Anyone ever regret going to a larger tank?

[koda_dad]

I am considering the purchase of a new tank that is significantly more than the one I have now...

I love my tank now... love all the work but...could there be too much of a good thing?

 

[dcantucson]

Yes it could. I would love a larger tank, but a tank over 150 gallons takes a lot of extra time caring for everything and maintenance.

 

[dcantucson]

How big are you thinking?

 

[koda_dad]

Honestly it depends on what "deals" I can find... but 110, 125, 135.

Essentially the largest I can find that is not over 19" in width.

Obviously with a larger tank comes a much larger investment... maintenance.. cost to maintain

 

[wontonflip]

Initial costs are more...but honestly, with my 125g, I don't spend more than I did for my 45g (i don't count water I use to make rodi) hehehe.

But that's probably because I only have mushrooms, and don't need to do much water changes for trace elements and stuff.

 

[PRC]

I love that I went from a 90 to a 180...IMO it doesn't take any more work (once you get your routine down), I do a 30-50g water change once per week, it takes less than 20 minutes to clean and change the water. and all of the stuff that I already had was usable for my 180. The only thing that I would say is, it takes alot of coral to make one look full and finished.

The pros:

Liberating knowing that you have enough room for most fish.
Bad things happen much slower in large tanks.

The cons:
Go through alot more salt.
Coral cost increases because you need more.

 

[koda_dad]

I love that I went from a 90 to a 180...IMO it doesn't take any more work (once you get your routine down), I do a 30-50g water change once per week, it takes less than 20 minutes to clean and change the water. and all of the stuff that I already had was usable for my 180. The only thing that I would say is, it takes alot of coral to make one look full and finished.

The pros:

Liberating knowing that you have enough room for most fish.
Bad things happen much slower in large tanks.

The cons:
Go through alot more salt.
Coral cost increases because you need more.

That is exactly what I am trying weigh... my existing tank looks great because it is nice and full. To get that full look on a 135 as you mentioned....it is going to take A LOT of corals..

 

[PRC]

The way I look at it, it's just going to be a work in progress for years to come. TO this day, I haven't bought a coral that cost $50. mostly frags..

I remember your 33g tank, you filled it up pretty quickly. I say go for it, you won't regret it.

You've got alot more room for design and to lay it out the way you want, you'l love it.

 

[koda_dad]

Humourously....I asked my wife about either getting a slightly bigger or a much larger tank... her response.. buy the biggest you can fit as you know Ill end up there anyways. LOL

 

[Bifferwine]

I went from a 55 to a 240. I hated it. HORRIBLE HORRIBLE MOVE.

So much more to clean, and water changes were a pain in the ass. My electric bill tripled. I had to buy a ton more rocks. But worse than that, no matter how much I spent on corals, the damn thing looked empty! Like a tank full of rocks! Unless you have a ton of money to spend on bigger pieces, small frags and corals will get lost in a big tank. :(

 

[koda_dad]

i went from a 55 to a 240. I hated it. Horrible horrible move.

So much more to clean, and water changes were a pain in the ass. My electric bill tripled. I had to buy a ton more rocks. But worse than that, no matter how much i spent on corals, the damn thing looked empty! Like a tank full of rocks! Unless you have a ton of money to spend on bigger pieces, small frags and corals will get lost in a big tank. :(

this is exactly what i am worried about

I look at the major $$$ and ask myself is it worth that much more $$ to me :)

 

[dcantucson]

But in a larger tank you HAVE room to grow and add things. With smaller tanks they can fill up fairly quick. Also with a larger tank you can have larger colonies and show size corals that really make a statement.

 

[koda_dad]

But in a larger tank you HAVE room to grow and add things. With smaller tanks they can fill up fairly quick. Also with a larger tank you can have larger colonies and show size corals that really make a statement.

Honestly, that is why I was even looking at a new tank. I ran out of room... :) part of me says if I got to that full of look in a 135, it would be time to get an even bigger tank....

 

[Dakwan]

i think 135 would be a really nice size.

not limited much to what you can fit in it... but not some monster 200+ that is going to take a second mortgage on your house in order to buy enough livestock to fill it up

 

[Chris_150G]

It depends on how much time and money you have I guess. If you have more time and more money I say go for it. Its all relative to your situation.

 

[dcantucson]

Honestly, that is why I was even looking at a new tank. I ran out of room... :) part of me says if I got to that full of look in a 135, it would be time to get an even bigger tank....

Thats exactly what happened with me. I got my Red Sea Max which was enormous compared to my 8 gallon hang on the wall picture aquarium that I had got off ebay, and anyway I thought wow this is the perfect size. I will never want something bigger. After less than a year every inch of space was taken up. It looked great but no longer was there room to put something new. And there are so many different corals to try. What was I to do BUT get a larger aquarium.

I do enjoy being able to put a large sized coral in the tank. It is also nice to know there is plenty of room if I happen to see something that I'd like to get. Larger corals do make a greater impact especially when you can see them from across the room.

Though I do believe I have more upkeep with the larger tank, I do believe the benefits out way the cons.

 

[Toolman]

IMO the key word is restraint ..I was reading this and starting thinking how many tool boxes I have gone through in my occupation my last box cost me more then my parents house (their first). When do you stop? If you don’t have the money to big save the money don’t call it a Christmas club call it a new tank club and keep rolling it till you have enough. Are you in your last house? I need to move my office tank home and it is only 29 gallons and I am dreading it . I can’t begin to imagine any thing over 90.

 

[sen5241b]

It all about time & money. Don't let the beauty and excitement of a big tank make you overlook how much time and money you will end up spending. I luv my 29 and my 20 just the way they are.

 

[d2mini]

The biggest factor is money.
Larger tanks will always cost more.
I started the hobby years ago with a 150g. I didn't make as much money as I do know so things were tighter. It took me forever just to get enough rock in the tank, let alone any coral. The tank always seemed empty. After a couple years I sold it and several years later got back into the hobby with a 46g bow. It was soooo much better for me. I was able to get all the rock at once and start putting in coral. Much cheaper to run and take care of overall. But then i started running out of room so I moved back up to my current 130g. At this point, I can afford the costs associated with a larger tank, to the point where I can do things they way I want to and put extra cash into making life easier. So pretty much no matter how you look at it, it all comes down to how much cash you have. Like others have said, it's not just the initial setup costs.
As far as time, i don't spend any more time taking care of this tank than I did my 46. But again, part of this is due to the fact that I put extra money into certain areas of the setup, like my auto water change system. This actually takes LESS time than my 46g.

 

[Adrastos]

I think the biggest question is are you enjoying your current tank? If so.. keep it! you can always setup additional tanks for specific keeping. I would recommend that unless there is something specific you want to setup a new tank for.. keep the one you have...