135 GlassCage aquarium

[PUParrothead]

I'm considering a 135g 72x18x25 glass aquarium from Glass Cages. Does anyone have any experience with them? This will be my first large tank ... moving up from a 38g. It will be for an in-wall setup.

http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=O...sProdID=AQ_135

[thereefaquarist]

I had a 135 once, it was a very narrow tank and was hard to aquascape, but it depends on what type of system you are building if it is a FO or FOWLR that tank should be fine but I would suggest something that is not as long and wider.

[mfinn]

I bought a 240 wide tank with starfire glass from them almost 3 years ago and it is a great tank.
The silicone work was a little rough in the hidden areas, but where it showed it was pretty good.
The tanks are built tough with extra bracing around the bottom.
They make a good basic economy tank.

[PUParrothead]

I want to do a mixed reef and that is a good point about it being narrow limiting my aquascaping options. I just thought that since it would be an in-wall setup I would get more bang for my buck by having the long viewing area from the front vs. the deeper tank. Was the 135 really difficult to work with or did it just limit what you could do?

[gliebig]

I have a 240wide from glass cages that is an in-wall. 60x36x25. If you have the room behind the scenes, go with a wider tank. I wish I would have gone at least 60x48x25.

[Jeremy Blaze]

Unbeatable tanks for the money.

I to would advise going wider.

[PUParrothead]

Ok, you guys are throwing all sorts of wrenches into my plans ;-)

After, thinking about it a bit I think you all are right and it needs to be wider. I re-measured the space and I can go to a max of 30 inches wide before I run out of space. So I went back and looked at a 180g 72x24x25 to get a little more width. This was going to be a ~$300 upgrade.

After showing this to my wife she threw a second wrench in the plan ;-) She pointed out that there was a 240g 96x24x25 tank that would only be ~$400 upgrade!?! Out comes the trusty tape measure and sure enough the 96inch would fit perfectly into the wall we are looking at.

So long story short, my initial plan of around a 120g tank is scraped and my budget blown out of the water. Anyone have a rough idea on what the difference in electrical cost would be between the 72 and 96 inch tanks? Also what about lighting? 2 x 48 inch fixtures I would guess...if this is way out of my league I would like to know before I start to spend hours researching my options.

Thanks

[Hop]

The operational cost from a 6' to an 8' tank starts to increase quite a bit. more pumps, more lights and more water.

I was spending about 220 a month on my 450 and I spend about 100 a month on my 190 in wall (electric, salt and other stuff). So based on your posts thus far I think the 180 is the choice for you

[Pheeshes]

if i were you i would go have a long hard look at the large tank section and see the supporting equipment required to maintain a tank that large. i don't know your budget or dedication to this tank, but the bigger the tank the more work it usually takes.

keep in mind alot of the large tank threads are very top of the line in equipment and live stock so it can certainly be done cheaper than some of them, but they require alot of work.

[RGibson]

Get a 72 in long 18 in high 30 in wide tank,wide is better you get more floor space and you can used three 175 watt metal halide lamps .

[GoBigOrGoHome]

Personally, I feel that gallon-for-gallon, a 240 gallon aquarium could cost the same as a 135-gallon. The tanks only 25 inches deep, so you could easily get away with 4x250w halides, or even 12-16x54w T5's(I would go this way to avoid chiller costs), a large sump with moderate flow (say, 1000 gph), then push the rest of your flow with prop-driven pumps like vortechs or tunzes, even koralias. Personally, I'd put a vortech on each end, then 2 koralia 3's (or 4's) on the back wall towards the middle, and you should be set. That would get you around 9000 gph, which should be more than fine for a tank like that, and you're still not that high on the energy ratings.

There you're looking at probably <1 kw for lighting, < 1/2 kw for circulation, < 1/4 kw for skimming/other filtration, and if you look into efficient means of cooling (assuming you'll need cooling rather than heating), you could probably run a 240 for around $150 a month. The initial set-up cost will be significantly more expensive, but proportional to the gallonage, as will be the costs of upkeep. Go big or go home!

[PUParrothead]

That was kinda what I was thinking...a vortech on each end with T5 for lighting. It will be in a basement with easy venting so I don't think heat will be an issue. I was planning this setup regardless of the 72 or 96 inch length. I'll go do some more reading before I jump off the deapend.

[mfinn]

I have had 12" wide tanks, 18" wide tanks and 24" wide tanks, but when I got the 30" wide tank I have now I was in heaven.
You can do so much more with the extra width. As long as you have the room, you will be glad you did.

[PUParrothead]

Well, after hashing it all out we have decided that 240g is just too much of a jump from our little 38g and the cost might be too great at this point. Taking into account everyones advice to go wider the latest idea would be a 195g that is about the same price as the 180g and 240g.

In summary, I have gone from a 135g (72x18x25 first idea) to a 195g (60x30x25 latest idea). Does anyone see any red flags or is this the happy medium between my space, skill level, and costs? Thanks for everyones comments, it has been a nerve wracking process and this information has been very helpful for my wife and I.

[mfinn]

You originally wanted a longer tank/viewing area, will you be happy with this shorter one?

A couple tips when dealing with GC.
Know exactly what you want before you order.
Don't order one day and then call back a few days later with changes.
Be very specific with the details, such as where you want the holes drilled and impress on them how important that detail is.
When you get a delivery date, be ready to be flexable. Almost every custom tank maker thread I've read here on RC, it's common for them to be late.
Don't have the old tank tore down with fish and corals in buckets untill that tank is sitting in you truck, garage or house.
Remember they are a budget tank maker and they cut corners where they can without hurting the tank.
Mine came shipped in their own truck, but it had no container/box/ cardboard around it. It was pretty dirty with dust, sharpie marks and some silicone in places it shouldn't be.
But with a little vinerger and water a little elbow grease it saved me about $800.
I would pass on their black acrylic overflow boxes. The ones I got were cr*p.
Have some made elsewhere.
Go for the starfire glass option.

[tman917]

I think you are making a great decision with the extra width as everyone recommended. I started with an 18" wide tank and when I upgraded went to 36". My tank is 60L X 36W X 24H and I love it. One thing to keep in mind is 3 halides are optimal for a 60"L tank. If you went to 48"L 2 halides would be perfect. This could save you some cash during setup and in the long run. If you’re planning to go with T5's I can't give you any advice.

[thereefaquarist]

I think that 195 would be a dream tank if you made it viewable from three sides, Im not a huge fan of long tanks so this tank would be the #1 choice, I think T5s are the way to go Im in CA and electricity is expensive Im going with ATI powermodules mainly because of the heat HQIs put off, Also with T5 you can change the color of the light to the type of corals you like for example if you keep red corals you can get a red T5 tinted lamp I can also suggest vortechs. My next tank will be very similar demension 65x40x27in

[bryan ayo]

I had a horrible experience with GC and almost lost out on 1,300 bucks!!! BYERS BEWARE!!!!!!