New tank, what to get?

[Llorgon]

Originally Posted by marks69

i would go with a reef ready 90g. same footprint as a 75 just a little taller, more volume so more stable, and off the shelf so to speak.take any 3' tank and throw in some baffles and your ready to plumb.

Hmm never thought of the 90g. Would there be a big difference in lighting requirements with the extra height?

Originally Posted by duncangweller

I had a 75g as my first tank and it was great. I personally stay away from taller tanks as they are harder to reach the bottom and that makes it harder to reach things, therefore makes me less likely to work on it.....maybe I've just got t-rex arms.

You can buy 75g with overflows installed and I like this option as then the holes are often in the bottom and that makes plumbing a little tidier and means you can push the tank closer to the wall.

Whilst I'm ranting.....I had a 90g cube and loved the look of it, especially the rimless aspect. I did have a problem with sump space and ended up getting a custom sump made. The tank also cost almost $700, which was almost four times what the 75g cost me

Just my thoughts, I'm sure you'll get lots of opinions from lots of people, many more qualified than I.

Just enjoy it and before you know it you'll be as deep as the rest of us and wondering where all your money went.

Dunc

Sent from my SM-G950W using Tapatalk

I have never had a problem reaching things(long arms), but that is something to take into account. I don't really want to be struggling to reach things in the tank. I think I would be more concerned about the possible increased cost of lighting a taller tank.

Will most fish stores drilled and install the overflows for you? The only one I went to yesterday that had a 75g drilled with overflow was j&l and their price was $320 or something like that where a normal non drilled 75g was $180.

I did notice the cube tanks were more expensive and it looked like getting a good sump to fit would be a bit of an issue. The wife really does like them though. She is really pushing for it... I just need some good reasons to go with the regular 75g.

[Dearth]

Just because it makes life easier IMO I would go with a tank with built in overflows it’s easier to plumb and it keeps that much more equipment out of the display tank and as others have stated a lot of reef ready tanks tend to be taller so after placing on a 36 inch stand ideally you would want to reach all corners of your tank without playing the tiptoe stretch

A big question to ask yourself is what kind of fish do you want in your tank as tank size determines types of fish you want and that is an important factor to consider as well

[Myka]

Two BIG questions:

Name a few fish that you "must have".

Name an approximate budget for the tank and equipment. (PM me if you'd prefer)

[crimper]

If you are considering a 4ft tank like a 75G foot print, get a 120G instead, 48”x24”x24”. Here’s why.

https://youtu.be/q0WwT4j86a0

[Skimmer Juice]

I would go with your wife on this cube would be nice for an apartment , and dont really like standard dimension tanks . Most people dont end up using the height so I tend to go wider and shallow opposed to taller and thinner (most standard tanks) and having space from front to back is more valuable for scapping IMO

[Llorgon]

Originally Posted by Dearth

Just because it makes life easier IMO I would go with a tank with built in overflows it’s easier to plumb and it keeps that much more equipment out of the display tank and as others have stated a lot of reef ready tanks tend to be taller so after placing on a 36 inch stand ideally you would want to reach all corners of your tank without playing the tiptoe stretch

A big question to ask yourself is what kind of fish do you want in your tank as tank size determines types of fish you want and that is an important factor to consider as well

Agreed. Built in overflows would be the way to go I think.

I haven't given too much thought into fish yet. I'm more interested in the corals! But I do think flame angels look pretty cool. Although I'm not sure they are always reef safe.

Originally Posted by Myka

Two BIG questions:

Name a few fish that you "must have".

Name an approximate budget for the tank and equipment. (PM me if you'd prefer)

Haven't given fish too much thought yet. I guess I should. I like flame angels, wife says there has to be a clown fish. I think I would go with a few larger fish with some smaller schooling fish. Along with a clown fish or two. I should give this more thought.

For budget I have about 3k set aside for new reef tank. That might change depending on if I can get more freelance projects.

Originally Posted by Skimmer Juice

I would go with your wife on this cube would be nice for an apartment , and dont really like standard dimension tanks . Most people dont end up using the height so I tend to go wider and shallow opposed to taller and thinner (most standard tanks) and having space from front to back is more valuable for scapping IMO

I like the look of the cube tanks and I am a fan of wider tanks. My concerns are they seem to be more expensive, sumps seem to be a little trickier with the stand shape. Also I am wondering how much I would be limited in fish compared to a regular 75g.

Sounds like I should skip on the all in one tanks?

[Skimmer Juice]

You could always run the sump on the side of the tank , thats how my tanks are set up . I like seeing my skimmer, and I grow mangroves in my sump. It sits right beside my tank on the floor , also lets me build the stand lower and have a nice top down view as well.
All in one tanks can be a good solution there are some pretty cool all in ones now . But I would find a shape I like and then try narrowing down a couple possible options

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Llorgon

Haven't given fish too much thought yet. I guess I should. I like flame angels, wife says there has to be a clown fish. I think I would go with a few larger fish with some smaller schooling fish. Along with a clown fish or two. I should give this more thought.

For budget I have about 3k set aside for new reef tank. That might change depending on if I can get more freelance projects.

Ok, your budget is reasonable (provided that is equipment only), so if you stick with the 75-gallon you're planning on you can get all the bells and whistles as long as you don't spend too much on a stand. By bells and whistles I mean a freshwater auto top off system, a good quality protein skimmer, etc. However, that is not enough budget to get good quality LED lights if that's what your heart is set on. Personally, I don't like LED as the main light source anyway, so I don't see this as a drawback. I highly recommend the ATI brand T5 fixtures. They are the best ones on the market and will grow any coral you want. Your budget is also not big enough for a custom cube tank with stand and custom sump.

Also, I think the 75-gallon tank is a great size to start with. The dimensions are really nice. I like the more "square from the side" dimensions because the tank is easier to aquascape. Tanks that are taller than they are wide, such as 90-gallon tanks, are more difficult to aquascape, and usually allow less swimming room for the fish between the front glass and the rocks. I like to see the fish a lot, so I like there to be lots of space between the rocks and the front glass.

Random comments on your fish choices...there are some reef-safe Angelfish (such as Watanabei), but they all get too large for a 75-gallon tank. Any of the Dwarf Angelfish (such as the Flame Angel) would be suitable for your tank size, however they are not 100% reef-safe. There are some individuals that are totally reef-safe, but most of them will bite corals causing various amounts of damage. Sometimes they only bother one type of coral, sometimes they bite everything. Lots of people say they are 50/50 reef-safe, but in my experiences it is more like 80/20 that they will bite corals.

Also, there are few fish that actually "school" in a home-sized aquarium. The reason they shoal in the wild is that there is danger being alone, so they shoal up - safety in numbers. At home they realize nothing will hurt them, so they stop shoaling. There are a few that have strong shoaling behavior though, and tend to mainly stick together. These are some of the Cardinalfish such as the Blue Eye Cardinals and Red Spot Cardinals.