tank suppliers?

[Lucid]

been searching the net and here for places to buy aquariums. More so the larger ones over 100 gals. and cannot find anything except a place in PA. at least I can get an idea of prices, but they don't have a huge selection of larger tanks.

so anyone know of good places to find/buy large tanks? or should I be better off having a custom one made locally for huge $$,$$$?

thanks

[Hornet]

You won't find many prices for tanks on the web and even if you do, shipping will be killer. I've been searching the web for tanks myself recently and came across your same problem.

I did a tour of local LFS's and after a lotta driving and calling people I finally ordered me a 150 H gal tank from a store in Richmond on Wed. call Fish World. Depending on what your looking for he may even have the tank you want in stock. There are also a couple of other nice stores down in Va Beach area.

What size tank are you looking for? Glass or Acrylic?

[Lucid]

Hey Hornet, the one on 11634A Busy St.? Wanted to do some "window shopping" first though. Looking for a glass tank, 220 gals, with overflows. Haven't been to Animal Jungle in Va. Beach in a few months, they would probably be a good source...

[Hornet]

Yeap the one on Busy St it's right off of midlothian. He does not keep a lot of tanks in stock but you can call them and see if they have that size. He is also a vendor for deepsea aquatics and they have some real nice tanks if your spending that much. deep sea aquatics. I was looking but decided it was outta my budget. I'm already spending way to much on my 150 set up ;)

If your doing some window shopping Fish World is worth a drive to see all the SW fish they have. I was looking to get a 120 before going there but I liked the way the 150H he had set-up in the store looked. They have a lot of SW Fish there too. Depending on which is closer like you said Animal Jungle would likely be a good source also. Not many LFS's keep large tank on hand but they will order for you with out any additional cost

[Ninong]

Looking for a glass tank, 220 gals, with overflows.

A 220-gal glass tank sounds like a custom size, right? The closest standard size would be 84x24x24 (210 gallons).

Points to consider:

The cost of the tank itself is only a small fraction of the total cost of the entire setup.

You get what you pay for when it comes to quality. Make sure you compare specifications and not just price.

Most LFS will price complete tank setups (meaning with stand) at a very attractive price because they're hoping to attract new hobbyists who will buy all sorts of other equipment and eventually livestock.

Decide if you're satisfied with regular glass or if you want to go for ultra-clear, low-iron glass (e.g., Starphire).

Make sure that your planned lighting matches up with the top bracing (if any) on your planned tank. You don't want to have a metal halide lamp directly above a cross brace.

If you're purchasing a stand and canopy from the LFS with the tank, make sure the canopy is roomy enough.

Ask about the manufacturer's warranty.

[Lucid]

Thanks guys for the info. I just got back from my LFS in Hampton and was surprised. They had (2) 210 gals on sale for a bit under $300ea with overflows! I wasn't sure if 220 or 210 was a 'standard' size or not. Seems like 210 definitely is. ;) Kinda made me want to impulse buy! Just looking for now, trying to get all my ducks in a row for later.

[Hornet]

$300 for the 210. Nice price. I never even paid attention to the price of 200+ tanks. Cuz I knew the extra stuff like lights and rock would push the total cost way outta my desired spending range. Plus the boss does not want me to have a 6ft tank in the living room.

[Reefland]

I haven't looked at tank prices for awhile but that sounds like a great price. What brand was it?

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[Lucid]

Yeah I think they wanted to get them big'uns out of the storeroom's floor asap. I don't think you can even get a 125 w/ of's for that. The lamps would be up there too. Thinking on t5s, but not too sure if it'll be enough.

[Lucid]

Reefland- All-glass, just glanced at the sticker.

[Ninong]

OK, several new points:

The 84x24x24 standard size 210-gal glass tank is the standard size that used to be made by Oceanic. It came with two glass cross braces across the top.

All-Glass (which is now called Aqueon) bought out Oceanic several years ago. Then All-Glass itself was bought out by Central Garden and Pet. Recently, Central Garden changed the name from All-Glass to Aqueon.

