Hi Everyone,

I am thinking about going BIG in the fall. I'm not certain what that means in gallons. I am thinking about 250 gallons. Not sure about the dimensions. When you go this big, are there good dimensions for a reef-tank? Does "standard" apply?

Right now, spring is in sight, which means that liverock and such shouldn't freeze in transit. I have been eyeballing a 75 gallon at petco. I am thinking of setting up one as a medium-sized tank so that I can essentially use it as a place to soft-cycle live rock for the larger tank later. In the fall, I'd migrate stuff into the larger aquarium.

Does anyone know of any good sources of information for setting up large aquariums?

My main concern is weight. Floor is concrete, so I guess I'm ok there. I'm wondering if buying some of those cheap pre-made cabinets at Lowe's would be sturdy enough to handle a 75 gallon aquarium? I'd get a sink-base and two narrower cabinets. So 30" + 2 18" cabinets. If I were to put some 3/4" plywood on top and screw them together, would this be enough to hold 850lbs? What do folks use for bigger stuff? Masontry blocks?

Shoping list
150 watt MH Ballast and Pendant. Phoenix Bulb.
250 watt MH Ballast and Pendant. Phoenix Bulb.

A few huge powerheads.

Shatter resistant heater.

Should I get a wet-dry? Brands?

Refugium? (Drill the tank?) is there a no-hole solution?

Skimmer?

As always, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Bill

A reef tank is a reef tank. I treated my first large tank just like I treated my first nano: Quality live rock, good flow, good maintenance.

Anything extra is dictated by exactly what you want from the system. Do you want a TOTM caliber reef full of SPS show colonies, a FOWLR, or somewhere in between? We can give you more, and more specific, advice once you tell us what you're looking to have.

The cabinets would probably hold, but you can make a stand for cheaper than you can buy those cabinets. There are plans for simple stand builds all over the internet.

I was thinking of reef. Hard Corals, Soft Corals, Some Inverts, A few small fish to accent. Read-in Manderin, blennies, gobies, wrasse. Things that require minimal feeding and don't poop much.

I was also thinking about 100+ gallon, but hadn't decided what a good break-off point is - as far as bang-per-buck. I have a big space that I can fill, and I am sure there are plenty of high priced toys you can buy but may or may not need.

I basically wanted to know if anyone had some good resources for setting up equipment/how much equipment I need.

You can read forever, but it would be nice to have some input from folks that have had similar tanks.

As far as the cabinets holding weight. The cabinets built into our house are sagging 1/8" to 3/16" under a 50 gallon....with reinforcements underneath. I can't imagine a 75 gallon. I would go the dedicated stand route for sure.

I would go with a 120. 48x24x24. The price jumps seem to be when you add length, not necessarily volume. You can build a 4' 120 for not much more than a 4' 75 or 90 gallon. That's where I would start. Your livestock will dictate the lighting and flow.