pros and cons of 1000 gallon reef tank

[jsvand5]

Sweet spot for me is 300g-400g. You can still do it for a reasonable budget as long as you don’t get caught up with a lot of the overpriced lighting options and you can fit the vast majority of fish that you’d want in a reef.

 

[MnFish1]

Right - I mean I have a 200 gallon tank (the largest one) - I could easily put a 1000 gallon tank on the slab on the basement floor -But - I couldn't do that in the living room. See - there's a difference. Also - I dont think I could power a new 1000 gallon tank with my current electrical connections - or dehumidification. SO there's that.

Lastly - I think its (sorry) insanity - to say 'I want to start a 1000 gallon tank pro or con'- unless - I was using an expert set it up - for example at Disney world - or rainforest cafe or multiple zoos around the country-they have large tanks - and my guess its not 'Mr. Jones' that is managing those tanks - they are experts.

For example if he said - Iplan to hire a company to build and manage a 1000 gallon tank - its a much different discussion - right - as when he says - I'm doing it myself......

 

[MnFish1]

I run 687 gallons of water at $25 a month electric.
I live in FL and power is most affordable here. A/C runs almost year round so no need for dehumidifier. Technology and equipment have come a long way and it just doesn't have to cost a ridiculous amount of money to run or setup.
I will say my RK5AC skimmer costs a lot compared to most people's skimmers.

Tank and skimmer will be you most expensive items. I'd get a RK8AC skimmer for it and its $2900 and totally what you will need.

Can you Show a picture of your tank? Not because I dont believe you - and maybe Florida electric charges a lot less than here - but I pay $200/MONTH for 2 tanks 1 - at 210gallons - one at 140

 

[MnFish1]

Can you Show a picture of your tank? Not because I dont believe you - and maybe Florida electric charges a lot less than here - but I pay $200/MONTH for 2 tanks 1 - at 210gallons - one at 140

OH and btw - how much /month does your air conditioner cost?

 

[hotdrop]

Seems terrible to clean I’d rather have 10 100gal systems and even then that’s crazy amounts of work. Really if you can’t pay someone to maintain it it just seems like a job

 

[vetteguy53081]

The time it would take to clean glass or sand bed

Piece of cake. I have mighty magnets cleaner. (10’ x 4’ deep)- 3 minutes to do all glass (acrylic) and 15 minutes to siphon- no more time than a 55 gallon

 

[vetteguy53081]

OH any btw - how much /month does your air conditioner cost?

My summer electric bills with a/c were avg $196/mo and running 3 fully equipped tanks - WISCONSIN

 

[MnFish1]

My summer electric bills with a/c were avg $196/mo and running 3 fully equipped tanks - WISCONSIN

your wife must like 76 as a goal temp or yo have a smaller house

 

[vetteguy53081]

your wife just like as a goal temp or yo have a smaller house

No wife and remember with controllers, not everything runs 24/7. Home is 2141 sq ft but one of the rooms rarely used and most time spent in den. House is also newer and more energy efficient
We therefore have to factor age/size of home, number of hours components are running, types of components and energy charges. Im off Lake Michigan which is converting from coal to hydro power, so our costs are less

 

[Lol21]

If i had the room like im talking some 5000sqft house or a seperate attachment to the house.. yea id do it lol.. 1000 gallond is big enough to where youd have to go swiming in the tank to do proper maintenance

Biggest tank ive seen in person from a private owner was 350 gallons. It was 8 feet long 3 feet front to back and i believe 30 inches tall ? And to me.. that tank was almost too big.. i couldbt imagine the maintenance on something like that.

I have a 135 gallon tank its too small for me.. I mean its perfect for my bedroom.. but id want something 8 feet long and 24 front to back so like a 8 foot 250 or something would be really nice.

 

[ReefBeta]

It's too small to dive in for maintenance, and too big to maintain from the side. An awkward size IMO.

 

[vetteguy53081]

If i had the room like im talking some 5000sqft house or a seperate attachment to the house.. yea id do it lol.. 1000 gallond is big enough to where youd have to go swiming in the tank to do proper maintenance

Biggest tank ive seen in person from a private owner was 350 gallons. It was 8 feet long 3 feet front to back and i believe 30 inches tall ? And to me.. that tank was almost too big.. i couldbt imagine the maintenance on something like that.

I have a 135 gallon tank its too small for me.. I mean its perfect for my bedroom.. but id want something 8 feet long and 24 front to back so like a 8 foot 250 or something would be really nice.

Look under the forum “BIG TANKS. Many 600 gallons or more systems. They’re very manageable without diving in, although diving in would be cool. I once believed a large tank required more work until I acquired one and never dreamed how easy it would be to manage perhaps mainly with so much open space, you can get to everything.

 

[Ed Hutchings]

Definitely seems like a troll thread.

 

[Water Dog]

Are you jumping straight to a monster tank, or have you ran successful reefs of other sizes?

yes i wan't to jump staight to the monster tank after a lot of planning and research

While I can appreciate the blind enthusiasm and excitement for setting up a monster tank from the get go, I’d like to temper that enthusiasm with a dose of reality. The fact remains that most who start out in this hobby rarely last more than a couple of years. No matter how much research and preparation you think you have, nothing can replace real experience and demonstrated success in this challenging hobby. My suggestion is while you do your research on the feasibility of setting up a 1000 gallon tank. Go set up a tank, like a 40 breeder so you can have hands on experience with actually running and maintaining a successful reef. I’d rather you go through the ups and downs of running a reef and have demonstrated success on a smaller, more manageable scale, before potentially throwing money and more importantly livestock down the toilet on a massive scale. Again, no amount of research, preparation or money can replace real hands on experience in this hobby, or any other endeavor for that matter.

 

[corky1966]

im setting up a 1000 gallon aquarium and i want to know what you think

The water change if you do them ! Still just a lot money to go that big! I would if I could though.

 

[Mark3]

Question... people who have big tanks...
Why wouldn't swimming pool supplies work for large tank build? Build a pool with one side glass.
I have a 10,000gal pool with the Hayward variable speed pump that when you crank it full throttle it churns the water like a whirlpool, and it has a waterfall. Would pool pumps or filters work for tank? Why not build large tanks similar to pool construction? Sand or earth filters, backwash and refilling for water changes ...and more? ...a pool is not that expensive to run, my power Bill's are not that bad.

 

[jda]

Saltwater corrodes most of that stuff. Some pool plastics have poisons in them for corals. Some pool stuff cannot work with algae or bacteria and need to have chlorine to keep stuff clean. You can use some pool stuff, but not a lot of it.

 

[fishlover1478]

While I can appreciate the blind enthusiasm and excitement for setting up a monster tank from the get go, I’d like to temper that enthusiasm with a dose of reality. The fact remains that most who start out in this hobby rarely last more than a couple of years. No matter how much research and preparation you think you have, nothing can replace real experience and demonstrated success in this challenging hobby. My suggestion is while you do your research on the feasibility of setting up a 1000 gallon tank. Go set up a tank, like a 40 breeder so you can have hands on experience with actually running and maintaining a successful reef. I’d rather you go through the ups and downs of running a reef and have demonstrated success on a smaller, more manageable scale, before potentially throwing money and more importantly livestock down the toilet on a massive scale. Again, no amount of research, preparation or money can replace real hands on experience in this hobby, or any other endeavor for that matter.

alright do you think a 180 would be good untill i have more exsperience

 

[flsalty]

alright do you think a 180 would be good untill i have more exsperience

Definitely more realistic for a first tank.

 

[fishlover1478]

ok