From 40 to 400

[meathelmet75]

I have had my ref tank for about 5 years now, it is only a 40 gal tank. i keep it well under control, But i always wanted somthing bigger. well i recently bought a 400gal from a fellow member. i am sure the price is going to suprise me,but other than that, are there any more surprises that are in store for me jumping up to a tank that size? I am told it is actually easier to keep a bigger tank than a small tank. (I do want to make the tank a reef tank not a fish only tank).

nothing like jumping from one extreme to another!

 

[Anonymous]

Hi meat (glad you're a helmet and not a puppet). I think that what will surprise is the difference in cost of power and water.

You will also be surprised by how quickly you'll run out of all that new room--much like a house, eh?

If you can (and want to) post progress pics and updates, yeah?

 

[meathelmet75]

I will be posting progress pics and asking many design questions as my progress unfolds. dont worry

 

[Kendall]

The biggest diff. will be the costs involved. More lights, pumps, larger skimmer, higher electric bill, larger water changes. Let's not forget stocking it! You may find a larger system more stable though. Less temp. fluctuation, and consistant parameters.

Good luck

 

[Mogo]

The upside to my 140 is that the water quality tends to be more stable for longer periods. However, the bigger the tank, the more stuff you need. If things mess up, more water on floor etc. Also, more maintenance time is a factor you have to consider. Also obviously you need the room. i.e. 6 pails of makeup water sitting around is hard to hide.

A number I've seen posted here is an overall set up cost of $50 per gallon. A very good guideline IME not counting regular maintenance materials as well as stocking the tank. I go into denial when I look at the energy bill. 8O


If you want some inspiration on setting up a large tank, check out SteveF's recent posts with pics.

 

[Anonymous]

Mogo...LOULE!!!

 

[danmhippo]

Don't forget the cost of salt doing water changes. Cost of RODI, electricity, LR, and sand.

The biggest hurdle you may encounter is you probably have to swim in the tank to catch mantis shrimp! 8O

 

[danmhippo]

BTW, when I take the last 200G apart, the combined electricity and water bill dropped a good $200. My wife no longer complains about mysterious credit card bills........

 

[dtiedke]

I would agree...$50/gal is about right.



Sigh.....


Dave

 

[Reefguide]

Well, the good thing is that you no longer have to take those costly yearly vacations to far away lands to dive and explore marine habitats... You can snorkel/Dive in your tank ! :wink: :roll: 8O

 

[M.E.Milz]

One thing that might really surprise you is that as the equipment (pumps in particular) gets bigger, it also gets a lot louder and generates a lot more heat. If you can, you should try to locate all your equipment such as pumps, your sump, reactors, etc. in another room or in the basement. Locating all the equipment for a 400g inside the stand is problematic, at best.

 

[Anonymous]

and don't forget that it will weigh over a ton and a half full 8O

 

[AuroraDave]

I large tank requires a lot of planning and research. Spend the time...draw it out and post your plans and ideas for others to critique.

I agree that a large tank is much stabler, and in some regards, easier to maintain. The additional space provides more aquascaping freedom and permits larger specimens.

Depending on the shape, larger and higher tanks can be more challenging to work with and clean, if you cant reach the sand bed. Larger tanks often work better when plumbed with larger diameter PVC.

I suggest automating your maintenance tasks as much as possible. Especially water changes. If you have the cash, add a Calc reactor and that may eliminate the need for additives.
I would also drill the tank and setup a closed loop to increase the water flow and eliminate powerheads and their monthly cleaning requirement.

My tank is in the basement, so heat hasnt been a problem; but the larger pumps and lighting add a significant amount of heat.

I know your post sd other than price...but I just wanted to mention that there were a lot of incidental costs that I hadnt thought of. You will get to know the plumbing dept at HD very well.
Besides the equip already listed in other posts, a 400 gal tank can house a lot of live rock and sand. Here is a calc for sand: http://reefcentral.com/calc/SandBed.php I dont know your dims, but 96x30x30 tank (375gal) would need 750lbs sand for 5" DSB.
Dave

 

[Reefguide]

eeek, your putting a damper on my in-wall 200-250 I wanna build !! :lol:

 

[steve F]

Plan, Plan, PLan

I just finished my 300g in wall reef and it was alot of fun but a very long process.

Steve
_________________
bank failure list

 

[Riotfishdude]

hey Mogo,just a side thing,i see your from miss.,lived there for 26 years before moving to burlington a couple years ago,opening and later watching my fish store burn down.. ....where do you do your buying?,i know all the local store owners but am curious....Dave

 

[Reefguide]

...and later watching my fish store burn down.. ....where do you do your buying?

Bummer man !

 

[Riotfishdude]

yes indeed,was a sad day,had a prized 3 foot arowana that i raised from a baby in a display tank there,must say that was the worst part..... .....Riot....