pros and cons of 1000 gallon reef tank

[Ed Hutchings]

I feel like the equipment/maintenance cost everyone's listing is just the tip of the iceberg! You're potentially looking at renovating a large section of your home for structural, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC.

I definitely want to see this build thread though, so you should definitely do it.

Yes. You'll end up building your house around it.

 

[brandon429]

Pls post a pic of the space that will be used to hold this size tank, a phone pic of this portion of the house/ wanna see details like wall plugs dosing access nearby, am checking something

 

[Lemon]

Just as a potential point of interest …...

I have a 450 but have been musing on the possibility of having a much larger tank post retirement (not all that many years off). I put together a conceptual thread with thoughts and even some costs (both what I'd need and what I already have). It's a BIG number unfortunately.

Monster Build - Simon’s (Mostly Conceptual) 1,600 Build

I’ve never had a build last more than 4 years. Sometimes the result of a house move, but usually due to boredom and the itch to upgrade. Reef tank is like a closet - crap just expands to fill the available space. I’ve got a one year old 450, and it’s eseentially full. If the past is any guage...

www.reef2reef.com

Aquarium, Overflow & Stand - $10K (Glasscages sells a 730 for $5K; could save money by going plywood IF you have the DiY skills)
Lighting - $10-15K
You're going to need a big pump - Dolphin or something comparable - $600
Temp - depending on where you live cooling will requires something like a 1HP Tradewinds ($2K); heat exchanger for heat ($1K).
Flow - not a lot of good options for huge tanks. Hydrowizard is crazy expensive. Army of MP60s perhaps, or a really big closed loop - $5K ish.
Rock - maybe make your own - there are some good threads around of DiY rock. Who knows how much.
Sump/plumbing/misc - $3K.

Food for thought .....

i am planning on building the actual tank myself. i will use a small closed loop with a lot mp60s and maybe a hydrowizard ecm 42. i will probaly make most of the rock and maybe 40ish pounds of live rock to help kick start the tank cycle.

 

[Salty Lemon]

If I had the time, money, and a way to easily clean it when necessary -- yes.
Take away any of the above things, and my answer would be "no".

 

[MnFish1]

If you need to setup a poll about this then it's probably a bad idea. You and your family should be able to come to this decision. If you're asking 30" height vs 24 or how wide to go ect that is something people on the forum can help you with, but such a general question without any kind of background information leads me to believe this is a bad idea.

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

Curious - why are you asking? If you want a general answer - I would say 'bad idea'.

1. It takes a lot of work
2. It may negatively affect the resale value of your home.
3. Without a lot more information-its impossible to answer- but - as the other quote I posted said - if you have to ask - its probably a bad idea -My guess is that Livestock,building,tank,stand,etcetc will cost a minimum of $100,000. When you (after doing it) decide that 'it was not a good idea' what will you do?

 

[Ed Hutchings]

Don't forget 15-20K for a top of the line standby genset running on natural gas so if you don't pay the electric bill and they pull your plug you won't lose your life savings.

 

[mrpizzaface]

i am planning on building the actual tank myself. i will use a small closed loop with a lot mp60s and maybe a hydrowizard ecm 42. i will probaly make most of the rock and maybe 40ish pounds of live rock to help kick start the tank cycle.

What is your budget for this project?

 

[VA5]

what is the floor it will be on? If not solid concrete you’ll need to have alot of structural reinforcement.
After that you need to consider the challenges of a large tank. 100 gallon plus water changes , access to cleaning , ect

 

[Nanoreefer4ever]

If you have people to do all the work and you just sit and enjoy then yeah. I would not touch it too lazy and back hurt

 

[Jon Fishman]

i am planning on building the actual tank myself. i will use a small closed loop with a lot mp60s and maybe a hydrowizard ecm 42. i will probaly make most of the rock and maybe 40ish pounds of live rock to help kick start the tank cycle.

I doubt 40lbs of live-rock will really “kickstart” anything in a tank that size

 

[Montiman]

The price of these types of installs can vary based upon equipment choice. Contrary to the internet you do not need a full on equipment room or tons of gear. Consider this scenario.

Tank sump, and stand $30,000 (This is actually what the 950 acrylic tank cost from a local tank and stand builder.)
4 400 Watt halides $2,000 brand new from Hamilton
Life Reef Skimmer $1,300
Return pump Iwaki Model 100 $500
Kessil Fuge lights $600
2 tunze wave boxes $700
Misc Restructuring $5,000
Total 40,100

This is basically all you need for a great mixed reef. When I took care of the big reef at the LFS this was basically the equipment. No need for an apex, abyzz pump, no ATO, dosing by hand. Tank looked great and had no issues. And when We sold the tank we sold it with equipment for $20,000. You need not spend as much as some are suggesting.

 

[MnFish1]

The price of these types of installs can vary based upon equipment choice. Contrary to the internet you do not need a full on equipment room or tons of gear. Consider this scenario.

