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What size tank should i look to upgrade to?

S

saltwater4life

Alright after being in the hobby since Sept i though i need to upgrade from my 20g to something bigger i told my uncle the size i wanted and he said i should go with a 55g first but what do you guys think is a good upgrade from a 20g i would like to find a good deal on a 180 or something but whatever works :p any opinions ???

BTW anyone selling any tanks ;D

Thanks,
Nick
 
C

concept3

Guest
go with a 75. great starter tank and the depth is forgiving. I know bigger is better, but you want to make mistakes (and learn from it) on a smaller tank so you can learn, imagine trying to fix something on a 180. Not to mention the cost of equipment which triples or quadruples on a much larger tank.

My opinion, Nick- not necessarily all the others!
 
J

jazzsam

If you know you LOVE it then go big in my opinion. I started with a 55 and I will be upgrading to a 180 AND 125 Reef in the very near future.
 
kabal2

kabal2

like merv said a 75g will be nice, but you can go up to a 120g too, their size are almost perfect, i think you should leave the 180g for when you have a little more experience, believe me, i just from a 29g to a 120g, and things are a little difference when you are bigger

Gabriel
 
C

cmsurfr22

My first tank was a 210.....bad idea...very expensive and making mistakes was very expensive. i agree with the 75 as a good starter tank. although you do have a 20 g so you aren't necessarily a true starter. if you have money to throw down the toilet then go big and get a 180 or 210.
 
mynd

mynd

well here is what I think.. just an opinion.

I feel you should really consider what your end result is going to be. Are you going to really get into the ability to frag out? Do you just want a bigger tank cause you want to say " I did that ", or are you just into the whole experience? Why do YOU want to do this? That is what you need to ask yourself.

I already did the 180, 90, 50, etc... I felt dropping down to a 12 would be best. Why? well, I am almost 38, everyday life with the maintenance of a home, wash, cleaning, job, etc.. takes away lots of my time. However, I do find plenty of time to come here and when my tank goes live I pretty much have to split that up too, but there are limits. I made the decision to make this a priority and with its size I know I can handle it.

I love the ocean. I love looking at how things emerge from somewhere. I like to feel as though I have the ability to create an environment that mother nature has been maintaining for millions of years. I know that I am not as good as she is so I have decided that maintaining my little part of the ocean this time around is plenty. Having a large tank is really not a challenge any more. You have plenty of room for error and can usually correct things before it gets too bad. Thus enjoying your tank more often.

I do like to look at the tank, but prefer to figure out how things are going to work. This 12Gallon AP took a hard left at stock. Preparations for the future and ease of maintenance are going to let me enjoy looking at it and appreciate what I did to get it where it is. Figure out what you want out of the hobby and that should direct you to the size tank you want / need.

No matter what.. Good luck with it.
 
blange3

blange3

I'm with Merv and Gabe on a 75. And I have both a 75 and 55 and I would NOT recommend a 55.

My thoughts:

4 ft is a great viewing sze, you can take almost the whole view in at once.

The depth of a 75 works with VHO lighting, my preference. You don't have to get into the heat of halides and if you want very light demanding corals, T5's are the answer.

Why 75 over 55? The width allows more aquascaping possibilities.

You can great pumps and skimmers in a moderate price range.

It's a stock size so you don't have to get into custom stands and tops.
 
S

sinkingbeach

I really think a 90g would work well, it's only 4 inches taller than a 75 and if you decide to go with a dsb you'll be happy you have that extra room for all the great corals you'll be filling it up with :) I also agree with the others that a 55 is just not wide enough.... By the way ;D




















I'm going to have a 90g w/stand, sump, and some other items(maybe even a skimmer) available real soon ;D
 
S

saltwater4life

hmm yea now that you guys talk about it a 75/90g would be just as cool (anything bigger then my 20g long would be nice lol) i want a bigger tank so i can get bigger type fish like a Tang, but i also just would like more space for corals and stuff.

