thinking, I’ve gone beyond those concepts long ago. But, like most people, I started out thinking smaller was better.

My budget is $30k. I figure $10k for the tank.

If you got the reading done and the cash to back it then I would base the tank around the available time you have to dote on the system and the animals you hope to keep in it. How much time each day and in one weekly maintenance session are you able to put towards the tank?

 

[mfinn]

Thank you. After spending a few years researching and thinking, I’ve gone beyond those concepts long ago. But, like most people, I started out thinking smaller was better.

My budget is $30k. I figure $10k for the tank.

You can certainly get a decent sized tank for 10k.
But before you start writing checks, try and find a mentor. Maybe local reef club?
I'd be careful of using a local fish store owner/worker as a mentor.
They MAY have other priorities than yours.

I have not heard of a stock tank being bigger than 300 gallons ( Marineland), so a custom sized tank may be what you are looking for.
Maybe contact a custom tank manufacture and get quotes.
I'm currently have a small custom tank built by Crystal Reef Aquatics. I'm fairly lucky I can go get my tank when it's done.
I do know they are capable of shipping ( or atleast preparing for shipping).

 

[lifeguard101284]

I have to say I agree with the advice I’ve read so far. I started with a 75 gallon reef and now am at a 120 gallon reef. Of course I’d love to go bigger but there are concerns. The challenges with a bigger tank is everything gets bigger. So a tank crash on a 75 gallon could mean you loose 5 fish and 20 corals but on a 750 gallon reef you could loose 50 fish and 300 corals. The amount of food they need also increases which often means a separate freezer because I know my wife doesn’t want 50 bags of frozen food next to our dinner. The power consumption also goes up. My tank raised my electric bill by a noticeable amount. Nothing is a deal breaker but just some things to consider.

 

[Reef-junky]

Welcome to R2R!

Fist of all we don’t need to go crazy on the size of the tank. A 40 breeder or 75 gallon tank is more then a fine start. Before you do anything I would decide if you want a fish only tank or a reef tank. Come up with a dream list of fish and things you want to keep then decide on the tank size. A 300+ gallon tank is a big investment and not a wise starting point. You can read all you want but that’s not the same as doing it. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. By the way for a 300+ gallon tank your probably better off going with a wood tank or concrete. If a tank that big isn’t going to be in a basement your going to have to brace the floor big time.

 

[RandyC]

Aside from what’s been said, one aspect that you need to consider before going big is how much time you (and your family) are ready to give to reefing. Going from not having a reef tank to a 750 gallon tank will come at a cost to your life schedule. Without having a smaller tank under your belt, the amount of time you will spend to do reefing the way you want to do reefing is really unknown.

Getting experience of a 75-125 gallon tank under your belt will let you solidify your specified reef tank “style” (husbandry, equipment, dosing, etc.) and will give you a better idea of what going big will do to your schedule.

 

[Flash0416]

If you got the reading done and the cash to back it then I would base the tank around the available time you have to dote on the system and the animals you hope to keep in it. How much time each day and in one weekly maintenance session are you able to put towards the tank?

Great question and is why I’m asking for opinions. I suspect that maintenance and cost rise exponentially with size. So, I’m trying to figure out where that sweet spot is...I know for a fact that I need to automate things like water changes, from my days with a freshwater. Actually, I plan to automate as much as possible, so I can spend more time on the maintenance I enjoy. I can easily devote 4 to five hours on a weekend, as a minimum.

 

[Jekyl]

Hello,
I am in the planning stage of setting up my first marine tank. I've been doing a ton of reading and have watched how people will start and stop tanks, buy larger etc. I'd prefer to buy one tank. I am told that the larger they are, the more stable. So, I am trying to decide how large. Aside from the initial cost, its clear that larger systems will have higher costs. I'm also a gear head, so I'll enjoy the selection, set up and maintenance of the gear and learning how it works, the science behind all of it, too. But, when I start reading about ongoing cost of $1 per gallon with a large tank, well that doesn't seem wise.

I really like the idea of 120 X 48 X 30. But, at 750 gallons, thats huge and I am worried would be more than I could handle. So, then I look at 500 gallons and then at 300 gallons.

