pros and cons of 1000 gallon reef tank

[Righteous]

I didn't realize until reading more of this thread that this would be your first tank. You're instinct to do a lot of research is great, and it's definitely a good thing you polled the forum... that shows a willingness to learn and listen to others.

But I have to agree with others here, that you need real world experience before jumping into a 1000g tank. 1000g is something only very few reefers ever tackle... and not just because of the expense. So much of keeping a reef tank is hard to teach and learn without doing. A lot of it comes down to observing your tank, and learning how things react. The tank is a living breathing thing and there's a bit of art to it all.

Also if you ask a lot of reefers they'll tell you they prefer something more like 125G. 100 -> 150 I'd say is probably the sweet spot for ease of maintenance and success. Also I would take the poll results with a grain of salt... I think a lot of people would want to see a 1000g tank just for the spectacle of it... but it's really not a great introduction to the hobby.

Good luck, and hopefully we'll see you with a build thread soon!

 

[MnFish1]

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.

And they are loud

 

[lapin]

Since you have never had a reef tank something around a 125 would be a good place to start. If you could keep that running for a few years it would give you experience. If it dosent work out you are not out much cash for the tank and equipment. The tank room could always be turned into a wine cellar, so no loss on that part.
Book learnin is good but there is nothing like hands on to teach you the real thing.
Dreaming is good too
10000 gallons =a lot of money that = a lot of trips to a public aquarium

 

[fishlover1478]

how do i close a thread. i think i'm gonna go with a 180.

 

[MnFish1]

how do i close a thread. i think i'm gonna go with a 180.

or you could extend this one - with a debate about which brand of tank, etc etc etc

 

[mattzang]

i stumbled upon this dudes thread a few weeks ago and took a couple hours in awe reading it

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2668064

idk if he ever mentions a dollar amount he paid, but it looks like.. a lot

and i think he mentioned he's an engineer by trade and has a lot of free time to take care of that thing. and he was very DIY capable.

that said if you have the time and the means, it'd be freaking epic. not something i'd ever want to deal with myself, but to each their own.

 

[djray77]

If Ryan at BRS is doing a 360, with all the equipment availability he has that might tell you something lol.

 

[carbene]

I have a 500g reef tank it isn't that much work. The lights sure are expensive though.
I wouldn't recommend it though because it's too difficult to make it look "full" and too big to see it all.

 

[Fishurama]

If you can afford it and everything that comes along with it, go for it, should be amazing. But thats a lot of money in upkeep alone.

 

[MixedFruitBasket]

Friend of mine has a 500 and a 300 gallon tank and he's miserable all the time. Says he doesn't have time to enjoy them, just spends all his time working on them.

 

[Water Dog]

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

I still think that’s pretty big for a first reef tank, but definitely more feasible and manageable than 1000 gallons. As you cut your teeth in this hobby with your first tank, you will learn to deal with and overcome a lot of challenges that lead to many quitting this hobby. Having and successfully maintaining a more moderately sized first tank will quite frankly determine if you’re in it for the long haul in this hobby. Then, if you want to go all in on a monster tank, you will have a base of experience to draw upon to make it successful. Heck I’d hate to be a rookie reefer dealing with the inevitable new tank uglies and staring at 1000 gallons of green hair algae everywhere and thinking, “what the heck did I just get myself in to?” Either way... good luck!

 

[jda]

i stumbled upon this dudes thread a few weeks ago and took a couple hours in awe reading it

Copps is a staple of high end reefing. There are others like him with large systems, lots of experience and seldom found on a message board. Nearly everybody could learn something from reading through his thread. He is one of my reefing role models.

Steve Weast's old tank at oregonreef.com is a great one too. Long taken down, but a model for larger tank folks and well documented.

 

[vetteguy53081]

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

$190 in salt to fill mine and with evaporation, I use little salt for 25 gal change

 

[mattzang]

Copps is a staple of high end reefing. There are others like him with large systems, lots of experience and seldom found on a message board. Nearly everybody could learn something from reading through his thread. He is one of my reefing role models.

