What AQUARIUM do you guys RECOMMEND?MMEND?

[RLiu818]

I am thinking about getting a larger saltwater aquarium for FOWLR, but I still want it to be reef-ready. (i currently have a 10g Nano-FOWLR).

I am thinking about getting an aquarium at least 50 gallons. No smaller than that. I am wondering what is the most common size and dimension.

Should I go with Glass or Acrylic?

What brand aquarium do you recommend?

And should I get one with a built in Overflow system?


Note to Mods: I posted in this forum because it is the most active and hope to get the most responses.

[Skunk Clown]

i like the 65 gallon. drilled allgalss tank..

[scubadude]

Originally posted by RLiu818

Should I go with Glass or Acrylic?

What brand aquarium do you recommend?

And should I get one with a built in Overflow system?


Note to Mods: I posted in this forum because it is the most active and hope to get the most responses.

Seeing that you live in Cali. are you in a earthquake prone zone? If so then I would get acrylic, if not then go with glass (easier to clean and less likely to scratch) I would definately get one w/an overflow already built in, as you will have less problems down the road. AllGlass is definately a low cost tank and personally I dont see nothing wrong with them, if you want a caddilac tank then go Oceanic.

Here are some common sizes in your gallonage range
Standard 55g 48"Long 13"Wide 21"Tall
Standard 65g 37"Long 19"Wide 24"Tall
Standard 75g 48"Long 18"Wide 21"Tall
Standard 90g 48"Long 18"Wide 25"Tall

HTH

Rocky

[dougchambers]

When we were looking for an upgrade from our 30-gallon last year, we went with the AGA 75RR. When you look at the 55-gallon and figure you have to drill it or hang an overflow off the back, you can put a 75RR in about the same footprint.

Definitely go with a RR or drilled tank! Personally, I don't like overflows, but many run them with great success. In the long run, I think RR is a safer method.

You can see pictures of our 75RR on our website.

Doug

[tendar]

I would agree that the 75 is probably the best for size for the money. Nice width and depth and over all nice sized tank and would definetly go reef ready with a AGA unless you have the money to spend then oceanic.

[RLiu818]

Originally posted by tendar
I would agree that the 75 is probably the best for size for the money. Nice width and depth and over all nice sized tank and would definetly go reef ready with a AGA unless you have the money to spend then oceanic.

Do AGA come reef-ready? I was checking out their site and they have the flimsy overflow design. Anyone have any comments on this cuz it looks so.. cheap lol. Maybe its just the pics.

[tendar]

I had a aga 125 with dual overflows and they where actually pretty good. Oceanic are better buyt aga work well. You get what you pay for. Oceanic is the way to go if you have the money to invest but aga makes a good tank that will last a long time.

[golfish]

if you want the best of the best go with a Lee Mar tank (made in San Deigo area) these are by far the nicest tanks I have ever seen. I too live in So Cal, I'll be oredering my next tank from Lee Mar in a few months....I've had 9 tanks and seen thousands over that past 20 years and nothing beats a Lee mar, these tanks are just gorgeous..

Oh, I'd go with glass, I've had acrylic, I'd never do it again.


Hey Rocky, all of So Cal is an "earthquake prone zone" I've never had a problem (knock, knock) the key is to face the tank east or west and make sure your live rock can't shift. If the big one hits its not going to matter if the tanks made of glass, acrylic or steel, its going down...Just another reason for euro bracing. We had a big one in 87, I bet I lost 20 gal of water out of my 70 gal tank. I think the eruo bracing would have help a whole lot in that case...lets hope I never find out

[Ninong]

Hi RLiu818, welcome to Reefland!

I would agree with everyone that the 75-gallon tank is a good size for someone considering something in the 50-gallon range. I don't think it will cost any more to equip a 75-gallon than it would to equip a 55-gallon. If you want something smaller than 50-gallons, I would suggest a 40-gallon breeder.

I would agree with golfish that LeeMar makes a beautiful tank. You should definitely get one with built-in overflow.

[scubadude]

Mark and/or Ninong,

do you guys have any pics of these Lee Mar tanks?
Is there a website?

[golfish]

Rocky,
I really can't think of any person who has a posted picture of a Lee Mar tank. I know few people who have em... Ali has one but he doesn't have a camera.

They don't have a site and you need to have a wholesellers license to get one. I have to order mine from a LFS. I just called them (LFS) a few hours ago to get a quote. I'm still not 100% sure on the holes and the size.

