how big...is TOO BIG?

[cope]

Guys, serious question...... I still love my tanks after 9 months being in this hobby..... all my fish seem to
be doing good..except for that one Blood Parrot that looks like she has bad acne...... faired the hurricane and lack of electricity OK...only lost 4 fish in that....

so I want to make another purchase.... I was thinking 300 gallon.... now the question is... does one need 300 gallons and is it too big to take care off properly..... Note: I clean my 7 tanks weekly.... so I am prepared to maintain....

Any kind of good or bad stories about bigger tanks would be appreciated..... and any special type of equipment, pumps, filters and so on...that you could reccmmend.....

Thanks in advance... Cope

This tank will be at my shop waiting room... so space is not an issue....

[eklikewhoa]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

Dude.......we're guys, it's never too big!  :wink:

I really want a monster tank myself but I must refrain till there is a definite dwelling to put it in.

[Delock]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

man I thought you were going to say 600 or bigger.

easy to clean as your other tanks. well take a little longer time simce you are moving more water.

make sure your filtration is either a  2260 or bigger and a wet dry depending on how you are going to stock your tank.

[cichlid1409]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

man I thought you were going to say 600 or bigger.
easy to clean as your other tanks. well take a little longer time simce you are moving more water.
make sure your filtration is either a  2260 or bigger and a wet dry depending on how you are going to stock your tank.

i agree not more of a hassle just more $$$ you'll need more filtration, substrate rocks, lights etc. but if you got the $$ then i say do it before you change your mind

[myjohnson]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

300g maybe harder to clean......how tall is it going to be?

if it's like an 8 footer you shouldn't have any problems......if it's like a custom 4 footer and really tall it might be hard to clean the bottom of the tank. But a ladder would fix that problem.


p.s. there is no such thing as a tank that's too BIG.

[imagirlgeek]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

We've got a 240g and a 210g that I would consider our 'big' tanks.  Definitely use a wet/dry.  Maybe it's something we are doing wrong, but I took our wet/dry down to clean a couple of weeks ago, and took my time putting it back on the 240g, and you could tell the fish needed the extra aeration provided by the wet/dry.  

The only time I would say that we had a hard time with a big tank was when our pH crashed...it took some time to get everything back to normal again.  And it does take a while to do water changes, but you'll get a process down that works for you, I'm sure.

If you decide to get a big tank, I have no doubt there are lots of people here who can help when you run into problems.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

Big tank problems..

1.  Moving it.  If its glass it takes a couple friends to help you.  If you go with Acrylic, make sure you take every measure to not get it scratched.  The Acrylic tanks you and a friend can move easily, but go wtih glass, and you'll need some REAL help.

2. Wider than 2ft and taller than 2ft and it is a pain in the *** to clean the back half of the tank. - Make sure you get long handled alge scrapers, and a magnetic scraper.

3.  Filtration - I would suggest a Wet dry, or getting the high-powered canisters like Eheim 2262, 2260, or the Fluval FX5.  I would also suggest to you the Hydro-Jet pumps like the Hydor Koralia Models, or the MaxJet 1200's with the ECO MOD KITS.  You need this to make sure your water is moving in all corners of the tanks, no dead spots.

4.  I have not experienced lighting to be any problem on a big tank.  There is plenty of 3ft,4ft, 5ft, and 6ft fixtures availible to make any combos you want.  Just remember the deeper the tank will generall need more light to reach bottom.

5.  Waterchanges - Take a lot more time to get done. You will need to get a super siphon like a 1" ID hose to empty the tank ASAP, and then make sure you got a good watersupply to refill.  It might take your garden hose, otherwise be preapred for the long fill up if your using a sink.

After having the tanks I got, in my honest opinon anything under 180 gallons is a small tank.  Anything under 125 gallons is a waste of time, unless they are used for fry grow out or QT or Hospital.

Geoff

Geoff

[myjohnson]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

After having the tanks I got, in my honest opinon anything under 180 gallons is a small tank.  Anything under 125 gallons is a waste of time, unless they are used for fry grow out or QT or Hospital.

You know some girls say that size doesn't matter..... :lupe:

but hey, everyone needs to stroke their ego some times.  :wink:

[eklikewhoa]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

And being asian puts some truth behind that statement huh MJ.....

[myjohnson]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

yeah that stucks for you man.

[eklikewhoa]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

I have a big tank and never hear any complaints about it.


:wink:

[eklikewhoa]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

Sounds like someone is trying to justify having a small one though.

[geoff_tropheus]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

Hey I had to get rid of furniture for my big tank. :wink:

[justdoit]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

well guys - have to agree .  Never too big.  

love my 300g acrylic  [8'L x 2'W x 30"T].

  * just invest in a good step stool.
  *don't skimp on filtration [ I run 2 x FX5 canisters
  *if deep & planted - must have good lights + CO2
  *water changes great for yard.
  *in time it does not feel that big - then you want bigger

who needs furniture??

[edmlfc]

Re: how big...is TOO BIG?

No tank is too big.......
I purchased this to clean my tank: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...MP6&lpage=none

I have to say I use it for more than tank cleaning. It comes in real handy. :wink: