I need your opinions on tank size!

[Anonymous]

I know that bigger is better and you should buy as big as you can afford, so no need to remind me of that (though if there's a specific difference between the sizes below that isn't just a little more stability glad to hear it). What I'd like to hear from people is how they think the sizes I'm considering would work for the sort of tank I want. Also, a confession. This is very early planning for a tank that will come in 2010. I just need to start saving and calculating now what things will cost will form part of the negotiating process with my wife. :wink:

I'm thinking of a tank focussed on zoas, rics, shrooms and LPS, with maybe one BTA and a clam or two. Fish will mostly be peaceful and small. The biggest and nastiest might be a Yellow/Purple Tang, but I'm not convinced about that at all. More likely there will be a variety of gobies, cardinals, a pair of clowns. A Mandarin would be nice, but given that none of these tanks is 100g, I know this might be not possible. Actually, the largest would be 90g, but the other 2 would be more like 65g I think, so probably not doable, even if I filled it with live rock, added it only after 6 months and had no competitors...

I'm looking at three possibilities at the moment.

3' long x 2' deep x 18" high

4' long x 18" deep x 18" high

4' long x 2' deep x 18" high

Clearly, the ideal would be option 3, but this involves both a real premium on tank/stand cost (almost twice the cost of option 2). Option 2 is attractive for the length, but I'm not sure would work in the way I'd like, with very little front to back depth for creative aquascaping. On the other hand, for the sort of tank I'm thinking of, it could be like an elongated nano, showing off the sort of small fish I'm interested in. Option 1 would give me that much more front to back depth, but obviously I'd lose the length. Option 3 is the Rolls Royce option.

Opinions welcome and also any examples people might have of each dimension (or a similar ratio)!

 

[Anonymous]

I have a 4x2x2 (not set-up) and I simply love the size. Is this for Tokyo? I read the post in the sump but I forgot

 

[Anonymous]

That's right - for when we get to Tokyo. This is the site of the company I want to get my tank from. Specifically, the page with the prices! All in metric and yen, I'm afraid.

http://www.aq-collection.com/hp katalog 3.htm

I think the LFS I used to go to probably sells for a bit less than the prices listed here, but it gives an idea.

This is an image of one of their 4'x18"x18" tanks.

The 4'x2'x2' tank would be great, but I'm not sure how well I'd do in selling this to my wife. Well, I've got a year to work on her, but the price differential between a 4'x18"x18" is really quite something! From 59600 to 122900 yen! Also, I'm guessing that going from 65g/90g to 115g would entail quite an upgrade in other equipment as well.

Actually, maybe not. I've just looked at the ATI Bubblemaster 160, which was my preferred skimmer choice. Does up to 500 liters, it says and this would be 432. Plus, they say Bubblemasters are conservatively rated. Lighting I was thinking about a Powermodule unit. Going from 3' to 4' surprisingly doesn't make that much difference. It's going from 4 bulbs to 6. I wonder if I could get away with 4 bulbs on a 2' deep/high tank? :?

Damn you Gresham, now I've got another option to fret over for a year or so! :lol:

 

[Jimmy G]

Well, having a 125 thats only 18" wide my advice is go for the 24" wide tank for sure. The extra depth means alot for a reef tank.

 

[Anonymous]

that's what I'm here for :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

Well, having a 125 thats only 18" wide my advice is go for the 24" wide tank for sure. The extra depth means alot for a reef tank.

Thanks Jimmy. Is that a 5 footer? I can see that would be rather constricting. Remember though, I'm not going for too many open water swimmers etc. Though you are probably right. Even without tangs etc, for LPS/clams/a BTA that get reasonably big, it could be pretty restricting.

Why is it so few tanks are taller than they are deep? Having that front to back dimension really makes for better aquascaping. Such a big jump in price. Sigh...

 

[Anonymous]

that's what I'm here for :lol:

I had been wondering.





Seriously though, thanks for your input!

