Exponential opportunities

[Nor'easter Reefer]

For those of you who've leveled up through a few different tank sizes over the years, I'm curious: at what point did you really feel like the options and creative freedom opened up in a big way?I've got a 4 foot 120 gallon tank right now and I'm eyeing an upgrade sometime soon-ish.

I'd love to hear from folks who have made that jump, (maybe more than once) what size felt like the real sweet spot where that constant "man, this thing feels too cramped" nagging feeling finally went away, and the tank started feeling large enough and suitable for most of your needs and desires. Or am I destined to always want bigger? Lol

 

[JumboShrimp]

I think the type of 'fish' you just can't live without will be a determinative factor, e.g., can you live without large Tangs or large Angels?

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

I think the type of 'fish' you just can't live without will be a determinative factor, e.g., can you live without large Tangs or large Angels?

I mean, i can, but at what point does it go from living, to just surviving?

 

[Macropharyngodon]

I think the type of 'fish' you just can't live without will be a determinative factor, e.g., can you live without large Tangs or large Angels?

no no no, it's just whether or not you can live without money :)

 

[Macropharyngodon]

I think the type of 'fish' you just can't live without will be a determinative factor, e.g., can you live without large Tangs or large Angels?

On a more serious note though. I personally would think that the best course of action is just to invest in the tank that is your ideal setup. research a ton, and then make it a reality. So this is a very fair statement. Creative freedom though. It's more in the planning stages to me.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

On a more serious note though. I personally would think that the best course of action is just to invest in the tank that is your ideal setup. research a ton, and then make it a reality. So this is a very fair statement. Creative freedom though. It's more in the planning stages to me.

Yea, I definitely want tangs. And i'm at a point where, with my current tank, i'm going to have to start cramming things close together soon. (I try and place my frags spaced according to what they'll grow into vs putting 100's of little nubs everywhere) so I think its honestly going to be a "as big as I can afford" situation lol. I just hope its not a "big enough is never big enough" situation lol

 

[Macropharyngodon]

Yea, I definitely want tangs. And i'm at a point where, with my current tank, i'm going to have to start cramming things close together soon. (I try and place my frags spaced according to what they'll grow into vs putting 100's of little nubs everywhere) so I think its honestly going to be a "as big as I can afford" situation lol. I just hope its not a "big enough is never big enough" situation lol

Hey at least you don't want this:

Minimum Tank size 300 gallons :(

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

Hey at least you don't want this:

Minimum Tank size 300 gallons :(

Yea but I want a naso so that doesnt give me much options for smaller tanks haha

 

[vlangel]

Right now I am very satisfied with my 75g. Big enough to give me a lot of fish options (though not many tangs, angels or butterflies) but not overwhelming maintenance.

 

[Macropharyngodon]

Yea but I want a naso so that doesnt give me much options for smaller tanks haha

Fair, fair :)

 

[exnisstech]

I find adding a tank often works out better than an upgrade. Upgrade in size if you need to for your dream fish.
I like to play around and try different methods or keep specific coral like SPS etc. I upgrade in size but also add tanks to keep things interesting. But I have a very accommodating partner and a lot more free time than many.
My WB 330.7 was an upgrade from a standard 180g and the extra depth made a huge difference in how I could scape.

This was cool tank and I still miss it at times

But I like this one more. There's just so much more room for the fish which was the main reason for upgrading.

 

[BryanM]

For those of you who've leveled up through a few different tank sizes over the years, I'm curious: at what point did you really feel like the options and creative freedom opened up in a big way?I've got a 4 foot 120 gallon tank right now and I'm eyeing an upgrade sometime soon-ish.

I'd love to hear from folks who have made that jump, (maybe more than once) what size felt like the real sweet spot where that constant "man, this thing feels too cramped" nagging feeling finally went away, and the tank started feeling large enough and suitable for most of your needs and desires. Or am I destined to always want bigger? Lol

For me it was going from a 4 to 6 footer.

That said, I also don't have room for anything bigger without remodeling or dedicating a spare bedroom for a fish tank.

 

[jsmkmavity]

I think for most people a 6 foot long 125 or 180 would be the ideal size if they had the room. Its big enough for most fish and space for lots of coral. For myself a 450 is my ideal size but i "settled" for a 300. An 8 foot long tank just looks so much bigger and a lot more room for the bigger fishes to swim. Having said all that, if money and space werent limited i would love to have a 12 foot or longer tank.

 

[Nor'easter Reefer]

I find adding a tank often works out better than an upgrade. Upgrade in size if you need to for your dream fish.
I like to play around and try different methods or keep specific coral like SPS etc. I upgrade in size but also add tanks to keep things interesting. But I have a very accommodating partner and a lot more free time than many.
My WB 330.7 was an upgrade from a standard 180g and the extra depth made a huge difference in how I could scape.

This was cool tank and I still miss it at times

But I like this one more. There's just so much more room for the fish which was the main reason for upgrading.

Yea, I have a biocube as well, but my main reason for an upgrade is definitely the fish aspect. I want some bigger tangs/multiple smaller tangs. Those are both beautiful tanks though! I think i'm gonna go bare bottom when I eventually upgrade! Mostly because i'm gonna do mostly/entirely acropora with that tank, and i dont want to have to worry about sand storms lol

 

[exnisstech]

Maybe do acro in the bio cube and fish and other stuff you want in the upgrade tank? Bigger the tank the more challenging it is to make it look full.