I just checked the Aqueon website and it looks like their 210-gal tank is 72"L x 24"W x 29"H. All-Glass didn't used to sell a 210-gal tank at all. The largest tank they used to sell was a standard 180-gal (72x24x24).

The dimensions of the Oceanic 210-gal tank used to be 84x24x24. However, Oceanic's website is now showing a 215-gal tank with dimensions of 72.5 x 24.5 x 29.

To tell you the truth, I haven't been keeping up with this stuff lately and I really don't know if Oceanic is still a division of All-Glass (now called Aqueon) and still owned by Central Garden & Pet or not. I just know that according to their websites, neither one of them is offering the old sized 210-gal tank (84x24x24). (P.S. -- I found the answer at the bottom of the Oceanic website: "Oceanic is a registered trademark of Central Garden & Pet.")

From the photo on Aqueon's website, it appears that they're using the same cheapy plastic cross bracing on their new 210-gal tank that they have always used on their 180-gal and smaller tanks. That was one of the major differences between a 180-gal All-Glass and a 180-gal Oceanic. One had plastic cross braces and the other had glass cross braces. There were other differences, too. And Oceanic used to have a longer warranty but the warranties have been changed at least twice since Central Garden took over.

As far as T5HO lighting is concerned, it would be fine over a 24"H tank but not quite as good over a 29"H tank. Based on the photos on the Oceanic website, those canopies pictured are the same as what they have always had -- too short! They don't have enough room for metal halides but they will accomodate T5HO, VHO, PC, etc. All-Glass used to offer similar stands and canopies.

So if you're looking at an All-Glass tank and they're calling it a 210-gal tank, what are the dimensions? Are they the new dimensions (72x24x29) as shown on Aqueon's website or are they the old Oceanic size (84x24x24)???

And if you're thinking of buying their stand and canopy, then metal halides are out of the question unless you cut out spaces in the top of the canopy and mount metal halide fixtures on top of the canopy.

[Lucid]

Hey Ninong, it's the new dimensions and it had both the double plastic cross bracing. Now I like the idea of the Oceanic's glass bracing. Yeah I was just searching around looking at ballasts and bulbs. I can't find any T5 over 48", bummer. And MH would be better.

I am planning on building an in-wall tank during an upcoming home remodel. I live in a 3 bedroom and was thinking of converting one for the equipment room. So I'd be building all of that out of 2x4 to support the weight. Will be talking with my contractor buddy tomorrow. ;)

[zhenya]

Lucid,

If you are thinking of making it an in wall set up I would forgo their canopy and just hang three metal halide fixtures from the ceiling. Or you can DIY a canopy so that it is tall enough for the metal halide reflectors and bulbs.

I think you will need something stronger than 2x4's to support your tank full of water and live rock. Ideally, 4x4's or 4x6 posts should be enough if you have enough of them, I would think.

[Ninong]

Lucid,

If you are thinking of making it an in wall set up I would forgo their canopy and just hang three metal halide fixtures from the ceiling. Or you can DIY a canopy so that it is tall enough for the metal halide reflectors and bulbs.

Right! Don't get their canopy if you're going to do a built-in tank.

I think you will need something stronger than 2x4's to support your tank full of water and live rock. Ideally, 4x4's or 4x6 posts should be enough if you have enough of them, I would think.

Gene, you're right that 4x4's would be stronger but, truthfully, that's overkill for the size tank he's thinking about, especially if he uses 3/4" plywood to sheath it.

[zhenya]

Gene, you're right that 4x4's would be stronger but, truthfully, that's overkill for the size tank he's thinking about, especially if he uses 3/4" plywood to sheath it.

You probably right about that, my son's father-in-law had similar size tank I he built his stand using 4x4's. Didn't help much anyway because the tank sprung a leak anyway after like 3 years. It was one of those older, hexagon shaped fares of 175g or so.
I think ideally, not to worry about stand, it is best to use some steel tubing for it and be done with it.

[Ninong]

I think ideally, not to worry about stand, it is best to use some steel tubing for it and be done with it.

Yes, but I think this is only his first semi-big tank. People don't usually think about steel tubing until after their first semi-big tank, when they start planning their 'dream tank.'

