Upgrade to a 180 ?

[fltekdiver]

I just got my first SW tank up and running 6 weeks ago. 120DT with a 40B sump. I'm now going fallow, as I bought my first two fish ( clowns ) and am treating them in QT with Prazirpo. I have a large CUC in my 120 and am ghost feeding.

Now I'm wondering if I made the right decesion going with a 120G as it's 4' long

Now I'm wondering if I should have done a 6' long tank, but keeping the 24" wide footprint

My thoughts are , my 48" LED s should work for a 180, I would upgrade the sump to a DIY 75 sump, , the skimmer I would upgrade from a reef octopus
DC1 to a DC2, more sand, live rock, and build the stand myself like I just did for the 120

But then I'm thinking live stock will be allot more, bigger tank to fill, as well as corals etc, LPS on the 180G

I don't want to get in over my head, as this is my first SW tank, but seems like everything I'm reading fish wise, likes 6' long tanks or bigger

Thoughts? I been really looking at 180's allot, but it means selling my 120G I just set up, transfere my CUC , plumb everything all over, build a new stand, sump, seems like allot of work when It just took me 3 months to finish my 120

Money wise, I'm thinking sell my 120 with the stand and sump, canopy for $1K , keep everything else

Buy the 180 used for around $600 , build stand, buy a 75G tank and build sump, upgrade the skimmer, build a new canopy, 2 more bags of sand, and live rock off CL

Total cost to upgrade should be less then $1k , minus livestock etc

[BIGD0G]

My opinion for what it is worth is stay with the 120 for a while and make sure it really like the hobby then down the road make the change if needed. Enjoy what you have now and use it as learning tool. You may find it does everything you want and if not you will know for sure what you need to account for when upgrading.

[sirreal63]

The bug has bitten.
A lot of the equipment will transfer over. The 180 has so much more potential and going to a 6' tank is always better for the fish. There is nothing wrong with a stock 120, it is the best dimensions for a stock 4' tank but compared to the room in and more importantly, below the tank, it is hard to not go with a 6' tank. It is a tough decision, if you know you will want to go bigger eventually, Carpe Diem.

[fltekdiver]

Thanks, I appreciate the honesty

I went with the 120G, because as a beginner, All I read was the more water volume, the better. I bought a used 125G before buying the 120G, as the 125 had a 6' length, but I didn't like the depth being 18". It seemed really narrow, putting the fish against the front, once adding live rock etc

The 120G I just set up, cost me over $5k, before putting my first fish in.

Now that my 120G has 2 fish in QT, and I made the mistaking not Qt them before adding them into the DT, seeing the tank empty for 10 weeks, is making me think, if their was ever a time, now is the time to do it

But then theirs the cost factor, and I another consideration is, I don't want to be into the hobby $8K to find out later, I may not like it, it maybe to much work, over my head, fish keep dying, or any other factor that the SW environment brings to us

[ca1ore]

180 is about as close as you can get to the ideal tank. Much more stocking flexibility.

[sirreal63]

I had the same issues with my old 125, the depth and I regretted not getting a 180. I wish I could say do it, you won't regret it, but that is something I cannot say. Only you will know how serious you are, expect there to be problems because there will be. Trust in the fact that you have an incredible resource here to help you with any problems that come along. The fact that you have already put $5000 worth of faith into it, I would think you are serious. One of the first things I learned in this hobby, you will always want a bigger tank.

[Buzzword]

He is my 2 cents worth. I just upgraded from a 120g to a 220g. I had my 120 going for over 8 years but wished for a 6' tank from about year 2 on. In those years 2 different crashes from different issues helped me learn a lot about reefing.
Now while building my 220 I am still adjusting my build. As I go, I encounter issues with everything I thought I had planned out. Plumbing, which is always a fluid and evolving task but most of all water changes! Unless you have a dedicated fish room near your tank water changes become problematic! And have added expenses I had not forseen.
So what I am saying is think hard about every little detail that will change with the added size. Go through every little detail, write them out and then keep thinking.
And no your 48" LED will not cover a 180! After hanging my 2 Photon 32's I realize that even 64 inches of LEDS is barely enough to cover 6' of tank! And think about the braces, 2 of them causing some shadowing.
Think! Think this all through. Make it easier on yourself than I did if you choose to go with a 180. Plan, plan, then go over it and plan some more.
Am I trying to discourage you, NO. Trying to help you make an informed decision, YES.
I think you should GO FOR IT! If you can afford it, have room for it and plan for it.
Sorry about my rambling I think the wine got me going. Good luck with what ever you decide. A 120 is a great tank to start and learn with.