 

[Anonymous]

Having had all of my prior tanks be 18" wide, I can tell you that even if the sucker is 6 feet long there is a real limitation on sizes. Then I got a 36" wide tank which was only 4 feet wide... oooh baby!

Also why are those your choices? Space limitation? Want a "standard" tank size with no custom?

I'd choose either option 1 or 3, option 1 over 2 definitely though

 

[Jimmy G]

Its a 6 foot tank. I wish I had gone with a 180 which is 24" wide, but the price was double what I paid for the 125....take it from me that 6" difference means alot.

 

[Anonymous]

Having had all of my prior tanks be 18" wide, I can tell you that even if the sucker is 6 feet long there is a real limitation on sizes. Then I got a 36" wide tank which was only 4 feet wide... oooh baby!

Also why are those your choices? Space limitation? Want a "standard" tank size with no custom?

I'd choose either option 1 or 3, option 1 over 2 definitely though

36" front to back, 48" long? Very nice... 8)

These are the choices because my wife doesn't want me to get an overly large tank (and her definition of large is something I've had to work on, believe me - at one point it was about 30g) and also because I don't want to have to cart too much water around when doing water changes. The expense of course is one of the biggest factors. The glass thickness obviously makes a big difference.

Thanks for your views on the options as well. I tend to agree with you...

 

[Anonymous]

Its a 6 foot tank. I wish I had gone with a 180 which is 24" wide, but the price was double what I paid for the 125....take it from me that 6" difference means alot.

My math never really was that good! :lol:

Message received and understood. I'm now verging towards the 4'x2'x18"...

 

[Anonymous]

Depth makes all the difference IMhhO in a tank. Wow Tom...you HAVE got it bad :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Anonymous]

could go for something a little more artsy, like a 30"x30"x(whatever height you want) semi-cube. 18" would be 70g, 24" would be 95g, of course it definitely ranges more into the custom size. But then again I'm not sure what's the "norm" over there as far as what's an off the shelf size, or if custom jobs really cost that much more.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll be honest, for zoas and palys, I don't think bigger is better. I'm so very happy that I moved all of mine into a nano. The problem I ran into (as with most big tanks) is that you need the colony to grow pretty big to actually see it in such a large tank.

My "bigger" tank is a 30x30x24. The problem I have found with cubes is that the space underneath is very limited for sumps and storage. Also, you are pretty much stuck with MH, as you are stuck with 24" bulbs (unless you make it to a 36" cube). If I had to do things over again, I'd probably go with a deeper (front to back), rectangular tank. The 4'x2'x2' sounds pretty good IMO, but again, you may be upset with the lack of visibility in your smaller corals in the thank.

 

[Anonymous]

Depth makes all the difference IMhhO in a tank. Wow Tom...you HAVE got it bad :lol: :lol: :lol:

Thanks Tracy. Yeah, it's pretty chronic. My wife finds it quite amusing that every time she suddenly realises I've gone a bit quiet and looks up, I'm either reading a coral book or looking at coral sites on the internet.

could go for something a little more artsy, like a 30"x30"x(whatever height you want) semi-cube. 18" would be 70g, 24" would be 95g, of course it definitely ranges more into the custom size. But then again I'm not sure what's the "norm" over there as far as what's an off the shelf size, or if custom jobs really cost that much more.

Thanks sfsu. The norm isn't huge, because of constrictions on the size of homes. We'll probably be in a decent sized place, but because of this I think large sizes are seen to be the preserve of the rich, so if you're going above 3' long or 2' deep, you start to get pricey. The company does say it does custom tanks relatively inexpensively on its page though. A 30"x30"x18" might work rather well. But the lighting point PaintGuru makes below is a good one. Would have to go MH in that case - commensurately more expensive (particularly as one of the compromises with my wife is that I get nice looking kit - so sleek and expensive is the order of the day...).

I'll be honest, for zoas and palys, I don't think bigger is better. I'm so very happy that I moved all of mine into a nano. The problem I ran into (as with most big tanks) is that you need the colony to grow pretty big to actually see it in such a large tank.

