Tank upgrade in your future? Here are some tips for going bigger!

[JPM San Diego]

We currently have a 40 gallon DIY system created with a "40" gallon tank from my office (pre retirement) and a "10" gallon tank (sump) from my childhood. Our "baby in waiting" is a Waterbox 7225. My wife and I first need to finish our remodel, which includes waterproof flooring. Our consultant will be helping to create a water creation / changing station in a garden area on the other side of our living room wall.
Can't wait!

 

[TL1]

Sure do! Upgrading from a Reefer 350 to a Reefer S-1000. Tank, lights, and some equipment already purchased... Waiting to close and move into our new house in October to complete the build.

 

[nicksreefs]

Went with other as a reason currently running a 55l and 160l tank and love the personal feel you get from the smaller tank.
Currently thinking about running up a few more picos and nanos but making them match the natural reefs in the world (corals and fish) - bit more work maintenance wise but hey why not!
That said I’d love a larger tank but for me I’d Want one big enough to swim in - to paraphrase... go big and build your home around

 

[brmreefer]

1. When upgrading to a new tank what are some important things to plan for? Share a tip or two!

- There are several things that I have considered as plenty of fore-thought has been put into the concept, but here is what I believe are some "Top Priorities" (**Subject to Change as I get closer to pulling the trigger** ):

• Getting the wife's approval
• Location (As this will more than likely be permanent)
• Streamline overall maintenance (Several Sub-cats could fall under this)
• Finalized size for DT, sump, and fuge
• Think about all concepts and theories before applying
• Think about all concepts and theories before applying

2. Do you have plans to go bigger and if so what size are you going up to?

- Currently I want to get a 10'L x 2'W x 2'H w/sump-fuge, and additional smaller DTs tied into one big system to have a few different displays with themes (e.g. clam tank, grow out tank, etc)

I might be addicted to this hobby, does that mean I have a problem...idk.

 

[Hydrored]

Getting ready for an upgrade to a 8’Lx30”Wx25T

Everything will be moved over from my current 210 other than the sump

 

[Terry Le]

Yes! I would want a tank big enough for a tang of some sort, because I love them so much!

Would probably look into getting a 55g or a 75g. I definitely don’t want to go bigger than I could handle.

Edit: I would also want it to be drilled, so I can put a sump in. Definitely want a sump.

If you want tang I would go bigger than 75g

 

[James_O]

If you want tang I would go bigger than 75g

Lol, a 75g would probably be my max, so maybe no tang.

It would be a dream come true to actually have a yellow tang. Always wanted one.

Anyway, having a big tank is probably years down the road for me.

 

[Jedi1199]

I currently have 3 tanks.. 32, 55 and 180g. I honestly do not believe I can own anything else today. With my work schedule and available time on hand, I have plenty enough to do with what I have. IF, I could get a larger tank for a price I agree with, I MIGHT get a larger one.. but as it stands today, I have no plans to do so.

It would have to be the deal of a lifetime fall into y lap.

 

[adittam]

Lol, a 75g would probably be my max, so maybe no tang.

It would be a dream come true to actually have a yellow tang. Always wanted one.

Anyway, having a big tank is probably years down the road for me.

You could do what I’m in the process of upgrading to, an 80 gallon lowboy. Footprint is 48” long x 24” wide x 16” tall. Maximizes swimming space so I can keep one of the smaller tang species like a yellow.

 

[outhouse]

depth is a pain, im at 30" deep and with a 210G and I think a 180 more manageable, not being able to reach your sand bed easily through canopy makes for some long term issues. Next tank will be starfire glass for sure

 

[Rick Carson]

1. When upgrading to a new tank what are some important things to plan for? Share a tip or two!
Lots of territories, stocking list of fish - corals - livestock you want to place into the aquarium. Double check to make sure things are compatible. Lights, and filtration. Also, making sure you are on par with required water flow. That needs dialed in first. There's so much and too much to list.

2. Do you have plans to go bigger and if so what size are you going up to?

Mine current aquarium is 112g this is the actual water capacity. I would like to get an aquarium around 300g for FOWLR. I love the large angelfish species. This is going to take a lot of planning and working out placement and space. Also, figuring out how to get it into the house. ;Yuck

I currently have a Waterbox AIO 40.5 and will be upgrading in two weeks to the Waterbox AIO 50.3 So fare in this thread it seems that the most important thing is to get new sand, what about using your old water and media i.e.. Bio balls and sponges that has that good bacteria on it already or do I just start all over with all new everything and let the new take go through the tank cycling process all over again? Thanks for your tips and comments.

