joncd

a 200 gallong tank will be more stable and have tons of room for growth but initial setup will cost you

Teesquare on this site has a 220 with 300 sump and he has sunk a butt ton of monies into it but oh is it beautiful

Jon, you didn't really give us your budget, but I'd say a 120g tank is a really nice starter tank because you have room, but don't have to spend so much. With the 4' x 2' x 2' layout, you have some nice front to back depth, and you don't have to deal with 6' worth of lighting considerations. Sumps are less expensive, and you can use an internal or external return pump. Skimmers for 120g aren't out of reach. It's a good footprint, provides stable water parameters because it still is quite a bit of water, but won't break the bank as you get settled into the hobby.

I'm with Marc here. IMHO the 4' 120g has the most eye pleasing foot-print in the less than 200g family. As he said equipment is readily available with LOTS of choices.

Also water changes on a 120 aren't too terribly painful.

My first big tank was a 90g and I have wished almost every day it was a 120.

go slow and let it grow is a great motto for reefing. Another one is "The only thing that happens FAST in a reef tank is a CRASH!"


Happy Reefing

Originally Posted by BigAl07

"The only thing that happens FAST in a reef tank is a CRASH!"

Don't forget the empty wallet symptom that is associated with being an addict, that happens pretty fast too.

although I guess that wouldn't be "IN" a reef tank

The 162 gallon tank I just bought is 52w x 30h x 25back, my first reef tank. I bought it from Aqua Vim at 4fishtank.com. Set me back $1000, which I felt was a great deal. Has european bracing, overflow, cord cutouts, glass cover (if you want to use it, and the low-iron front glass is 80 % of the clarity of StarPhire at about half the price. I was going to get a 90 gallon, but just like everything in this hobby, I upsold myself from a $1200 project to a much much higher price tag. Oh well, its not like I set up a new tank everyday:-)

That sounds like a great starting point, actually. Those extra 4" of length work to your favor, as you'll have almost 48" of space in the stand beneath.

I was actually looking at the Elos 160XL. The one thing that bothers me about it is that the overflow has so little surface area. Did you purchase through 4fishtank's "special deals" section?

My tank is a 4x2x2 120 and for that size it is a great tank. The only real recomendation I have is look into getting a tank with a built in external overflow. You be be suprized how much room that frees up in the tank.

I don't know of any stored in Killeen but I deal with North Waco Tropical Fish in Waco, which is not that far from Killeen. They are very knowlegible and have a pretty nice selection of stuff. Nice post; wife and I was just talking about a bigger tank and I was wondering what I should go with. But google the store and it will show you a map.

joncd, I did not get it from the specials section. I said I paid $1000 for it (just approximating), but it might have been a few hundred more with shipping. If you do not live within 100 miles of one of their dicributors, the knock off 15% and then you also get 25% off all accessories! I though it was a good compromise cost-wise between standard glass, and the StarPhire.

It came well crated, just needed to be home when FedEx Freight dropped it off with their lift gate truck. The driver was a jerk when I did not sign delivery until I took 15 minutes to uncrate and check for damage. I insisted, since 4fishtank.com insisted on me doing so.

I have a 150 which is 30" front to back and am very happy I went this way instead of a standard 24" depth. Worth a look, it cost me about 550$ and I put an overflow in which adds another 100$. Pretty good deal actually.