New Tank Build - Help Me Decide

[Rcpilot]

I'm looking for opinions on which one to set up. I already have everything.

60g with a 20g extra high display refugium?
or
75g with no refugium in the system at all?

Both of these setups will fit on a standard 48x18 that'd that I purchased new in 2018. It's been painted and reinforced and lined on the bottom so that it's watertight in the event I have a small spill.


I got into fish keeping in 1986, so I'm not a newbie. It's just been a long time since I had one set up. Life gets in the way. In 2018, I bought all the stuff to set up a 60g reef with a 20g display refugium. 2 days before I turned on the RO unit to fill it up, my wife got a call and we were packing to move the next day. Her career has dragged us all over the country for the last 10yrs and we have finally settled somewhere for a long time.

Here's some corals I had way back in 2007.

...

 

[TX_REEF]

I'd go with the 60+fuge. Fuges are awesome, and also it's more total water volume, and you can hide equipment (heater etc) in the fuge too. Welcome back!

 

[PharmrJohn]

I'm with @TX_REEF. Buy if you can fit a 75, ypu could still have your refugium. Not sure if you could fit a 90g on that stand.....The dimensions seen right. I upgraded from a 75g to a 90g on my stand, but I had to reinforce it. Both the 75 and the 90 (just a tad taller) are great tanks.

 

[Rcpilot]

I have an IceCap 24 sump to go under the stand. That's part of the system regardless of the tank I settle on.

But I don't have a 90g tank anymore. I've got the 60 (36x18x20) and the 20XXT (20x11x24) or a 75g (48x18x18) My stand is 48x18 footprint. I made a top that fits over my stand and it's reinforced as well as some fancy trim pieces around the edge. That's for the 60g + 20g refugium. I would take it off if I used the 75g.

 

[ScottJ]

60 + fuge! Especially if you have a sump for under. That would look great.

 

[Rcpilot]

Thanks for the input. I'm going to run the 60g with the 20g display refugium and the IceCap sump under the stand. I'll start a tank build thread. I need to move some things around the house to make a spot for the tank, so it's gonna be a few weeks.