Advice on 100+ Gallon Tank
 

I've decided to move up from my little 29 gallon fish tank (one clown
fish and three other fish -damsel(sp?)). Anyway, I want to move up to 100
gallon tank and start keeping a little more difficult fish than clown fish.

In the two pet stores I went to, I only found one 100 gallon tank, and
it was actually 110 gallon. It came on a black stand that had the center
open. Price $500.00

Now my questions:

Can you order fish tanks on the net? Big tanks like 100 gallon plus?
Can you get them cheaper off the net or would I be better off finding one at
a pet store? How much should one pay for a 100 gallon tank?

What kind of filtration is best for a 100 gallon tank? Right now on my
little 29 gallon I have one of those penguins hanging on the back. As long
as I change the water and filters every so often the clown and other three
fish seem to do fine. Would two or three of those type of filters be
sufficient for keeping a little more advanced fish like angels, tangs,
etc... I also want to try my hand at keeping an anemone. Yes, I know it's
hard, but I would like to try to keep a simple one. Can one survive with a
hang on the back filter? I know about lighting, so I don't need info about
lights. I'm prepared to spend some money on the lights. The fish and
corral/rock I want to keep will be the easier/hardier fish. Nothing too
advanced. I'm just wondering if a hang on the back filter can provide good
results on a 100 gallon tank.

What about heating? Will one or two inside the tank glass heaters work
good for 100 gallon tank?

Would appreciate info because I have the money to spend now on a big
tank, and don't want to waist my money.

Thanks!

VF

Advice on 100+ Gallon Tank
 

I purchased my 240 acrylic from a specialty marine pet store. We have a few
of them around the city and I visited as many as I could to talk to the
owner/manager for pricing and info. Some of the shops I visited stocked
125s and 180s even. You can also order from online sources. A quick search
for "acrylic tanks" can give you a few good hits. If you're aiming for
glass rather than acrylic, an online source may be better if fish specialty
stores can't help.

Some people prefer acrylic over glass for larger tanks (myself included).
Just keep in mind that there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
Wiegh them out and decide what's best for your needs.
(More continued in text)

"Von Fourche" wrote in message
ink.net...

I've decided to move up from my little 29 gallon fish tank (one clown
fish and three other fish -damsel(sp?)). Anyway, I want to move up to 100
gallon tank and start keeping a little more difficult fish than clown
fish.

In the two pet stores I went to, I only found one 100 gallon tank, and
it was actually 110 gallon. It came on a black stand that had the center
open. Price $500.00

Now my questions:

Can you order fish tanks on the net? Big tanks like 100 gallon plus?
Can you get them cheaper off the net or would I be better off finding one
at
a pet store? How much should one pay for a 100 gallon tank?

My 240 custom order acrylic tank cost me $1200.00 and I got a real bargain.
I'm not sure how much a 100 gallon would cost but I would expect it to be
significantly less. The larger the tank gets, the faster the price goes up.
Plus the modifications I requested for my "custom" portion would seem to add
to the price; however I did say that I got a really good bargain didn't I?


What kind of filtration is best for a 100 gallon tank? Right now on
my
little 29 gallon I have one of those penguins hanging on the back. As
long
as I change the water and filters every so often the clown and other three
fish seem to do fine. Would two or three of those type of filters be
sufficient for keeping a little more advanced fish like angels, tangs,
etc... I also want to try my hand at keeping an anemone. Yes, I know
it's
hard, but I would like to try to keep a simple one. Can one survive with
a
hang on the back filter? I know about lighting, so I don't need info
about
lights. I'm prepared to spend some money on the lights. The fish and
corral/rock I want to keep will be the easier/hardier fish. Nothing too
advanced. I'm just wondering if a hang on the back filter can provide
good
results on a 100 gallon tank.

I'm using LR and a skimmer as filtration. No other media. Takes a bit
longer for the tank to adjust to any bioload changes than I'm used to, but
all is working wonderfully so far. It just means smaller and slower
changes.


What about heating? Will one or two inside the tank glass heaters
work
good for 100 gallon tank?