Steve Weast's old tank at oregonreef.com is a great one too. Long taken down, but a model for larger tank folks and well documented.

i forget exactly how i came upon his name, it was a MACNA talk someone was giving and so afterwards i googled his name and found that. quite the find! super cool of him to put it out there on the internet for others to see too

 

[jda]

There are 50-100 people like him (estimating). Some will post or do a video every once in a while, but they are not going to log on and do day-to-day stuff. Nearly all of them did participate once, but they all got driven away with the influx of bio-cube generation of thumb-suckers that were convinced that their weeks of experience was enough and only wanted to argue with anybody who knew what they were doing (hobby changed after Finding Nemo when everybody got a biocube and trusted a video from a vendor rather than dudes with decades of experience). You can find them at the large shows and in your town at some local meetings. Some of them even have their own private message boards and facebook groups that are invitation only.

I have traded high end SPS with guys similar to this in the SoCal area - if you hit some of the club meetings, you are bound to meet some of them. Just don't lead in with tech - they do not care about any LEDs or if you can configure an APEX, and they won't care about a WaterBox this or that or Red Sea Reefer whatever (not that they don't use any of this, it will just not impress them). You will get farther if you ask any of them if they have any of the original Atlantis Aquarium or Westside pieces around still. If you truly want their help or to learn, they are nearly always cool, but expect to mostly see old-school stuff. If you meet a few, then they know them all.

EDIT: I have found that there are a lot of high end reefers in Ohio too.

 

[Stigigemla]

I think there is a few things to consider setting up a monster tank.

If You are a beginner I would recommend to start with a 100 - 150 gallon tank and then double the size every or every second year. That is because You have to learn how to maintain the tank and animals. If You by one wrong fish for Your 1000 gallon tank it will be very, very hard to catch it. And Your view of which animals that are desirable will change a lot in that process. Corals like xenia, mushrooms and buttons are not popular in very large tanks. They can invade the tank and kill other corals. Its managable In a 100 gallon tank but not in a 1000. You will probably want a lot of fishes. That excludes some that are very agressive and some that eat other fishes. Some will get BIG.

About the tank itself. You must be able to reach everywhere in the tank. That means for a 6 foot man max height is about 26 inches.
From front to back max about 34 inches. The double if You can do maintenance from front to back and the opposite.
If You are aiming for 1 viewing position max length is about 6 - 8 feet. If it is longer you will want to shift watching positions.
If You are making it for Yourself the height of the stand shall be so you have a perfect view at the tank from a favorite armchair.
If You are making it to impress guests the height of the stand shall fit standing persons.

 

[AlexG]

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.

For the most part as it was said those materials are not meant to support saltwater and the ones that do would need to be clear of materials that could leach chemicals that would harm corals. Many large tanks are run with big pumps and sand filters in some cases. It comes down to design and what you want to keep in your aquarium. I use a reeflo hammerhead to drive my system which is between 1600-1700 gallons. I am also plumbed into my house drain system so I can pump out for water changes using the return pump within just a few minutes. As for using an actual pool that is possible if it is made of the right materials such as fiberglass. Another option is to look at aquaculture suppliers as they make lots of large tanks and equipment that is commercial grade. Once you get into commercial grade equipment the prices will go up along with the power requirements of the equipment.

 

[fishlover1478]

or you could extend this one - with a debate about which brand of tank, etc etc etc

ok. i really like the red sea reefer 750 deluxe

 

[Jon Fishman]

i stumbled upon this dudes thread a few weeks ago and took a couple hours in awe reading it

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2668064

idk if he ever mentions a dollar amount he paid, but it looks like.. a lot

Holy. Wow. ahhhh......


What an amazing undertaking

The most impressive thing, because money can certainly buy custom components and huge tanks..... is the success of his earlier tanks. Holy cow..... the growth/all around health of those tanks. I was trying to get a sense of timeline, etc. All I could come up with, was “this guy fills glass boxes with SPS in a short period of time”

No wonder he needed 1,300 gallons!

 

[charlie28]

I’d have to agree. A poll is equal to indecisive decisions and having doubts. At the end of the day, all of forum members will tell you yes, or “I’d do it”. When reality hits, finances and more importantly time spent on setup and maintenance come into play. If those are inevitable then I’d do it. Id start off smaller, if you out grow that smaller system, then upgrade, then upgrade again. If this is where you already stand and your upgrading. A decision to a bigger tank doesn’t need to be questioned and not certainly coming from other people in the hobby that aren’t gonna maintain it. All of that would love to have a system that big is basically living a dream through you.