Upgrading tank - 180 plexi vs 220 glass, opinions needed

[Toonse]

I'm upgrading my tank, here are the facts, two tanks to
choose from:

- going to build my own stand/hood
- 180 plexi is CA$800 (72x24x24)
- 220 glass (perfecto) is CA$1300 (72x24x30)
- 245 glass CA$800, (72x24x34), not drilled, seller wont guarantee
drilling.

I have a 2x175W hamilton halide right now.

I LOVE the 30" high-ness of the 220. But that tank is more $.
And I'd have to scrap my 175W halides and get 3x250W, hence
upping the cost even more. So $500 + the cost of new halides.
If I go with the 180, it may be sufficient, but will I always have
a yearning for the taller more "display" like tank? Probably.

Opinions? Anyone had to make a decision like this before?

Help! :>

Thanks

 

[Toonse]

Oops

 

[Jeff Hood]

Keep in mind several things.

First, I have to agree tall tanks look good but must be in proportion to the front to back depth. All that height wont do you any good if you cant use it and maintain it.

First, for a tank to have good gas exchange it is said you should have a tank at least as thick front to back as it is tall.

Second, if you will be maintaining the tank from the front with a conventional stand and hood then you might also consider the shorter tank. You will want to be able to reach the bottom from time to time. You probably won't be laying on top of it most likely.

Thirdly, as you mentioned, I don't think 175 watt halides will be enough for a 34 inch deep tank unless you only want softies.

Lastly, with a tank that is tall and narrow, aquascapeing will be difficult because the base of your rock structure will be narrow.



Think of ease of maintance first or else you will never do it.
I am not saying it can not be done because it can if you plan it right but just beware of the pitfalls.

Sure I have a 40 inch deep tank but its also 40 inches thick and I can lay on top with out a hood in the way and work in it. Hard to do with the usual stand and hood type tank.

Good luck
Things to think about.

Jeff

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

Jeff Hood, I have a 72x24x30 high tank. About the gas exchange, if the tank will have a sump there will be enough surface area exposed to the air and with a trickle overflow box, the gases will exchange just fine IMO.

 

[ColdZero1]

Yea I think if you add a skimmer to the tank, there will be more than enough surface area for gas exchange to happen.

 

[reefland]

I'd use the "220 glass (perfecto) is CA$1300 (72x24x30)" one if it was already drilled and ready to go. However, that price sure seems high. You could get a starphire tank shipped for that price. :lol:

I have a 30 inch tall stand and a 24 inch tall tank. You can't reach the bottom without standing on chairs. I think a 30 inch tall tank would really be a pain to work on.

 

[reefsRcool]

i definatly wouldn't get the one that isn't drilled i can say that much for sure. i agree that with an overflow and sump gas exchange should be just fine for the tall tank. if it were me though i would get the 24 though because IMO it will be very hard to get a natural looking reef structure that will fill that disproportiional a space and it sure is cheaper. any way you go i am sooooo jelouse though. man i need to win the powerball!!! i'm psyched about getting a 75 :roll:

 

[Toonse]

Thanks for the replies. Just to address some of them:

- I definitely won't buy a tank non drilled, so the 34" is pretty much out.
I probably didn't convey that well enough

- I'm tall, reaching into a 30" tank isn't a problem, although if I have it
on a fairly tall stand I may need a footstool hehe.

- This will be fully plumbed down to a refugium, sump, and with tons
of circ and a skimmer. I'm not at all worried about gas exchange, but
definitely a good point to bring up.

- Seeing as how I live in an earthquake zone, is going with plexi
really any safer? More of a pain in the ass because it is more easily
scratched...had a 120gal plexi before.

- Are the InterAmerican Starphire tanks decent? I don't know anyone
with one. They seem to be fairly rare. I'll give them a call tomorrow
and see what they would ship me a 180 or a 220 for. Thanks for
the suggestion.

 

[npaden]

I have a regular glass custom Inter-American tank that I got for $1,900 including shipping with all the bells and whistles. It is a 415 gallon that is 122"X28"X28" and I really like the 4" extra height and width over a 24" tank.

FWIW, Nathan

 

[Toonse]

I have a regular glass custom Inter-American tank that I got for $1,900 including shipping with all the bells and whistles. It is a 415 gallon that is 122"X28"X28" and I really like the 4" extra height and width over a 24" tank.

FWIW, Nathan

Ooof...US$1900 is about CA$3000. Higher than I want to spend right
now :> Long tank..must be nice I'll see how Interamerican's
prices compare to the 220 I can get locally for MRSP of CA$1300
(before haggling that is). CA$1300 is about US$800 right now.

 

[Derek]

Hi, I don't mean to be argumentative, but you might be surprised by how deep a 24" tank once you put it on a stand and add a canopy. In my case I am 6' 1" and my tank is on a 30" stand and has a 10" canopy. I need to stand on something in order to touch the bottom of the tank. Even then there are parts I cannot get to safely. With the canopy off it is easier, but I still need a stool.

I live in California and went with a plexi. I have been in the room during an earthquake, not fun. My 60x28x24 tank was about $600 drilled. I figured that by the time it gets too scratched up I will want to redo the tank anyway. Another advantage of the plexi is that it is a lot lighter than glass. That meant that my wife and I could move the tank in and set it up. From what I understand we wouldn't have been able to do that.

 

[Toonse]

Hi, I don't mean to be argumentative, but you might be surprised by how deep a 24" tank once you put it on a stand and add a canopy. In my case I am 6' 1" and my tank is on a 30" stand and has a 10" canopy. I need to stand on something in order to touch the bottom of the tank. Even then there are parts I cannot get to safely. With the canopy off it is easier, but I still need a stool.

I live in California and went with a plexi. I have been in the room during an earthquake, not fun. My 60x28x24 tank was about $600 drilled. I figured that by the time it gets too scratched up I will want to redo the tank anyway. Another advantage of the plexi is that it is a lot lighter than glass. That meant that my wife and I could move the tank in and set it up. From what I understand we wouldn't have been able to do that.

Aye...lightness is definitely an issue. I have a 24" deep tank right now
and have absolutely no problem reaching the bottom with it. A 27"
won't be a problem either, although a 30" might start pushing it :>

Thanks for the advice

 

[M.E.Milz]

Are the InterAmerican Starphire tanks decent? I don't know anyone with one. They seem to be fairly rare. I'll give them a call tomorrow and see what they would ship me a 180 or a 220 for. Thanks for
the suggestion.

I recently received my Starphire tank from InterAmerican. It measures 78"x32"x37.5" high. Although I had some delays in receiving the tank (shipping problems, dimension goof-ups, etc), I can say that I am quite pleased with the end product. Mitch did a very noce job on this tank. The front and side walls are 1" Starphire (2x 1/2" glass panes laminated together), and the back wall and bottom are 3/4" thick. I just finished filling her up 2 days ago, and I should be finished with the plumbing within the next day-or so.

The added height does make it difficult to set-up, even with a ladder. However, once I get the rock in, this should not be an issue. The way I ad my last tank, a 200 Oceanic, set-up, the 24" height was too short for many of my sps colonies.

One draw back is the weight of a glass tank this size - about 1200 lbs. I had to hire a crew of professional movers to get the tank into my condo and up onto the stand. They almost cost me as much as the tank (Chicago is, afterall, a union city). But even when you figure these costs into it, the total cost for the tank was well under what I would have had to pay someone to build a tank on site. Besides, I plan to keep this tank for a very long time.