Originally I planned on two 300 watt heaters knowing that the lighing and
pumps will add some heat to the system. I removed one of the heaters and
noticed that the remaining heater barely turns on for a tank at 76F. I do
have two pumps (skimmer and return) submersed as well as three 250 watt MH
bulbs going 8 hours a day. Knowing this, I'm concerned about overheating
when the summer comes in full force.


Would appreciate info because I have the money to spend now on a big
tank, and don't want to waist my money.

If you haven't one already, I would invest in an RO and even RO/DI. Choose
a unit that can support the capacity of the tank. And keep in mind larger
water changes for when they're needed. This is one area that I wish I chose
a larger capacity RO. At 240 gallons, a 50% water change would require a
good week when you consider 2-3 days for proper salt mix dissolution. Also,
depending on your livestock intentions, a UV might be beneiftial as well.
If you plan on having inverts that feed out of the water column, a UV might
not be a good idea. I'll defer that to those who are much more experienced
with Inverts.

Justin
240 FOWLR


Thanks!

VF

Advice on 100+ Gallon Tank
 

"Justin Boucher" wrote in message
...
I purchased my 240 acrylic from a specialty marine pet store. We have a
few
of them around the city and I visited as many as I could to talk to the
owner/manager for pricing and info. Some of the shops I visited stocked
125s and 180s even. You can also order from online sources. A quick
search
for "acrylic tanks" can give you a few good hits. If you're aiming for
glass rather than acrylic, an online source may be better if fish
specialty
stores can't help.

Some people prefer acrylic over glass for larger tanks (myself included).
Just keep in mind that there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
Wiegh them out and decide what's best for your needs.
(More continued in text)


Can you give me a brief rundown of the different benefits from
glass/acrylic? Do acrylic tanks last as long as glass? My little 29 gallon
tank hasn't sprung a leak since I got it, more than ten years ago.

Advice on 100+ Gallon Tank
 

Here's a basic run down on the differences between acrylic and glass.
Acrylic has a higher durability than glass. Some acrylics are 5-7 times
stronger than glass per unit thickness. Acrylic has a higher impact rating,
meaning it can take a harder hit (from a hammer for example) than glass of
equal thickness. Acrylic is lighter than glass. Although big tanks are
still heavy, an acrylic tank will be lighter than a glass tank. Something
to think about if you even need to move the tank. When bonded corrctly,
acrylic is molecularly stronger at the seams than it is in the middle witout
seams. This is because the acrylic is bonded at a molecular/atomic level.
A proper bond will look perfectly clear with no air bubbles or
imperfections. Glass seams require an adhesive (commonly silicon) which can
peel as well as age. Acrylic does scratch easily if not careful. Although
glass is more difficult to scratch, compared to acrylic, it is possible to
fix the scratchs in acrylic with scratch repair kits. You cannot repair
scratches in glass.

Acrylic is known to be more flexible than glass. This means that it will
appear to bend under stress more. Some people don't mind the bending, other
do (as I do). One of the custom features of my 240 was a thicker than
normal acrylic so I don't see any of the bending that acrylic is known for.
If memory serves me correctly, glass tanks are cheaper in cost compared to
an acrylic tank of similar size.

I know a lot of this sounds like it is in favor of acrylic, but remember as
I stated in my last post, I prefer acrylic so there might be some bias
inserted. Others might be able to help with more information regarding
glass for a more objective point of view.

On a side note, I currently have a 100 g freshwater tank make from galss. I
purchased it used and have owned it for nearly 10 years. I'm not sure how
old it really is, but lately the silicon in the glass seams is peeling and I
have been watching those seams _very_ carefully. I currently can't afford a
replacement, but when I can, I am most certainly going acrylic.

HTH,
Justin


"Von Fourche" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Justin Boucher" wrote in message
...
I purchased my 240 acrylic from a specialty marine pet store. We have a
few
of them around the city and I visited as many as I could to talk to the
owner/manager for pricing and info. Some of the shops I visited stocked
125s and 180s even. You can also order from online sources. A quick
search
for "acrylic tanks" can give you a few good hits. If you're aiming for
glass rather than acrylic, an online source may be better if fish
specialty
stores can't help.

