How big is too big ?

[1000rrstunna]

What’s the sweet spot ? How big is too big ?

I’ve had a 180 a 250 deep dimension a 75 a 93 cube and a few more over my 14 years of reefing I recently ordered a very large tank 120x36x25 and had it come in damaged so I have to start all over…

I’m seriously wondering if I’m biting off more than I want to chew…
I already have 400 lbs of Marco rock
2 mp60
5 radion xr30g6
Bubble king 250 deluxe
72x24x21 custom built sump
And a great spot I made for the tank..

I have a air exchanger planned from my furnace to help with humidity and ph along with a dehumidifier mounted in the fish area and the furnace return 4’ away from the tank to help pull humidity through the system and condition the air… I have 80 amps of service deticated for the fish room and 175 gallons of ro capacity currently in hand and a 200gpd unit

The work to do a 6’ tank vs 10’ tank when reconfiguring the fishroom is almost the same… it’s on a concrete slab so weight of my options isn’t much of an issue

My fish buddy has about had it with me and the scheming and keeps saying go big lol. Does anyone have sane advice ? I will not consider anything smaller than 72x36x25 in all honesty. And no larger than 120x36x25
I have attached pics of the space.. the wall with the tape is the fishroom wall in pic two that I will cut open. The tank will sit outside and view from 3 angles. The tape on the wall is 8’ and 10’ and the top of tank to ceiling is 24”

Things I’m concerned about are evaporation and keeping up with water demands and makin my house not smell like a swamp

Thanks for any advice !

 

[littlefoxx]

For me personally I would love the biggest one but taking care of my six foot tank for a while makes me not want more length than that. Would take up too much of my room. Only upgrade Im going to be doing is a 250 gallon no longer than the 6 feet just so my fishies can have more water volume when they grow to their adult size as almost all are juveniles. Also Im scared about floor weight and calculated anything bigger would make me too nervous to try, not sure if thats an issue with your home or not

 

[vetteguy53081]

What’s the sweet spot ? How big is too big ?

I’ve had a 180 a 250 deep dimension a 75 a 93 cube and a few more over my 14 years of reefing I recently ordered a very large tank 120x36x25 and had it come in damaged so I have to start all over…

I’m seriously wondering if I’m biting off more than I want to chew…
I already have 400 lbs of Marco rock
2 mp60
5 radion xr30g6
Bubble king 250 deluxe
72x24x21 custom built sump
And a great spot I made for the tank..

I have a air exchanger planned from my furnace to help with humidity and ph along with a dehumidifier mounted in the fish area and the furnace return 4’ away from the tank to help pull humidity through the system and condition the air… I have 80 amps of service deticated for the fish room and 175 gallons of ro capacity currently in hand and a 200gpd unit

The work to do a 6’ tank vs 10’ tank when reconfiguring the fishroom is almost the same…

My fish buddy has about had it with me and the scheming and keeps saying go big lol. Does anyone have sane advice ? I will not consider anything smaller than 72x36x25 in all honesty. And no larger than 120x36x25
I have attached pics of the space.. the wall with the tape is the fishroom wall in pic two that I will cut open. The tank will sit outside and view from 3 angles. The tape on the wall is 8’ and 10’ and the top of tank to ceiling is 24”

Things I’m concerned about are evaporation and keeping up with water demands and makin my house not smell like a swamp

Thanks for any advice !

Have currently a 10ft tank, have had 12 foot and quite frankly never too big on my behalf, but the true answer to how big is how big you can accommodate, afford and manage. Keep weight of tank filled in mind with any larger tanks.

 

[1000rrstunna]

For me personally I would love the biggest one but taking care of my six foot tank for a while makes me not want more length than that. Would take up too much of my room. Only upgrade Im going to be doing is a 250 gallon no longer than the 6 feet just so my fishies can have more water volume when they grow to their adult size as almost all are juveniles. Also Im scared about floor weight and calculated anything bigger would make me too nervous to try, not sure if thats an issue with your home or not

It’s in the basement so it is on a slab. I never want to upgrade again lol that’s why 10’ seems like it’s the right move. I’m surprised there aren’t 8’ tanks offered from more manufacturers in shop floors honestly.

