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Cost difference between 30 gallon vs 80 gallon build


ninjamyst

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I am debating on getting a 34 gallon shallow vs 80 gallon tank. Putting the cost of the tank and stand asides, what are the major factors of cost in these two builds? And how big are the differences?

 

34 gallon - 36 x 18 x 12

80 gallon - 48 x 24 x 16

 

Lighting - I initially thought this will be the biggest factor but since both tanks will be long and shallow, I will mostly have to use two fixtures that will work for 36" or 48"

 

Skimmer - SCA-301 is pretty cheap and should work for both 34 and 80 gallons?

 

Pumps - Probably just a cost difference of $50 for the return pump. For circulation, I am guessing a MP10 won't cut it in the 80g?

 

Salt - I assume in a 80 gallon tank, I can do water change less frequently so there shouldn't be a huge difference

Rocks - Will be doing ReefCleaners so about $30 - $50 difference?
Am I missing anything that I will have to buy for the bigger tank that will be cheaper or not necessary for the smaller tank?

 

 

 

 

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You'll need a bigger heater for the 80 vs the 34. Not a huge difference in price, but there is that.

 

For a circulation pump, why don't you consider the Gyre, especially since you are setting up a long shallow tank? The 130 would work for either size.

 

Are you sumping this tank? A bigger sump is going to run more.

 

What are your stocking plans? If you need to dose, you will be running through more supplements on the larger tank.

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Main issue I see is the skimmer. The SCA 301 is a decent skimmer, but I wouldn't really recommend it for anything bigger than like 30-35 gallons. I know it says that its rated for 65 gallons, but for reef systems, you really want a skimmer rated for twice your total water volume at least. So for an 80 gallon tank, you want a skimmer rated for 160 gallons. I ran an SCA 301 on my 30 gallon and it was sufficient, but not amazing. When I upgraded my tank to a 40B, I also upgraded my skimmer to a Reef Octopus rates for 100 gallons and it works so much better!

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Bigger tank = more awesome! I can say with an 80 you will want more automation. Or at least thats how I feel about my big tank. I lvoe it though. Its really nice to be able to have and see my nano fish, but still get some none nano fish too.

 

This is an expensive skimmer option but I have seen the small vertex skimmer (130 or 150 cant remember ) run on small tanks and its def powerful enough for an 80 (I have it on my 85). Mp10 would not be enough but with a strong enough return pump, 1 mp40 could take care of it. I use 2 in my shallow 85. 30 is a lot cheaper, but I think it has to do with your expectations. I wanted my large tank to be more like furniture and less of a hobby (I have a toddler and another on the way so not a lot of time for maintanece) so a lot of money went into automation.

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Thanks everyone! I totally forgot about supplement costs and the need for automation like dosing pumps / apex / etc. It's such a hard decision. I don't really want to spend so much money after buying a new house, but I dont want to regret not going bigger later on.

 

Main reason for a bigger tank is to have more fish. I realize that's what I regret the most with a small nano; you are very limited to amount and diversity of fish.


Most importantly, if I get a 80 gallons tank, am I still welcome here? I hate the other reef forums...

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Nickbruh510

Dude get the biggest tank you can afford it will be way worth it. I started with a. Fluval edge and after 2 years in the hobby I have a 112 and I'm buying a 220 in a few weeks. You can scour craigskist and get amazing deals online for full setips or what not or ebay and punch in your zip code and radius that will make it better. But seriously the biggest tank you can afford now would pay off later even just in water changes lol

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We have a Large Reefs sub forum. And nobody judges. I'm going to be movin to a much larger tank soon and am still trying to decide just how big. I think when you get over ~150g or so, investment goes way up.

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Plan out the setup well. When I did my 150 cube I regret not doing basement sump. When I had tank issues and needed to do large wc that was pita. Nothing like hauling 10-15 buckets up stairs lol. Wc should be done same as smaller tank so factor in more salt use. All in all 80 gal not gonna be much more than the 30. I kind of wish went that route also.

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Thanks everyone! I totally forgot about supplement costs and the need for automation like dosing pumps / apex / etc. It's such a hard decision. I don't really want to spend so much money after buying a new house, but I dont want to regret not going bigger later on.

