Upgrading the tank

[johnehr]

What are people's opinions about how I should go about upgrading my system in ~5 months when I move into a house from my apartment?

Currently I have a 60 gallon tank w/ 20 gal sump and 10 gal refugium. I feel that my tank is mega crowded with all my rock and corals. My fish bio load is fine... I'm aiming for a 130-220 gallon system. (Hopefully whatever house I'll get will have a basement where I can plumb a sump, fuge, and misc equipment.)

Should I get everything new (ouch, expensive)?
Should I post a want to buy to see if anyone is going to want to up/downgrade?
Should I just do the move with my current tank and grab whatever comes up in the next few months?

I'm curious because lots of things are seasonal. Do tons of people try to sell off their systems during the summer because they dont have chillers?

 

[bc_slc]

oh yeah! Love the talk of a new tank....

Now, the thing that will determine what equipment you are going to need, is the size of the main tank. Everything else branches from there. So give us an idea of what size you are thinking? 200+, 180, 120, 110 or what genearl ballpark. If you get this part started, and of course decide what livestock you want to keep, then you can start collecting.

My personal experience is that the "want to buy" adds don't get a lot of action, and if you do get a response, it is less of a good deal. So ride it out and see what shows up. My eperience is that the equipment for sale portion of this site and RC fluctuate a lot, but not with any real regularity. Sometimes there is tons of good stuff and it seems like everyone is selling off, other times, nobody is selling anything i am looking for.

Bottom line, if you know you are going to upgrade, and you know about what size, then you can start to put together a list and jump on stuff as it comes available. Regardless, upgrading to a new system involves a lot of expenses that you don't really think about in the beginning. If you start now, then it will spread those purchases out. Also it gives you the chance to be selective and save some money.

Some of your stuff will still be useable. For example, I would plan to keep your current tank as a sump as it would fit nicely under a 5' or 6' stand for a sump. You can modify it with baffles etc, like I did with mine (welcome to come see).

 

[bradreef]

going from a tank your size to a larger tank there are a few main difs. You might have mh's then you will only need another. Three mh's will fill a six foot tank nicely. I personally would try to get at least a 180 because it is 24" deep. Having a 60 right now I am sure you can understand the depth thing. The other way would be the 30" deep tank like a 220 or so. You can use the same return pump and buy a pump for a closed loop which should be $150-200 used. something 2500gph or so. So you need a pump for flow and probably another for a skimmer like a becket. and lighting you should only need 1 more. Find the nice used setup and be patient and make it all it can be.