75 gallon or 90 gallon
 

As the title says I will be upgrading from a 35 gallon sumpless reef to one of these two size tanks. The tanks are the same footprint meaning they are 4 feet long same depth 18 inches I believe but the 90 is 4 inches taller. New system will have a sump as large as I can go so am wondering what everyone's experiences are with either tank. I have heard the wet armpit thing with the 90 gallon but figure if I am upgrading may as well go as big as I can for just a littler more dollars. Thanks for any input. Have been looking at perfecto reef ready, miracles and aqueon reef ready as far as tanks go. They are all very close in price as the perfecto is the least expensive and miracles the most expensive. Perfecto has corner over flow which I like compared to the aqueon that has offset overflow.

I've ran both of those sizes and would recommend the 90.

always go bigger... you will want a larger tank in the future... plus a 90 will give you slightly more stable water conditions

BIGGER IS BETTER.:mrgreen:

Thanks for the reply's looks like 90 it is. Thanks every one was thinking that's what the responses would be. Sounds unanimous. Out of the three tanks any recommendations?

go used find one on here I paid over $1000 for a 90gal stand and sump and took down and sold for $400 two years ago and just recently got back into it and bought a 90gal tank and stand with a corner overflow for $200 the exact same kind we sold two years ago which left $800 to spend on other stuff all which was found on canreef

And that's no bs

I'd go with the 75, personally. The 90 only gives you height, which may not give you much at all. The 75 will be easier to light, and easier to reach the things that fall to the bottom rear of the tank. I've had both, I preferred the 75. For the slight extra water volume, you can add a bigger sump.

Definitely 75. The extra height makes it harder to get rock up in to the high light zone of your tank. You will also get less par on the bottom.

Michael Rice
Marine Engineers Aquarium Blog
Sent from Tapatalk so excuse my poor English

Good points, have been looking for used but nothing has come up as of yet. I like the extra water volume of the 90 but the 75 has some good points as well. Question will a blue tang be ok in a 75? this is one fish that my wife would love for us to have.

As anything but a juvenile I wouldn't think so. Not to sound all tang-policey on ya.

I would use what your wife wants as leverage to get a 6 foot tank =)

i hate my 90 truth be told i hate all tanks 24" in height its a pita to reach down to the bottom ideally my tank would be 20" high.a
blue tang would be ok as a juvie but it will quickly out grow a 70 or a 90g.they become rather big fish and need lots of swimming room.if you do get one get one as a babie but it will need to be passed on as it gets bigger:)

Thanks for the info on the tang, that is what I thought. No room for anything bigger than a 75 or 90 so will Need to pick between the two. If I buy new is perfecto a decent quality tank. Their over flow includes the plumbing or is aqueon better? I like the corner flow better on the perfecto compared to the offset on the aqueon. Thanks for the info.

Not a huge difference, but I like perfecto cause I have one Haha. If you want tangs but your biggest choice is 90 Do a 6 foot 90 with less rock work. That might suffice for a tang possibly

That's gonna be a pretty skinny tank. I'm thinking skip the blue tang until you can squeeze a 180 into your house :)
The 75/90 can be considered the same for tangs, both are the same footprint. The extra height won't matter either way. There are a few tangs that you could get away with, just do a bit of research on full adult size and aggression.

I hate that my 75 gallons is 23" tall...I can hardly reach the bottom so I wish it was longer and less deep. You do need a stronger light after 23", so you would need 400watt of MH instead of 250 watt.

I would not have anything deeper. Longer yes but not deeper. Each time I clean my glass I swear and swear because I hurt my arm trying to reach the very bottom to clean it. Can't use a magnet because the sand might get cought it in. I just wish it was like 2" less deep.

My 100 is 22 and I hate getting mysleeves wet lol I think 18-20 high is perfect

There's no denying you'll get more light to the bottom with 400 vs 250 w but that depends on a few things (some 250w bulbs destroy some 400 in terms of PAR). I'm running 20k 250w bulbs (much less PAR than your average 10 -14k) in a 27" deep tank and have sps growing (colorfully) on the bottom.

Brad's point is still true tho. I'd go with the 75 as well. It's a nicely proportioned tank. Before I went any taller in that tank size class I'd definitely go longer or wider.

really? what type of SPS?

I would not put any SPS at the bottom in mine and I have a Pheonix 14k in 23" deep.

I put them there at the begining for acclimatation but to get them in good color they need more light or they will brown out of be dull.

So I am wondering what type of SPS you grow "colorfully" at the bottom of a 27" deep tank running low par 20k 250 watt light?

Since this is relevant to choosing between the tanks... here is one of several. Tank's 36" wide to boot with halides only down the center:

http://www.fishbrains.net/images/404/transfer6.jpg

My next tank will be a 75(+/-) 36X24wX20h. For me its more about footprint and depth.

Colin

I agree. Given the choice between a standard 75 (48x18) or the one above, I'd go with the one above. More rockscaping room, and more visual depth. Ideally, my last tank was both. A breeder 90 with a 48x24 footprint, 18 high.

Guess the buyer needs to factor in his or her own arm length. I can reach and touch the bottom of mine 18" away from the front glass on a 96L x 36W x 27H but only at the very front can I work at the bottom and avoid dosing the tank with armpit aluminum.

Ease of maintenance is massive. A tank you don't want to work on won't get worked on.

This is the exact dimensions of my tank with an external overflow. The 24" width is much nicer to aquascape with than 18". If you want 48" in length a 120g tank has a 4'x2' foot print. I had a 90g and really did not like the width or the extra height.

Wow lots of feed back. Yes I am looking a standard 75 gallon so the dimensions are normal size. I think when the time comes I will go with a perfecto reef ready as they come with a lifetime warranty on them. If you by the non reef ready and have it drilled you void the warranty. Thanks for all the info but I think I have decided on a standard 75 gallon. Thanks to all

I think you'll be happy with that.

You can always add a deep sand bed if your arm doesn't reach all the way down to the bottom.