[Ninong]

Rocky,

Reef Engineer's 300-gallon is a custom built LeeMar tank but he told me he had some problems with them. BerlinMethod.com's tank is a custom built Starphire glass tank by LeeMar. I think it's around 240 gallons.

Yes, I have seen some LeeMar tanks for sale in LFS in California and Arizona. I haven't seen any of their Starphire glass tanks because I believe they have only recently started working with Starphire. They use what they refer to as "polished glass" and they have really nice front tank edges that are highlighted with the black silicone that they use. I think they called them Black Diamond edges or something like that. The last time I saw one of their tanks was about three years ago and I was so impressed with the black silicone that I specified that on my own custom built Starphire tank from Canada.

Most of LeeMar's tanks are sold in Southern California and the Phoenix-Tucson area but BerlinMethod.com lives in Palo Alto and I believe he got his through an LFS in Menlo Park, which is in the greater Bay Area. They will not deal directly with retail buyers and I don't believe any of their tanks have ever been shipped much farther than the SF Bay Area. Actually, for obvious reasons, acrylic tanks are more popular in the Bay Area than glass tanks.

[golfish]

Rocky,
I have a buddy who set one up last year...he just sent me an e-mail asking if I knew anybody who wanted to buy a tank

Tank: Leemar 6ft (long) by 2ft (wide) by 2.5ft (Tall) glass aquarium with
dual rear corner overflows purchased in May 2002.

Stand: oak white wash facing, 30 inches tall with 1ft tall canopy.

Lighting:
2 400w PFO ballast with 10K Ushio bulbs
1 400w PFO ballast with 20K Radium bulb
2 140w URI VHO's run on an Ice Cap 660
2 ice cap fans will aid in the cooling of the canopy/tank

Controller – Neptune with ph and temp probe

Water Movement - Amp Master 3000 in the stand
3- Maxijet 1200's on a Neptune Controller Wavemaker
2- 1 inch Sea Swirl returns

Skimmer – ETTS 500 with a Rio pump in sump

Calcium Reactor – K2R (Ehiem pump)

Sump – 70 gallons with skimmer, calcium reactor, refugium

Chiller – Universal Marine 1/3hp chiller

Live Rock – 300 Pounds

Live Sand – 300 Pounds

Fish: Tangs - Dejardini Sailfin, Yellow, Blue, Lieutenant
Others: mated false perculas, christmas wrasse, golden head sleeper goby,
and more

It was setup by Andy, the owner of the place Steve Tyree works out of (can't remember the name) Most of the rock came out of the 650 gal tank they broke down last year. This guy and his wife had a baby late last year and now he wants to sell the whole setup. He's got to have 10,000+ in the tank easy......if you feel like taking a drive he's asking 2000.00 for the whole deal

[scubadude]

Originally posted by golfish
if you feel like taking a drive he's asking 2000.00 for the whole deal

LMAO....just a walk in the park huh! That is a hell of a deal though....jeez you guys outta find someone locally that would buy it all. I cant seem to find that kind of money lying around anymore all the equipment alone is pretty much worth his asking price....not to mention the tank and livestock!

[scubadude]

Hey Shawn Bennett's tank is a 300g Lee Mar tank heres some pics

http://www.shawnbennett.com/Tank.html

[scubadude]

Originally posted by Ninong
[B]Rocky,

Reef Engineer's 300-gallon is a custom built LeeMar tank but he told me he had some problems with them.

Where has Randy been....havent heard from him in a while, man I sure would love to see some updated pics of his tank

[golfish]

Thanks for the link Rocky.. For a minute there I thought I was looking at my tank. Shawn has a lot of the same corals I do.

Did you notice he didn't even have a hole drilled for his SS's...Hmmmm, that gives me more to work with

[scubadude]

Originally posted by golfish
Thanks for the link Rocky.. For a minute there I thought I was looking at my tank. Shawn has a lot of the same corals I do.

Did you notice he didn't even have a hole drilled for his SS's...Hmmmm, that give me more to work with

Yeah I didnt do that either, but it is a good idea I think....you have it done on your existing tank or the new one your getting built? pics? That tank does look pretty nice from what I can see....but geez you can take an allglass tank that is 10yrs old and stuff it full of beautiful corals and I think its beautiful!

[golfish]

Rocky,
we can take a 55 gal drum, cut it half and fill it full of sps and it would look nice..

better make sure that drum is plastic