BTW sinkingbeach lmk when you are ready to sell your stuff i might be interested ;D

Thanks for the help guys!
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Take it from someone with a 55gallon, the width is a definite negative. The only reason I even went that route was that I already had the tank and stand.

I'm now researching my upgrade as well. Either 75 or 90. I've also considered the 120. And unfortunately, sooner than I had anticipated. My stand is becoming "wobbly", and starting to scare the mess outa me!

My limiting factor is the wall I'm keeping the tank on, so the 48" length works perfectly (not to mention, my current lights will still fit. ;D

And if you don't take the 90 from sinkingbeach, I may be interested as well. ;D
 
C

concept3

Guest
Francis' tank is gonna be ready VERY VERY VERY SOON.

but not tomorrow LOL

You should see his new setup. AMAZING!!!! Even if I do say so myself!
 
I

IrradiatedReef

I myself like the 120 over the 75 or 90, its still 48" but its 24" deep and tall, giving you a lot of room for aquascaping. You do not have to pack it solid right away. Add some more rock and transfer your current stuff over. Then you have plenty of room to grow your tank slowly and have room for error.
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Does anyone know where I could even get a 120 local to southern NJ?

Right now I have 65 pounds of LR just about done curing (thanks to the Group Buy) and about 40 pounds in the tank right now. So I would definitely have enough for the 90. Plus, my skimmer will probably still handle the 90. I'm running a CSS 125.

Given resources at hand, and the need to upgrade soon, I think the 90 will probably be my best choice.

But, now I'm hijacking the poor dude's thread. Sorry. ;D
 
I

IrradiatedReef

120 Is a manufactured size. Any place should be able to get them with ease. www.all-glass.com has an areacode browser for dealers if that helps.

I have an All-Glass 120, has two built in back overflows and is rated at 1200 gal. per hour for overflow. Thing I like is each overflow has 2 holes, one for drain and one for return pipe.
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

IrradiatedReef said:
120 Is a manufactured size. Any place should be able to get them with ease. www.all-glass.com has an areacode browser for dealers if that helps.

I have an All-Glass 120, has two built in back overflows and is rated at 1200 gal. per hour for overflow. Thing I like is each overflow has 2 holes, one for drain and one for return pipe.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. I did find that many of their dealers are out of business in my area. The closest is Aquarium Center in Blackwood, but I think they have to order that. I was in there not long ago, and don't recall seeing that particular size and setup in stock.

Anyone know the average retail on a box that size?

I definitely like the setup of the 120 with the dual overflows. And I have a 30 gallon long that I can build a new sump out of (or possibly talk RichT into assisting with construction of an acrylic custom ;D )

Will have to see how things pan out over the next few days. I need to nail down what I am going to do soon so I can begin construction of the stand.
 
I

IrradiatedReef

I would say roughly $300ish. A 125 is $350ish but has more glass 72x19x24 compared to 48x24x24. If they had to order it, it shouldnt take too long.

You don't have to go with the All-Glass brand, I was more pointing out the dealer list for stores in the area that would most likely have a decent sized tank.
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

IrradiatedReef said:
I would say roughly $300ish. A 125 is $350ish but has more glass 72x19x24 compared to 48x24x24. If they had to order it, it shouldnt take too long.

You don't have to go with the All-Glass brand, I was more pointing out the dealer list for stores in the area that would most likely have a decent sized tank.
Click to expand...

I'm sure Aquarium Center could get me what I wanted in pretty short order. Unfortunately, that is still the closest place that can order anything for me, regardless of brand. Sometimes it sucks living down here! LOL! Maybe I'll just open my own place. Lord knows I have the retail business experience!
 
S

saltwater4life

lol yea there is that 120 but whats the 90g 48x18x24? well i'll have to figure out some stuff like move everything around in my room to figure out how to fit a tank that size in there lol...
 
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