Pro Clear ProStar 90 Gallons or 150 Gallons

[DeadEnd]

Hello all,

I am new to this world and I am going to be purchasing my first tank this week but I and hesitant about the size and color.

I am looking to buy a Pro Clear ProStar but I don't know what size should I go with. I really love the size of the 150 but I am afraid of the maintenance cost difference between both tanks. Someone at an aquarium told me that they paid like $150 of electricity a month for the tank.

Also maybe someone can give me their opinion between the tank stand color? White vs Black! It's a hard choice lol

Thanks a lot!

 

[shakacuz]

90 is an all around good starting size. i wish i could find a second hand 90g in my area

 

[DeadEnd]

90 is an all around good starting size. i wish i could find a second hand 90g in my area

That's what I thought too. I am a coral person but my wife loves fish that's why I was thinking about the 150 gal one

 

[Yates273]

As far as color that’s your preference. I like black but that’s me. Go with the larger one. The cost from a 90 to 150 is not much more. Trust me if you do the 90 eventually you will want to go bigger. Do it once and be done with it. As you start off you don’t need all the bells and whistles. Start basic and add on as you go. Lighting will depend on what kind of tank you plan on keeping. That will potentially be one of your more expensive purchases if you go with one of the more popular brands. There are plenty of people here who use the black box led. Ultimately it will be up to your budget which you will blow through.

 

[DeadEnd]

As far as color that’s your preference. I like black but that’s me. Go with the larger one. The cost from a 90 to 150 is not much more. Trust me if you do the 90 eventually you will want to go bigger. Do it once and be done with it. As you start off you don’t need all the bells and whistles. Start basic and add on as you go. Lighting will depend on what kind of tank you plan on keeping. That will potentially be one of your more expensive purchases if you go with one of the more popular brands. There are plenty of people here who use the black box led. Ultimately it will be up to your budget which you will blow through.

I would probably need to get 2 light fixtures for either selection. So the only difference is the price of the tank and the return pump (that needs to be bigger) the thermostats go by increases of 50 watts so it would be almost the same? Right?

Edit: I forgot about the protein skimmer which would stay the same?

 

[DeadEnd]

Can any one share how much they spend to maintain a 150 gallon? Electrical bill and chemicals, etc?

 

[Jeffcb]

Can any one share how much they spend to maintain a 150 gallon? Electrical bill and chemicals, etc?

Shouldn't be a big difference between the 2 on power. 40% more salt on water changes is the biggest thing probably.

Bigger is better I think and some would say easier to keep stable.

 

[DeadEnd]

Mmm that's only if you do changes of water, what about dosing?

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Honestly, whichever you think is best. The 150 is longer, has a refugium included in the sump, and has deeper dimensions. On the other hand, the 90 is cheaper and easier to light. Keep in mind that the actual volume of the 90 is more like 65 gallons, and the 150 is closer to 110 gallons. The volume they give has both the sump and the ATO reservoir included in the final measurement. I hope that this helps!

 

[DeadEnd]

Haha yea, that's the other thing that has me on the fence about getting the 90 gallons one. Wouldn't the light be almost the same? You need two lights for either tank right?

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

What lights are you looking at? Depending on the coverage, you might want three of them for the 150. It is a good idea to have the areas with light on them overlap.

 

[DeadEnd]

What lights are you looking at? Depending on the coverage, you might want three of them for the 150. It is a good idea to have the areas with light on them overlap.

I will be honest with you. I haven't looked at a specific brand but based on all the lights I have seen I set aside a budget of around 1300. I read about the black box lights which are cheaper but I hear mixed reviews.

Edit: Maybe I can get photon v2+. I can probably get a single 32 for the 90 gallons or 2x24's for the 150 gallons. Or a 48 :O

 

[adittam]

If you can fit the 150 in the space in your home, go with the 150.

The energy costs of the bigger one will be a very small difference in the grand scheme of things. I agree with others who have brought up the larger water changes as your biggest ongoing cost difference. Unless you already have some reefing experience, and are using real mature live rock (cultured in the ocean, not dry rock put in a tub in a fish store for a few months), I wouldn't plan on dosing with no water changes. Some mature tanks can be successful without water changes, but it usually a recipe for frustration and problems if you're starting new.

There are some initial costs that will be greater with the bigger tank though - you will probably need more lights. You're right that you might be able to get away with 2 lights in either tank, but the reality is that a 48"x24"x24" tank will need more or bigger lights than a 36"x20"x22" tank to get the same amount of PAR. You'll need more rock. You'll probably need a bigger skimmer. You'll probably need a bigger or additional powerhead.

All of that said, none of those differences will be huge in the grand scheme of things, and you'll appreciate the additional area to place corals and your wife will appreciate the additional swimming space, giving her more options for fish species.

 

[DeadEnd]

If you can fit the 150 in the space in your home, go with the 150.

The energy costs of the bigger one will be a very small difference in the grand scheme of things. I agree with others who have brought up the larger water changes as your biggest ongoing cost difference. Unless you already have some reefing experience, and are using real mature live rock (cultured in the ocean, not dry rock put in a tub in a fish store for a few months), I wouldn't plan on dosing with no water changes. Some mature tanks can be successful without water changes, but it usually a recipe for frustration and problems if you're starting new.

There are some initial costs that will be greater with the bigger tank though - you will probably need more lights. You're right that you might be able to get away with 2 lights in either tank, but the reality is that a 48"x24"x24" tank will need more or bigger lights than a 36"x20"x22" tank to get the same amount of PAR. You'll need more rock. You'll probably need a bigger skimmer. You'll probably need a bigger or additional powerhead.