BTW, my primary care physician (and you know who I'm talking about) has moved into his new office building and he has a built-in 210-gal tank in the front waiting room. The building was designed to accomodate this tank and there is a small equipment room behind the tank. I was there Thursday but I didn't bother to snoop around behind the tank. Next time I go (next month), I'm going to check out his equipment room to see what brand of chiller, skimmer, etc., he went with. Actually, he's too busy to do any of this himself, so he had one of the LFS owners set up the entire tank for him. (This LFS owner is 45 miles from here but that's as local as we can get down here in the boonies.)

He has 4x400w metal halides plus actinic supplementation over this tank. It looks like the old size 210-gal (84x24x24). I'm not sure what he's using for actinics, he was too busy to talk to me much about the new tank Thursday. I'll check it out in more detail next time I'm there.

[Lucid]

The building was designed to accomodate this tank and there is a small equipment room behind the tank.

That's what I was thinking about. The tank will be in the front room/living area and all the equipment in the bedroom directly behind it. Was thinking of building basically stud lower walls to support the tank. Won't really need the space under it for eq.

I think I saw somewhere in my search that the 210 gal with water alone is over 2,500 lbs. Definitely going to get professional opinions on beefing up the floor/foundation too. I'll do the majority of the other work.

zhenya - probably a 4x4 under each corner and 2 centered in each side span should be enough to support the weight. What wattage MH should I go with?

[Ninong]

I think I saw somewhere in my search that the 210 gal with water alone is over 2,500 lbs.

Start out with the weight of the glass tank itself.

Then add the weight of the saltwater.

A 210-gal tank does not hold 210 gallons of saltwater, especially after you add sand and live rock. Since you want to be on the safe side, use 190 gallons as your working number.

A gallon on saltwater weighs 8.5 lbs (64 lbs per cubic foot).

Now add the weight of the sand and live rock.

Now add the weight of any equipment that will be attached directly to the tank (such as a canopy, if its weight rests on the tank). Don't add for lights if they are suspended from the ceiling, only stuff that rests on the tank.

That gives you the total weight that the stand must support.

To calculate the total weight the foundation must support, add in the weight of the stand itself, plus the weight of any equipment inside the stand. If there is a sump inside the stand, add the weight of the water in the sump at its normal operating level.

If your tank is the new size 210-gal (72x24 footprint), then you have a 12 sq ft footprint. So divide your total weight of everything above by 12 to come up with lbs/sq ft. Or divide by 1728 to get lbs/sq in.

Definitely going to get professional opinions on beefing up the floor/foundation too. I'll do the majority of the other work.

You will need the figures above before you ask for professional advice. Be sure to ask for professional advice on cooling and ventilation of the equipment room. Use an estimate of 3 gallons/day evaporation to determine your ventilation requirements. Add up the total wattage of all the lights, pumps, powerheads, etc., to come up with an estimate of the amount of heat you will have to deal with when all of the lights are on.

Be sure the "professional" person you are consulting is aware of these numbers. Be sure they take humidity into consideration because three gallons a day evaporation is quite a lot for a small room to handle.

Be sure to insulate the viewing room from the sound of equipment in the equipment room. Make sure that there is no light spill or noise coming through from the equipment room into the viewing room.

Consider waterproofing the floor in the area around the tank in the equipment room. If you were building a new house from scratch, you would want to include a floor drain.

[Lucid]

Ninong - def. some great info there! thanks.

[zhenya]

zhenya - probably a 4x4 under each corner and 2 centered in each side span should be enough to support the weight. What wattage MH should I go with?

I think wattage of the bulbs would depend a lot on what exactly you're planning to keep in your aquarium. If it's the so-called "sps" corals then I would go with the three 400w bulbs. This would give you some flexibility on livestock, I think. You can keep corals that need very intense light closer to the top and mid level, and leave lower parts of the reef for other corals that require less light.
Be aware that those 400w bulbs will generate a lot of heat that will be transfered to the water column and you may need to install a chiller to combat that.

And, as Ninong had indicated already, ventilating the room will be very important.