If the experience reef keepers could help point out the pros and especially the cons of each size, I sure would appreciate the feedback. I am concerned that I am leaving some important items out of the consideration, so all thoughts are appreciated.

I wouldn't recommend anything deeper than 24". Makes reaching the bottom a pain

 

[Jekyl]

Also the start up costs are nothing. I've spent more on coral and livestock than everything it took for my 90 gallon

 

[Flash0416]

Also the start up costs are nothing. I've spent more on coral and livestock than everything it took for my 90 gallon

Indeed, I’ve repeatedly read that the cheapest part is the glass box. The difference is, up front costs are immediate vs ongoing costs of maintenance and animal selection are spread over time.

 

[Marco S]

Since the $$$ involved has already been brought up multiple times and you seem to be OK on budget, I will leave that out of my equation. I was in a similar boat, but the major factor I had was that I knew nothing about plumbing a large tank and had never had a sump. I wanted to go big, (300+ gallons) and have dealt with big freshwater tanks before, but the biggest tanks I could get that were all in one packages, (all plumbing and sump included) were only around 200 gallons. I decided on the Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL with plans of getting a much bigger tank in the near future, (well 2 years or so) once I understood more about the plumbing and equipment needed for a large reef tank.

That being said, I am 50% glad I went this way and 50% disappointed that I didn't go much bigger. The plumbing really wasn't as big a deal as I thought and with the help of this forum I am sure I could have figure it out pretty quickly...So my advice would be to go as big as you have space for and don't look back!

Edit: Forgot to add...Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[PatW]

I have a 300 gallon and it is quite a bit of tank.

Some things I have learned:

The tank is 72” long 36” width and 27” height.

72 inches is good. But 96 inches would be better. At 72 inches a single fish can still harass its rivals. Maybe 96 or 120 might be better that way.
36” depth is terrific. It offers considerable scope for aquascaping.
27” height is hard to work with at places. And I am 6’ tall.

Mine is against the wall... enough gap for some access. But it makes getting access to the back of the tank problematic.

The tank has a top and my wife wanted it. It makes mo I guess lights around and optimizing height problematic and limits access. Avoid the top.

Mine has corner overflows. It limits how far back I can stick powerheads. A ghost overflow would give better options for powerheads and open up space.

Now it would be nice, if against the wall to have a fishroom behind it with access to the rear of the tank. Also a fish room would allow a large refugium easily just pickup an inexpensive glass tank.

I wish I had a frag tank tied into the system. Again a fishroom would allow for a frag tank or two tied into the system.

Also a fishroom would allow for an RODI system feeding an RODI can or two which could be pumped into a saltwater mixing can or two. It would make water changes easy. If you have the space, you could set up a bank of 55 gallon brute trash cans. That way, you would have the capacity for a big water change even for a big system.... but maybe that is crazy.

Another option is a peninsula build. Advantages viewable from both sides with access to fishroom from the end of the tank. You could go with a 48” depth and a 120” length... something like 700 gallons.

A monster tank like this will take considerable husbandry. You might pay a local guy to come in once or twice per week to do some of the more intense stuff.

 

[Flash0416]

Since the $$$ involved has already been brought up multiple times and you seem to be OK on budget, I will leave that out of my equation. I was in a similar boat, but the major factor I had was that I knew nothing about plumbing a large tank and had never had a sump. I wanted to go big, (300+ gallons) and have dealt with big freshwater tanks before, but the biggest tanks I could get that were all in one packages, (all plumbing and sump included) were only around 200 gallons. I decided on the Red Sea Reefer 750 XXL with plans of getting a much bigger tank in the near future, (well 2 years or so) once I understood more about the plumbing and equipment needed for a large reef tank.

That being said, I am 50% glad I went this way and 50% disappointed that I didn't go much bigger. The plumbing really wasn't as big a deal as I thought and with the help of this forum I am sure I could have figure it out pretty quickly...So my advice would be to go as big as you have space for and don't look back!

Edit: Forgot to add...Welcome to R2R!!!

Thanks! I suspect that you and I look at this project in similar ways...I started with freshwater and almost,pulled the trigger on one of the Red Sea systems, but then started thinking long term and would prefer to just have one display.