New to tanks! Need advise please

[lmurtha1]

Hey guys/gals,

So im new to having an aquarium and want to get off to the right start. One of my good friends is a commercial exotic fish catcher, and Ive helped him a few times here and there. I think its pretty neat how they collect the fish.

So here is what I need some help with,

I want a 300 gallon saltwater tank. I know it takes a lot of time and effort to maintain it. that is what I look forward too! Do you suggest glass or acrylic? Also, In your opinions, what are the best of the best accessories i need for this tank. I want it to be beautiful and a centerpiece in my home.

Lets say money is no object here. I just want the best supporting mods etc money can buy for this tank. What do you all suggest I get?

 

[Civicdemon]

I Would get a nice Drilled Glass Tank, and get like a 100gl sump or bigger
Thats what i would start out with.

I Have a 125gl tank now and i also have a 280gl in storage for when i buy my house. When i do set up the 280gl my 125 gl is more than likely going to become the sump.

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have you aboard. I'd definitely go with a glass tank.

 

[wontonflip]

+2 civic Glass all the way!

If you want the best of the best, I suggest you read d2mini's build thread. He's got the best of the best (but his pictures are horrible :mrgreen: )

https://www.livingreefs.com/d2minis-epic-fantabulous-new-reef-build-t38569.html

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

+1 on copying D2mini's build

 

[chichimom79]

Welcome aboard! Sounds like it will be an awesome build. Good luck with it and share lots of pics!
Go for the new Ecotech Radions for lighting :D

 

[lmurtha1]

thank you all for your help!!! I really like his build, top notch!!! I may just follow that line but do a few things different. i got in contact with a guy down here who seemed like hes very knowledgeable. Not sure, so ill ask you guys, but he said a beautiful 300 gal. glass tank with some ??fire front glass (i guess ultra clear?) and the best of the best you can get from filtration all the way to lights, installed around $9,500 give or take. That was a rough guesstimate, we didn't actually look up every little thing until i pull the trigger. What do you think?

Im not one to get a quote and say...ok! I will sit down and go through every piece and know exactly whats going down before I say yes. I went to a allfish emporium today looking at some stuff...cant wait to get this started! I'm going to get the fish etc. pretty cheap as Ill get the best picks from my buddy who is a commercial dealer. If he cant get certain ones, then ill purchase what i need.

 

[FishyReef]

$9500 sounds a lot cheaper than what I was thinking. For a 300g starfire tank, sump, and top of the line equipment (lights, skimmer, powerheads, controllers, pumps, dosers, reactors, rock, etc) I'd easily put the price tag at $15,000 before any live stock even goes into the tank.

 

[Bifferwine]

The quality and price of lighting and filtration varies greatly. If you could get specifics on the filtration and lights we could get you a better idea.

 

[joshuashih1]

go for a tank that comes with built in filteration

 

[Northstar24]

go for a tank that comes with built in filteration

Probably not going to happen at the 300 gallon size and above, unless is a custom job, in which case the place designing the tank would also come up with the filtration. Most of the all in one systems are a lot smaller than 300 gallons