 

Main reason for a bigger tank is to have more fish. I realize that's what I regret the most with a small nano; you are very limited to amount and diversity of fish.

 

Most importantly, if I get a 80 gallons tank, am I still welcome here? I hate the other reef forums...

 

Dude look at my sig, I only have the 85 :P we wont ever be TOTM but we can still hang.

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You are definitely still welcome here with a bigger tank! This forum is the best and I love seeing the bigger tanks :)

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Plan out the setup well. When I did my 150 cube I regret not doing basement sump. When I had tank issues and needed to do large wc that was pita. Nothing like hauling 10-15 buckets up stairs lol. Wc should be done same as smaller tank so factor in more salt use. All in all 80 gal not gonna be much more than the 30. I kind of wish went that route also.

what do you mean by basement pump??

Dude look at my sig, I only have the 85 :P we wont ever be TOTM but we can still hang.

your tank is sweeeeet. love the negative space in the tank.

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bpounds1991

I would say IMO the biggest factor in the build straight off the bat would just be water and dosing. Increased evaporation from the larger footprint just means you would be making more water, buying more RO/DI filters etc.

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I would say IMO the biggest factor in the build straight off the bat would just be water and dosing. Increased evaporation from the larger footprint just means you would be making more water, buying more RO/DI filters etc.

 

good call. forgot about the evaporation rate too.

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bpounds1991

That's one thing I noticed even going from a 20 gallon to a 30 gallon with the new build, I'm refilling my ATO reservoir every 2 1/2-3 weeks now versus almost a month and a half before

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your tank is sweeeeet. love the negative space in the tank.

Thanks! I also agree about the top off. The 85 goes through 5 gallons of top off every 3 to 4 days. I keep 15 gallons on hand in 3 5 gallon jugs that I just switch out. The airline tubing to the aqualifter is drilled through a cap so all i have to do is switch out jugs. But yeah, its amazong how much water is lost between a nano and a bigger tank (i went from a 20 to the 85)

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StrategicReef

I think you may have it too simplified, the expense of keeping 80G+ is not only startup cost, as you use more water and electricity (I think most of the US works on the tiered utility system) your rates goes up in magnitudes. My electric bill for a 24G was $70 a month and with a 80+20 sump is $170 a month. That's $1200 more a year. Water bills goes up also. But note these numbers are from the expensive state of California.

 

It's not necessary true you don't need to change water as much. You will probably run across times that requires more frequent water changes of 10% or more.. Or maybe you are very experienced with some luck that you get away with 1 water change a year, those are definitely exceptions.

 

There is also areas to put more equipment, a next sized skimmer is around $100 more, return pump needs to be big as well.

You will tend to get much more equipment, controllers, probes, dosers, etc.

 

I am not bitter or anything, I went big with equipment galore, the additional fishes were definitely a plus, but overall I had the most fun with nano and watch it grow. On the bigger tank, more corals and more things getting knocked over. My hands was in it all the time.

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You should glue your corals... Our water bill went up by $4 a month and electrcity is negligible. I'll admit, I only do water changes maybe once in a blue moon. I take out a gallon maybe two gallons when acclimating. I haven't had any issues except when I dumped a shit ton of food in by accident and then had to do water changes. The skimmer takes care of most everything (I have the vertex 150 or 130, its the smaller vertex size) and amino acids and dosing replenishes the minerals that were lost. I def think a monthly water change would be over kill unless you're wildly overstocked. We paid 2 to300 for the skimmer (which is a pricey skimmer, but we like vertex products. the thing is quiet and skims like a beast)126 for the return pump and then the rest of our money went into fancy apex set up.

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masterbuilder

Can be a HUGE difference in costs. One example...count how many corals are in a 30G and then count how many will be in an 80G. At x dollars per coral...well..you do the math. Its like a yacht....lots of folks can buy a yacht but not many can afford to keep one. Only you can determine your budget.

 

Mark

 

p.s Whatever you calculate...double it and you will be almost right for either size....guaranteed. :)

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