All of that said, none of those differences will be huge in the grand scheme of things, and you'll appreciate the additional area to place corals and your wife will appreciate the additional swimming space, giving her more options for fish species.

I really thought that the kWh usage was going to be way higher because of the bigger pump and thermostats. For the lights I was looking at one Radion XR30 G6 or two XR15 or the AI Hydra. I still need to do more research on this matter.

So going full dosage with no water changes is not recommended until the tank has reached certain maturity or if I had access to live rocks from the ocean (which I don't) and more experience. I mean that's fine I don't mind doing the water changes. For the rocks I was going to look for human made rock and use the solutions they offer with the bacteria to get started.

I still need to think about the coral and fish food.

It's crazy how much things have changed over the years. When I was a kid (30 years ago) my father used to have a saltwater tank and I remember it was a little overwhelming... but now there are a lot of new products which supposly makes everything easier but it also makes desición making overwhelming lol

 

[adittam]

I really thought that the kWh usage was going to be way higher because of the bigger pump and thermostats. For the lights I was looking at one Radion XR30 G6 or two XR15 or the AI Hydra. I still need to do more research on this matter.

So going full dosage with no water changes is not recommended until the tank has reached certain maturity or if I had access to live rocks from the ocean (which I don't) and more experience. I mean that's fine I don't mind doing the water changes. For the rocks I was going to look for human made rock and use the solutions they offer with the bacteria to get started.

I still need to think about the coral and fish food.

It's crazy how much things have changed over the years. When I was a kid (30 years ago) my father used to have a saltwater tank and I remember it was a little overwhelming... but now there are a lot of new products which supposly makes everything easier but it also makes desición making overwhelming lol

Water changes are the easiest way to both replenish your trace elements, and get rid of toxins or excess nutrients in the water. People love to brag about not having done a water change for over a year, etc, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to start out.

 

[adittam]

I really thought that the kWh usage was going to be way higher because of the bigger pump and thermostats. For the lights I was looking at one Radion XR30 G6 or two XR15 or the AI Hydra. I still need to do more research on this matter.

So going full dosage with no water changes is not recommended until the tank has reached certain maturity or if I had access to live rocks from the ocean (which I don't) and more experience. I mean that's fine I don't mind doing the water changes. For the rocks I was going to look for human made rock and use the solutions they offer with the bacteria to get started.

I still need to think about the coral and fish food.

It's crazy how much things have changed over the years. When I was a kid (30 years ago) my father used to have a saltwater tank and I remember it was a little overwhelming... but now there are a lot of new products which supposly makes everything easier but it also makes desición making overwhelming lol

Anyone *can* get real live rock, it just costs a premium.

Gulf Live Rock.com

Gulf Live Rock Specializing in wholesale and retail sales of Aquacultured Live Rock and live sand at direct from the diver prices. Free Shipping! coral reeftank

gulfliverock.com

Cultured Live Rock for Sale for Saltwater Fish Tanks | Arc Reef

Live reef rock for sale with beneficial nitrifying bacteria. Order your cured live rock online for a marine or saltwater aquarium today!

arcreef.com

There's nothing wrong with using dry rock or artificial rock, but they all have various pros and cons. Definitely worth some research.

 

[DeadEnd]

Anyone *can* get real live rock, it just costs a premium.

Gulf Live Rock.com

Gulf Live Rock Specializing in wholesale and retail sales of Aquacultured Live Rock and live sand at direct from the diver prices. Free Shipping! coral reeftank

gulfliverock.com

Cultured Live Rock for Sale for Saltwater Fish Tanks | Arc Reef

Live reef rock for sale with beneficial nitrifying bacteria. Order your cured live rock online for a marine or saltwater aquarium today!

arcreef.com

There's nothing wrong with using dry rock or artificial rock, but they all have various pros and cons. Definitely worth some research.

Oh so it would be a good idea to mix live rocks and artificial rocks. Thanks for the links! I will do more research on this subject. I was honestly going by what the person in the aquarium was recommending me to do but he was going really basic and he recommended me the living rocks sitting in the tub. Lol.

So I can do water changes to replenish the elements and just buy something for the corals (All For Reef or something similar).

By the way thanks for taking your time to answer my questions!

 

[DeadEnd]

Update:

I went ahead and bought the 150 gallons. The intial cost is going to be higher but the maintenance cost will be around the same.

Thanks everyone for their feedback!

I will make sure to start a build thread

 

[Rewd]

I will be honest with you. I haven't looked at a specific brand but based on all the lights I have seen I set aside a budget of around 1300. I read about the black box lights which are cheaper but I hear mixed reviews.

Edit: Maybe I can get photon v2+. I can probably get a single 32 for the 90 gallons or 2x24's for the 150 gallons. Or a 48 :O

I am buying the exact same tank on Monday. I am upgrading from a standard 90 gallon rimmed tank, so it's a bit of an upgrade for me, but not a huge one.

Just a tip I want to give you if budget is an issue... look for used. I initially wanted to light this tank with 4 Radion XR15s ($2000 new) or 4 AI Hydra 32 HD ($1700 new) but instead, I ended up finding 4 used (but less than year old) AI Hydra 26 HDs at a total cost of $700. They aren't the newest model, but reefers have been lighting incredible SPS tanks with these lights for years so I have no problem finding yesterday's model if it saves me over a thousand dollars. I didn't get them all from the same person, so it was a little bit of persistence and patience on my part, but hunting these down and finding good deals was part of the fun.

 

[Idech]

Don’t forget it’s going to cost a whole lot more to fill a 150g with corals than a 90g.

The weight might also be an issue. Can the floors support the weight of a 150 g ?