4 vs 3 feet long 75 gallon tank

[m3rcfh]

Hi guys
I thought I would ask the nice people from R2R before pulling the trigger on this one, I'm probably blinded by how nice the new tank looks.

I got a nice chance to swap my 4 feet 75g by a 3 feet 75 gallon, and the reason why I'm considering that is because I dislike my current sump setup and can't get another one in the cabinet it tearing the whole tank apart.

My current tank is a standard Marine Land 48 x 18 x 21 drilled, Ghost overflow, cheap cabinet. The new tank would be a Waterbox 100.3, 36 x 24 x 22.

My issue is that I got a juvenile yellow tang, and the aquascape on the 3 feet would be less open, less caves. Do you think I should do it, or keep the 4 feet long so the tang is happy? My tang is pretty mellow, he doesn't zoom around the whole length.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Ruben's Reef]

I would keep the 4' tank wish is better for the tang to swing. The Waterbox is nice a but is more square reducing that extra foot that the marineland has.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Most folks will tell you that a Yellow Tang needs to be in a 125 gallon or larger tank with at least 6 feet of width to swim around in.

If it were me, I would consider rehoming the tang if it was the only thing stopping me from getting a newer and better suited tank for my situation.

The 3 foot tank would also be easier to light, which could open more opportunities for coral while potentially easing some cost and complexity.

 

[jdpeters]

Agreed boys need some swimming room. A lot of people have kept them in small tanks so it’s encouraging but we have to think for them long term

 

[Porpoise Hork]

I agree with spyder on the tank length. I have one in my 75 with along with a foxface and there's plenty of swimming room for them in there.

As for the sump, how big is your current sump and what were you wanting to put in there in its place?

 

[m3rcfh]

I totally agree with the 75 not being suited for a tang's whole life. Our guy already looks to be a little big for the caves we got.

We planned to keep the 75 for 2 years to see if our love for the hobby would be the same, and upgrade to a 6'. All our equipment is suited for the 6' if we decided to go for it. Either that or completely get rid of bigger tanks and keep the nano. So we are at the 1 year mark now, and this nice Waterbox came along. Maybe the best thing is to keep the 4' until we are ready for the 6'.

The whole reason we decided to try bigger tanks was the tang, so going for a 3' kinda defeats the purpose...

Thanks guys!

 

[m3rcfh]

As for the sump, how big is your current sump and what were you wanting to put in there in its place?

It's a 20 gallon sump, did the baffles with acrylic myself. I wanted to get a ATO reservoir in, but not a lot of room left.. also the sump height makes me a little nervous when the power goes out. It's got enough room for all the water that goes back, but just enough

 

[Porpoise Hork]

Do you have a check valve on the pump return? If not then I HIGHLY recommend adding one. Especially if your returns are well below the wier gate. This will stop any siphon from developing when the main pump shuts off. You will have some drainage back to the sump from the wier, but generally it's only 3-5 gallons. If you're sump is running at 50% full when the tank is in operation then it should be fine when the pump shuts down. I have the same size tank and am only running a Precision Marine R24 sump on it. When in operation the water level is about 8" deep, when I shut the main pump off for feeding the check valve closes and the overflow drains down and the sump fills to about 1/2 full. The dimensions on the R24 are only 24" x 12" x 14" where a 20L is 30" x 12" x 12". Depending on how full you run your sump now will determine if it has the capacity to handle the overflow draining with the main pump shutting off. If capacity is a concern, look at getting a 29g and converting that to a sump. It has the same footprint as the 20L, but is 18" tall compared to the 12" of the standard 20. You will need to baffle the skimmer section, or get a skimmer stand if you intend on running more water in it with the extra capacity. If you want to run the same water level as the 20g then the same baffles will be fine.

For the ATO, there are plenty of options that will allow you to add one with limited space. If you can add one to the outside, look at getting a large floor vase that you can drop the lifter pump down in. Then run the fill line from it and set it up next to the stand. It'll look nice and be functional as well. Another option is to make one or have one made from acrylic that will fit into the space you have in your stand or behind it between the wall and stand, provided there is room.