Looking to buy a taller reef tank

[Husker12181]

I realized I don't have the money needed to do the 250g tank I wanted to build so I decided to replace my current 75g tank with a slightly larger one. I am going to use the same stand and equipment of course slightly modified.

My current dimensions on my 75g are 48 x 18 x 20. To use the same stand I can only add to the height of the tank so I was looking to jump to the 110x which is 9 inches taller and the dimensions are 48 x 18 x 29.

Other then the cleaning issue which I am already debating I was wondering more specifically about the drawback to the types of fish I could have. A lot of fish need a tank that is bigger then 75g, will I be able to have these fish in a taller tank? Will the extra space be used by the fish or will it just be a "dead zone"? I have corals and I know I will need to use stronger Metal Halides but is there something else I need to consider?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Steve

 

[Peppie]

You may already know, there is a guy on CL from Everett buy the name of Larry. He has always got a bunch of tanks listed. He may have that size tank..
Good luck

 

[Husker12181]

I did see his adds but I went used on the last tank and thats why I am buying new this time.

I talked to one of the employees at Barrier Reef and they gave me a quote on the 90g tank that is 48 x 18 x 24 pre drilled and it was well in my price range. I am just trying to decide if should go the extra 5 inches in height for the 110g or not.

 

[Peppie]

You should know by now, bigger is always better. LOL It all boils down to $, and what look you are trying to create.

 

[returnofsid]

Bigger actually isn't always better.

Let's compare a 75 and the 110 in question.

They both have a 6 square foot surface area. The surface area is where the tank is oxygenated. In a 75, oxygenation will happen quicker, since less water is being oxygenated, with the same amount of surface area. Because of this, a 75 may actually be a healthier tank.

Now, let's look at lighting.

A 110 will need more intense lighting, to reach the deeper water, than a 75. So now, you're spending more money on lighting and more money on electricity.

Now let's look at fish...

Fish typically don't swim "up and down," as much as they swim around at the same depth. Different fish occupy different depths. Adding tank volume, in depth alone, really doesn't benefit the fish much at all, unless they're specifically deep water fish. IMO, a 90, or 110, isn't capable of holding any more fish, than a 75, since they're all the same foot print. I suppose it could be said that they could hold a couple more small species of fish.

A 110 or 90 will not be any different, when it comes to Aqua-scaping, except that you can stack the rocks a little taller. This will give you slightly more room for corals, but not much, as you're still needing to provide light for all the corals.

One more thing to consider, is weight. A 90 or 110 will both weigh considerably more than a 75, with the weight spread over the same footprint, thus weighing more per square foot. This will put more stress, on your floor. On the other hand, getting a tank with a larger footprint, will actually lessen the amount of weight, per square foot. For instance, a 55, will weigh approximately 550 pounds, spread over 4 square feet, which equates to about 138lbs/square foot. A 75 will weigh approximately 750 lbs, spread over 6 square feet, equating to approximately 125 lbs/square foot.

 

[07FocusST]

I still have a 180 sitting empty in my garage

 

[Husker12181]

Thanks for the info I didn't actually think about the Oxygen exchange, Although I do have a sump and it does pump alot of oxygen into the water with the skimmer and water flow.

If I heighten my rock wall in the back will the fish be more likely to swim higher in the tank, therefore hypotheticaly providing more area for each individual fish do to them being at different levels of the tank?

I am going to add a 250w MH to my 150w I already have in there so I am less worried about lighting as I have partially planned on that.

 

[dragoneggs]

I think Sid pretty much nailed it. The biggest and really only issue I had was maintenance. My old acrylic 28in deep with eurobracing was difficult to reach the bottom, clean, picking up fallen frags, etc. Actually it really became a pain the butt especially having to reach through a canopy door. My latest tank is 24in deep, glass, rimless (hate that word... should be braceless) and is a dream to maintain compared to the deeper tank. Also for the same volume I get much more landscape placement options for coral as the rock is more 'spread out'. I can't see myself ever going more than 24in as long as I am the one responsible for maintenance! I would rather add to the front to back depth instead, this really opens up landscape options, beach areas. I also think the bigger fish appreciate longer runs if you add dimension that way.

 

[Husker12181]

LOL Anyone know of a good way to add 6 inches to the depth of a stand/hood without major rework?

I would much rather have a more square tank for the reasons dragoneggs mentions. But we work with what we have I guess.

Thanks for all the input!

Steve