Beginner SW Tank, what size?

[DanMan092]

(Left to right, front to back, top to bottom)

Hi all, I was just wondering, what size tank should I get. I was origanally going for a 55 (48x13x20), but my dad disagreed, saying I should go for the 50 (36x18x18). With the 55, there is more to view, but the 50 is deeper front to back, to make a slanting reef. The 65 is very high (36x18x24).

I like the length(48) of the 55, the width(18) of the 50, and the height(20) of the 55

The 75 E(what's "E"?) incorporates all three I like having (48, 18, and 20).

But the thing is (get this) my dad will just think i want a bigger tank I'm sure he'll let me get it, but how much does it weigh? Because I already have a 30 gallon freshwater tank and his biggest concern is weight.

BTW, I want to put the tank in my closet ( my closet is NOT a walk in, gonna take down the shelves and remove the doors. Its kinda like _________ (Drew my tank in there, number sign is shelves we'll keep) |## |____||

Well actually I need to take a picture to show all the possibilities there...

Thanks Guys!!!

 

[steelhealr]

Hi...I only have a 24G, but, I can start off the discussion. Most consider a good size starting marine tank to be 75G's. In general, the deeper a tank, the harder it is for light to penetrate the bottom, important consideration if you plan on having corals. A shallower/wider tank allows for more laxity when it comes to aquascaping and even tank maintenance. SH

 

[Navarre]

Your "Dream tank" will be 62.29 Imperial gallons (74.80 US gallons).

This will be roughly .25 ton in weight (probably just over). I would not be overly concerned with the weight of this tank (depending on how its going to be housed) My 100 Imperial gallon system was easily held up with 4x4 wood. You could easily use 2x4 wood for a tank of this size.

 

[DanMan092]

I want the 75, but my dad thinks that it is way too heavy. The back of my closet is on the strongest point in my house, with a support beam under it and other branching from it. So .25 tons would be 500 lbs right?

I'm gonna try to persuade him but I need some info to make him feel assured!

I do plan to add like 75 lbs of live rock, so would that count as part of the 500 lbs or would it be 575 lbs?

Talking US lbs here.

 

[Navarre]

Remember that you are displacing water so the tank will not increase in weight by the whole total amount of hte rock. Roughly half to 2/3 of the weight can be added depending on quality of the liverock.

My local fish shop has 4 rows of tank stretching the length of the shop. These tanks are held in place with 4x4 wood. This shop has had the same wood construction since i was only 7 years old (and now im 38) and there have never suffered a tank failure or replaced any of hte wood. Im sure if you get the corect wood for the weight of tank then you wont have a problem. My 100 Imperial gallon system sat on th floorboards and this weighed over half a ton in weight.

 

[DanMan092]

I'm on the second floor BTW. And I said that if we make a really long stand, and make a bunch of legs to spread the weight, we would be okay? He's also concerend because I have a 30 gallon on the same wall. I want to move it to the other side of my room though, and switch its position with my bookshelf. The wall where my closet is has another one under it that goes straight to the basement.

 

[fraservet]

you should probably be alright with this tank size, unless your floors are very poor.
make sure it is placed near a load bearing wall.
to spread the weight evenly, put a sheet of mdf/chipboard or something beneath the legs.

 

[Navarre]

Get all your family and your friends to stand on the location where you want to the tank to go. If you end up in the living room then perhaps you should get a smaller tank )

Seriously though, this is not considered a very heavy tank and i have seen far larger tanks being housed in rooms similar to this. Your family and friends should weigh alot more than a tank with water so this will give you an initial indication of the strength of your floors

 

[fraservet]

From what I understand, from when I was looking into having a 400l tank upstairs, the problem isn't the instant weight, but the long term load on the structure.
So get your family to stand where the tank is to go for a few months, that should settle the issue!

But again, this really isn't a huge tank, so you SHOULD be ok.

If you have any concerns, get a professional in to assess the loadbearing capability of the floor - it might cost you a bit, but you will have peace of mind, and it's a lot cheaper than replacing the floor after it gives way.

 

[DanMan092]

Some site said that a 75 gallon weighs about 850 US lbs

I would have to have a juvenile beluga whale stand there for a few years and see what happens!

Okay, the weight is no longer the issue. Now it's the money The bigger the tank, the more light, water, electricity, LR, fish, maintenence, etc costs. My dad thinks I should get a 50 gallon. But the 50 and 75 are the same depth, so would I really need a better light? I understand that in the long run it might need more electricity, but from what I see a 75 and a 50 really dont have a big difference in energy usage. I'm not using a wet/dry filter, so I dont need to spend more than if I got a good filter for a 50 gal.



EDIT: He says that the light would cost more because it would be a longer hood and light...

 

[fraservet]

the increase in cost is, as a percentage, generally much smaller than the increase in tank size.
i.e. 50 to 75g = +50%

equipment etc. will be approx. +10% - +25% depending on what you go for.
the amount of LR, and therefore cost, will be +50%.
fish cost won't change much, especially if you go for the same number of bigger fish.
electricity costs will not be much more.
maintenance costs may not change much, because you will probably end up doing fewer or smaller water changes than with the smaller tank.

Here's a good argument for you to use.
The larger tank will be a lot more stable, and therefore easier to look after. You are much less likely to develop problems, and ultimately fish death in the bigger tank, so it will actually save money in the long run.

 

[DanMan092]

Well we already got the 50 gallon a few days ago, before I saw that last post. It doesnt really matter to me now.