My "bigger" tank is a 30x30x24. The problem I have found with cubes is that the space underneath is very limited for sumps and storage. Also, you are pretty much stuck with MH, as you are stuck with 24" bulbs (unless you make it to a 36" cube). If I had to do things over again, I'd probably go with a deeper (front to back), rectangular tank. The 4'x2'x2' sounds pretty good IMO, but again, you may be upset with the lack of visibility in your smaller corals in the thank.

Good point about the cube cabinet space. I guess I'd also be looking at a custom stand, unless I for a 2' cube, which is a standard size.

I did have a 3'x2'x2' tank when I was in Japan before and I don't think a tank of that height would work for the sort of tank I have in mind quite as well. Bizarrely, I think it's the extra height taking away the impact of the extra depth which makes me feel this way. I agree a tank that's 2' front to back is best. Though I might have to think about what I put at the back.

Another thing to bear in mind is that colonies are pretty big over there generally. Very little in the way of frag trading. So if I buy a colony of zoas, it's going to be reasonably big. Rics are a bit different. Pretty rare still, so generally sold singly and, if not, expensive (I've just seen a rock with 7 purple rics selling for around $200 on one shop's site).

 

[Anonymous]

Good point about the cube cabinet space. I guess I'd also be looking at a custom stand, unless I for a 2' cube, which is a standard size.

I did have a 3'x2'x2' tank when I was in Japan before and I don't think a tank of that height would work for the sort of tank I have in mind quite as well. Bizarrely, I think it's the extra height taking away the impact of the extra depth which makes me feel this way. I agree a tank that's 2' front to back is best. Though I might have to think about what I put at the back.

Another thing to bear in mind is that colonies are pretty big over there generally. Very little in the way of frag trading. So if I buy a colony of zoas, it's going to be reasonably big. Rics are a bit different. Pretty rare still, so generally sold singly and, if not, expensive (I've just seen a rock with 7 purple rics selling for around $200 on one shop's site).

Ahh, I forgot you were heading back to Japan. Now that I think about it, I kinda agree with you on the height taking away from the depth. So you're think 4x1.5x2 or something like that? I'm not sure I would go deeper then 2 feet if you plan to put it in what I consider to be a standard room, as it will be coming out pretty far from the wall as a result. What are your plans for overflow to a sump (if you do a sump)? Another mistake I made with my cube is that I have an overflow that runs the height of the tank, and is in the middle and is about 6"x6". IMO, this looks crappy now that I have it, and if I had to do it over again, I would either have a narrow box running along the entire length of the tank (not practical for a 48" long tank) or a box that sits at the top of the tank with holes drilled near the surface so that it doesn't run all along the height of the tank. Not sure if that makes sense, but it will probably get the thought process going.

It is amazing how much you would do differently after building your own tank .

 

[Anonymous]

A consideration for you expenditures; arent you only moving there for 4 years? What then, sell it? I'm all for the biggest tank possible for a long term residence, but if you go smaller/cheaper you can spring more for nicer equipment which you might be able to keep once you move back.

 

[Ben1]

I used the new version of the ATI Bubblemaster 200 and wasnt to impressed. IMO the way the pump connects to the skimmer is kind of odd, and the sicce stops contantly. The inner tube also prevents any spread of bubbles above the bubble plate area so the usable contact space is limited this way. IMO I would reconsider skimmers, although I not not sure about whats available in Japan.

As far as the tank size I think you need to pick a place in the house first, and then see what going to look best first. With out a feel for the space you want to put it, its hard to judge if you know what I mean. I like a wide tank though as it gives much better ability to build out instead of always working across with the live rock, and makes it easier to avoid the LR wall/pile look.

 

[Ben1]

BTW here is a nice 36 x 24 x18 tank,

http://slojmnsreef2.homestead.com/FullTankPictures.html

 

[Anonymous]

Well, having a 125 thats only 18" wide my advice is go for the 24" wide tank for sure. The extra depth means alot for a reef tank.

What he said.

Your aquascaping abilities are much greater with a 24" wide tank. That's more important that the lenght IMHO.

Louey