[fltekdiver]

LOL @ the wine , Thanks for your input

Yes, I forgot, I was thinking a 6' long tank is 60", dam, so I'll need to add more lighting

My RODI station is 50' away opposite side of the house, In my garage. I been lugging 5 gallon buckets back and forth to do water changes

Here's what got me thinking about a 180G :

I watched dozens of You Tube Videos on a 120 Reef build. I wrote down every fish people stocked in a 120G tank, to see what fish are my options. I researched every fish on http://www.liveaquaria.com

Most people were using fish rated for bigger tanks. I seen allot of fish rated for a 180 like a Juvenal Blueface Angelfish, which is rated for a 220G ! I've seen eels, sharks, all these fish that are rated for 180+ and above , stuffed into 120's

So then I went through all the fish on http://www.liveaquaria.com
and I notice allot say 125G or larger. So then I think they are recommending a 125G not because it's 5 gallons over a 120G, but because of the length

How ever, I've read over 100+ hours before spending on dime on the hobby, and also know allot can go wrong and crash a tank, put the wrong fish in with others, and overnight he wipes out the entire tank ( Clown Trigger ) I want one of these so bad, but I've read where they can just wipe a tank out over night

But I'm also thinking, man I've got everything to run a 120G, Apex controller,
Tunze 3155 ATO, 48" Reef Breeders Proton LED's, Reef Octopus POV-DC1, and so on and so on, that it wouldn't tank much, but alittle more lighting, next size up skimmer, sand, rocks, and I'll be starting right off with a 180!

Then again, this tank is in my office, and it's only 10' x 10' , another thing to consider

[Buzzword]

Yeah my RO/DI is in the garage 40 feet away as well. I am getting a 75-100g cylinder tank and mount it on dolly to do water changes. I'ts all I can think of to do right now. Good thing I do not mind maintaining my tank.
72"x24" tank gonna shrink that office a lot! Mine is in my living room, biggest problem is noise right now. Bout got that beat too. Another thing I had not planned for! the 220 sits on tile floor and makes a ton of noise, the 120 was in the basement on carpet and was almost silent it seemed.
More wine garscon!!

[Buzzword]

suppose I could just buy 50' of tubing for my pump that I use to pump the water in and out during water changes. Then you gotta leave doors open, AC cranking, hmm toss up? Above all gotta keep the wife mostly happy with it!

[fltekdiver]

I bought a return pump Mag 12, I just throw into my trash can and use a RV 50' drinking hose, with a valve on the end now to do water changes

I just bought it last week, and used it for the first time this weekend

To drain the tank, I just open my window, and shoot it right out the window into my front yard, lol

[88rxna]

Originally Posted by fltekdiver

To drain the tank, I just open my window, and shoot it right out the window into my front yard, lol

Thats great!

[Buzzword]

Yeah thats what I do! Right out the front door onto the driveway.

[rosek007]

Keep what you have for now to learn all the lessons so when you eventually Get your your ideal size tank you are more knowlegable and prepared to handle almost any situation.

[fltekdiver]

Ok, as of 10PM, tonight, I'm thinking of going ahead and buying a 180 !

Working out a deal to buy this one here :

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2320116

Just the 180 tank, stand, and 75 gallon sump

[Buzzword]

NICE!! Good luck! Let us know if you get it.

[fltekdiver]

10/4 ! Just put my 120 up for sale

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tap Talk

[Joe0813]

i just bought a GFO reactor from him.... great seller

[88rxna]

That is a very nice setup! I am going to upgrade mine to a 180 down the road also.

[fltekdiver]

180 build thread has started !

Thanks for everyone's input, see my build that started this weekend !

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2324085