 

[Goaway]

I currently have a Waterbox AIO 40.5 and will be upgrading in two weeks to the Waterbox AIO 50.3 So fare in this thread it seems that the most important thing is to get new sand, what about using your old water and media i.e.. Bio balls and sponges that has that good bacteria on it already or do I just start all over with all new everything and let the new take go through the tank cycling process all over again? Thanks for your tips and comments.

I never thought in terms of ditching the old tank. But yes, use all the cycled media you got. and try to keep 75% of the old aquariums water. That way the new tank will only go through a mini cycle.
You are fine to use all the equipment and media filter from the old tank to new tank, it even helps with setting up QT (filter pads, bio balls) the bacteria takes months to grow. Don't throw that away.

 

[Pyrat80]

I am going to upgrade from a JBJ RF-45 to an 125 to 150 gallon in the next year I really like the water box AIO‘s so I was leaning toward getting a reef 130 or Frag 145 but am open to suggestions. I am new to the hobby and am always looking for some sound advice

 

[DDenny]

Planning a 50g upgrade. Looking at the IM 50g lagoon or an SCA 50g.

 

[CPC Reefer]

Currently have a 350gal reef. Keep eyeing fish like puffers and there are some beautiful triggers out there that would destroy my corals. Not thinking about upgrading my current tank but a new FOWLER build around 500 gal or so is gonna be in the works in the next year or two. It will be an aggressive fish only tank. Feeding whatever misbehaves in the reef should be fun to watch.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

I’ve heard these don’t work very well, and it’s better to just get a drilled tank with a sump, so you can do it right the first time.

(NOOOO, stop giving me reasons to upgrade… ;Muted;Penguin)

I never said they worked well, just replied to the question of how you can have a sump with an undrilled tank

 

[jaihutcherson]

I'm surprised how many people want to go diving in their tanks. Seems like something that would be cool once but imagine having to slap on a wetsuit and fins every time you want to do maintenance.

I'd rather have a large, shallow tank. My 180 is 2 feet deep which is too deep for me (and I'm not even that short). I'd rather have like a 600 gallon lagoon-style tank I could walk around and reach down into. Like halfway between a real tank and a frag tank.

All big tanks I purchase now get stripped down, turned on their side, glass cut, and made into low-boy lagoons. My first 400 I couldn’t even reach the bottom to clean the sand, move rocks around, or reach a sick eel. Horrible for me. Didn’t like it one bit. Now, since Re-working, I have a much better time.

 

[ScubaDan206]

I currently have a 450 gallon system with a 120 upstairs and an 8x4x30 inches tall tank/filtration in the basement. The next upgrade would require a different house and would be built from plywood to fill the available area. A dedicated fish room would be adjacent. Total volume would be in the 3-5 thousand gallon area. I have plans for a much larger tank as well. Display volume alone in the 12-15 thousand gallon category.

 

[Fish man]

Tank placement is one of the things often overlooked when planning an aquarium. One, will the floor support a larger tank. When I went from a 55 to a 90 I had to reinforce the floor from the basement up to the room where my tank sits. Also when I brought home my tank my wife and I thought ok here's some vacant wall space in the dining room. I proceeded to set everything up and thought hey this is great. After a few days I realized I normally spend about 2 hours a year in the dining room, one at Thanksgiving and the other at Christmas. The kids would make fun of me saying; there's dad again sitting in the dining room looking at his fish tank. I think the tank should be in an area of the home where you would normally spend most of your time. Some think the bedroom is great and the gentle gurgling will lull you to sleep. For me that would turn into the sound like a toilet that never stops running and keep me awake. I ended up moving it in my office within two weeks of getting it. I work from home and spend several hours a day in there. The only problem with that is I get distracted and my work productivity sometimes suffers.

 

[cryptodendrum]

MOST of us at some point in time will go bigger or want to go bigger with our saltwater reef aquariums. When it comes to aquariums it's hard not to get sucked in to the belief that bigger is better. Is it better? Not always! That's why it's important to understand and plan before making the jump UP in gallons. So let's talk about it today!

1. When upgrading to a new tank what are some important things to plan for? Share a tip or two!

2. Do you have plans to go bigger and if so what size are you going up to?

I stopped going bigger when our first display got to 2.5 meters long. Now I branch out with adding (and sometimes subtracting) tanks from my system. I've had up to 12 tanks, scaled back to current 7 due to home renovations. Plan to scale back up when renovations are over.