 

[1000rrstunna]

Have currently a 10ft tank, have had 12 foot and quite frankly never too big on my behalf, but the true answer to how big is how big you can accommodate, afford and manage. Keep weight of tank filled in mind with any larger tanks.

Cost really isn’t the large issue or weight it’s about how much Time it will demand. But I highly doubt 8-10ft has much demand difference

 

[albano]

for me, the best part of my 500g tank is it’s 5’ depth (front to back)! If you have room, make yours 4’ or more!

 

[1000rrstunna]

for me, the best part of my 500g tank is it’s 5’ depth (front to back)! If you have room, make yours 4’ or more!

I’d love to but not sure how I can reach in for maintenance at that width.

 

[DarkReefer]

You look like you've got a bit of a set up there.
Perhaps you could set up some sort of automation to assist with things if going quite large so you don't have to worry about water changes and the like so much.

 

[Spare time]

Setting up a quality refugium and possibly carbon dosing should help with avoiding big or frequent water changes. A refugium with the right macroalgae can also help feed the tank. Carbon should help with the smell but I'd also imagine an air filter with carbon could help too.

 

[littlefoxx]

Have currently a 10ft tank, have had 12 foot and quite frankly never too big on my behalf, but the true answer to how big is how big you can accommodate, afford and manage. Keep weight of tank filled in mind with any larger tanks.

What size tank should you be concerned about weight and floor bracing from your experience?

 

[1000rrstunna]

You look like you've got a bit of a set up there.
Perhaps you could set up some sort of automation to assist with things if going quite large so you don't have to worry about water changes and the like so much.

I’ve got crap everywhere right now but I had an awc on my 180 wasn’t terrible

 

[Raul-7]

I know this will sound cliche, but as big as you can handle. [That's what she said ]

10 foot length is a good starting point as it will allow you to keep bigger fish like Naso tangs, Emperors, etc.

 

[1000rrstunna]

You guys are all bad influences lol maybe I’ll go 132x30x25

 

[JayM]

The tank is never too big, but the room is sometimes too small.

 

[Raul-7]

You guys are all bad influences lol maybe I’ll go 132x30x25

How about 120x48x48?

 

[1000rrstunna]

How about 120x48x48?

I can only do 25” tall to leave me with 24” above it for maintenance while keeping it 30” off the floor… my ceiling height sucks in allotted space. I also don’t think I can reach in from front and back and safely get to all areas with 48” wide. Honestly I think 36” is the sweet spot

 

[F i s h y]

I have trouble reaching the back of my 30" wide tank that is 25 inches deep. I am 5'10". The tank is 8 ft and i really wish i had gone 10 ft. If i had the space I probably would consider even longer than that most likely 12ft when i get my forever tank. The difference in maintenance between this and my 6 ft tank has been minimal. And other than having more lights to clean and my equipment maintenance routine being a little more work, this has been an easy change. I say go as long as you can in the given space and make a determination on the other dimensions based on what you can reach comfortably.

 

[realwizer]

Hopefully you get a build thread going for this tank. Interested to see how it plays out.

 

[1000rrstunna]

I have trouble reaching the back of my 30" wide tank that is 25 inches deep. I am 5'10". The tank is 8 ft and i really wish i had gone 10 ft. If i had the space I probably would consider even longer than that most likely 12ft when i get my forever tank. The difference in maintenance between this and my 6 ft tank has been minimal. And other than having more lights to clean and my equipment maintenance routine being a little more work, this has been an easy change. I say go as long as you can in the given space and make a determination on the other dimensions based on what you can reach comfortably.

do you have only access from the front ?

 

[F i s h y]

do you have only access from the front ?

that is correct, only access is front. if i had both front and back i think 36 or even 48 would be acceptable