Tank sump, and stand $30,000 (This is actually what the 950 acrylic tank cost from a local tank and stand builder.)
4 400 Watt halides $2,000 brand new from Hamilton
Life Reef Skimmer $1,300
Return pump Iwaki Model 100 $500
Kessil Fuge lights $600
2 tunze wave boxes $700
Misc Restructuring $5,000
Total 40,100

This is basically all you need for a great mixed reef. When I took care of the big reef at the LFS this was basically the equipment. No need for an apex, abyzz pump, no ATO, dosing by hand. Tank looked great and had no issues. And when We sold the tank we sold it with equipment for $20,000. You need not spend as much as some are suggesting.

You are forgetting fish rock coral inverts and monthly maintwnwbcw

edit. Monthly maintenance

 

[lpsouth1978]

You are forgetting fish rock coral inverts and monthly maintwnwbcw

What is "maintwnwbcw"?

 

[flsalty]

I've contemplated building a tank that size many times. When I do, I always veer toward fresh instead of salt. A reef that big would be way too much work for me. Plus, since I'm not rich, it would take forever to stock it. I fear I'd die before it didn't look bare anymore.

 

[MnFish1]

What is "maintwnwbcw"?

A malfunctioning phone lol. Maintenance

 

[Montiman]

You are forgetting fish rock coral inverts and monthly maintwnwbcw

Most of the installs 600G plus that I did years ago where in the 70-80K range with labor and aquascaping. As far as live stock. That can be as much or as little as you want. Many of these customers just bought big cheap softies. Others had fun buying one fish a month for 5 years. Only in internet land is livestock cost truly ridiculous. Maintenence cost could be 500 a month but most of these clients paid their landscaping company more than that. If you have a pool you pay to maintain you will likely spend a similar amount in electricity and maintenance costs.

By the way I would go bankrupt with a tank that big. The temptation to fill it with expensive corals and fish coupled with my desire to try the latest gear would destroy me, but I have seen many people who kept equipment for 15 years and were happy with a school of yellow tangs and some big softies.

 

[AlexG]

I doubt 40lbs of live-rock will really “kickstart” anything in a tank that size

I used ~60lbs of live rock and ~60lbs of live sand to seed my large system and it did the job. It just takes some time for the life to spread through out the tank.

 

[Lemon]

I doubt 40lbs of live-rock will really “kickstart” anything in a tank that size

its not ment to realy kick start it just to speed it up a little bit

 

[OnPointCorals]

What do I think …..

I think you need to tell folks something about your experience in the hobby and your goals for the tank. Absent that, really no way to offer anything other than 'if it's your first tank, then it's a really bad idea'.

I came here to say basically this.
What systems have you had in the past? How many years in the hobby?
We need you experience detail. If you are newish to the hobby and not much experience then I would say definitely don’t do this.

 

[jda]

I got a 750ish gallon acrylic tank for free (there is no market for used large tanks, so just know that whatever you built will never be able to be sold unless for just a few pennies on the dollar). I have Halides that I have been collecting for years (really the most efficient way that I have found to light a large reef tank). I have a few large AmpMaster pumps for return and large closed loop. Pari of NIB Oceans Motion 4 ways that I got at a club garage sale on the cheap. I have a used 8x2x2 240G for a sump, 4x2x2 120g used tank for a fuge. I have a pair of used ASM G6 for skimmers. I have a used 1HP chiller if needed. I have a whole pile of Rancos and some used CaRx/Regulators/Bottles and bulkheads. I cannot even imagine how much this stuff cost new - I just got good deals since NOBODY seems to want large-tank stuff. The ASM G6 skimmers were like $200 each with spare/backup pumps... nobody can use them.

Would be about $20k to buy even OK level LEDs to replace in 4-6 years.

I basically have collected all of the equipment for a 12 foot reef tank, but I will still have to spend about $1,500 on a welded powder coated stand, probably $2-3k in sand and who knows how much in rock (I have 1000 pounds, or more, of real Marshall Island, Tukani, Pukani, Fiji and other nice stuff, but this will not even do 1/3 of the tank)... probably $10k in live rock since I will not use dry/dead.

This will cost me about $5-10 a day to run mostly with the heaters and large pump costs and we are under ten cents a kWh. $300 a month is a good guess.

Then, I have to deal with the acrylic, which I do not like.

This will take me 24-36 months to get set up, if I ever do. If not, I will donate it all to a school or hospital.

Large tanks are no joke. The budget on a large tank is like a speed limit sign... you wave at it as you go past at 20 miles per hour over what it says... and you never see it again in your rear view mirror.

My guess is that you probably do not know what you are getting into. Your mention of mp60s kinda eludes to this... they are a joke in a tank like 1000 gallons and barely move any water at all. Tunze 6200 on a rotating SeaSweep barely do too much. The build and a technique of a large tank is nothing like even a 240 or 300g tank. Study up and really only take advice from people who have set up a 600-750+ gallon tank because they are the only ones who know what you are going through... people who have smaller tanks mean well when they give you advice, but they do not know that their suggestions and techniques do not scale.

The reason that you are getting all of the push back is because people know what it is like to keep a more moderate tank, know the costs and seen the failures. If you come from where you are right now to having a thriving 1000 gallon reef tank, then you will be the 1 in 1000... seriously. These people are trying to help... people who can accept a hard truth will get so much farther than people who want to deny them.