Some people prefer acrylic over glass for larger tanks (myself
included).
Just keep in mind that there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
Wiegh them out and decide what's best for your needs.
(More continued in text)


Can you give me a brief rundown of the different benefits from
glass/acrylic? Do acrylic tanks last as long as glass? My little 29
gallon
tank hasn't sprung a leak since I got it, more than ten years ago.

Advice on 100+ Gallon Tank
 

I'll leave the plastic/glass debate to others (I'm a glass person,
myself).

It sounds like your main concern is not throwing money away (big
shocker there, huh? ;-) Everyone has to start their knowledge base
somewhere, and here is where yours begins. (welcome to the world of
large aquaria, by the way). THE best way to not throw money away in
this hobby is by READING. (And believe me, it's very easy to throw
money away at an alarming rate when you own a large tank!) The best
place to start (and finish, for that matter) is the forums at
www.reefland.com and www.reefs.org. Spend at least a couple weeks
(yes, weeks) reading over the various sections of the forums. Read the
FAQ's and then, after you get a feel for what you're getting into,
post whatever questions you may have to the forums. You'll find the
bredth and depth of the knowledge there almost limitless. Best of all,
it's all catagorized and searchable. (Do a search at reefland.com for
how to move a 180 gallon tank (with livestock) 850 miles and you'll
find my article).

I can tell by the questions that you're asking that you are at the
very beginning of what will be a long voyage into large tanking. You
will soon be learning about overflows (not what you're
thinking...overflows are a good thing!), sumps, refugiums, metal
halide, T-5's, VHO's, protein skimmers and submersible heaters. Do
some reading on ALL those subjects....take your time, enjoy the
ride...this is supposed to be fun, remember? (read extra about protein
skimming)

To answer your questions...leave your 29 set up and running. Leave all
your equipment on there; it's of little use on a large tank. Voila!
You now have a quarantine tank! (You don't want a single sick fish
infecting a hundred gallons worth of healthy fish). Come to think of
it, add quarantine tank to the list of study material above.

Have fun; don't rush. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby.

Blue Skies,
JJ

Advice on 100+ Gallon Tank
 

"JJ" wrote in message
om...
I'll leave the plastic/glass debate to others (I'm a glass person,
myself).

It sounds like your main concern is not throwing money away (big
shocker there, huh? ;-) Everyone has to start their knowledge base
somewhere, and here is where yours begins. (welcome to the world of
large aquaria, by the way). THE best way to not throw money away in
this hobby is by READING. (And believe me, it's very easy to throw
money away at an alarming rate when you own a large tank!) The best
place to start (and finish, for that matter) is the forums at
www.reefland.com and www.reefs.org. Spend at least a couple weeks
(yes, weeks) reading over the various sections of the forums. Read the
FAQ's and then, after you get a feel for what you're getting into,
post whatever questions you may have to the forums. You'll find the
bredth and depth of the knowledge there almost limitless. Best of all,
it's all catagorized and searchable. (Do a search at reefland.com for
how to move a 180 gallon tank (with livestock) 850 miles and you'll
find my article).

I can tell by the questions that you're asking that you are at the
very beginning of what will be a long voyage into large tanking. You
will soon be learning about overflows (not what you're
thinking...overflows are a good thing!), sumps, refugiums, metal
halide, T-5's, VHO's, protein skimmers and submersible heaters. Do
some reading on ALL those subjects....take your time, enjoy the
ride...this is supposed to be fun, remember? (read extra about protein
skimming)

To answer your questions...leave your 29 set up and running. Leave all
your equipment on there; it's of little use on a large tank. Voila!
You now have a quarantine tank! (You don't want a single sick fish
infecting a hundred gallons worth of healthy fish). Come to think of
it, add quarantine tank to the list of study material above.

Have fun; don't rush. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby.

Blue Skies,
JJ

There's also www.reefcentral.com and a few more. RC is one of the biggest fish
in the sea, so to speak.

HTH,

M