30 Gallons, Shmerty-Gallons.....

Well, the tank build idea has fizzled, since it seems that the effort and expense for the components alone are costly. Now I'm more certain than ever that people are getting WAY too little for their large tanks when they unload them. The small ones have thin glass and actually could be built DIY pretty easily, but these large ones, with the necessarily thicker glass, are much more expensive. It is no longer a $1 per gallon proposition, that's for sure. 

When you factor in the cost of all of the materials, glass cut to fit for the panels as well as center bracing, silicone, straps to hold things together as it cures, the wood, paneling and molding plus paint to build a stand and canopy, much less the filters, lighting, substrate, etc. it gets very expensive (not to mention the beer and pizza you'll need for the guys helping you balance giant sheets of glass!).

So, its back to Craig's List. Not that I mind - it is a fun place to go to peruse the listing of people's castaways and treasures. Sometimes you stumble upon some very interesting things. Just from an aquarium standpoint I saw listings for a 130-gallon cube tank, which is a unique dimension, as well as a 200-gallon cube (sort-of), which would also make a stunning centerpiece. Then there's the acrylic wonders in cylindrical shapes and curved shapes, plus the truly monster tanks of 600 gallons and more that are for sale out there, supposedly meant for the lobby of a building or a restaurant. There are "man cave" bar tanks, retail counter top tanks, and on and on. I also saw some ridiculous prices being asked for very small tanks, like $350 for a 10-gallon tank and stand, for instance. When you consider the people selling 55-gallon tanks for $35, it is hard to justify! That's the other thing I noticed: there is a glut of 55-gallon tanks out there. This must be the universally most popular tank size. 

I saw some serious candidates for my purposes in the form of 110-gallon tanks that are 4', which seems to be the most common length for a 110-gallon tank. Other large tanks are more likely NOT 4' in length, so I have to be sure to check, but 110's seem to be 4' more often than not. I did see a 110 that appeared to be like two 55-gallons placed end-to-end, in that it was a very long but narrow tank. I'd love to have a 6' or 7' tank someday, but not this time.

One of the 110's looks to be in pristine condition, and comes with a stand and a hood, at a very reasonable price (again, really a steal when you break down what everything cost new) but it has nothing but the tank and the stand/canopy - I'd have to save more money for lighting and filtration. The rest of the stuff I already have, but I need decent filters, or build a sump if it is drilled. 

Aside:  That is the other issue when contemplating a large tank - a sump type filtration method is the most practical and efficient way to filter, but you've got to be very careful with your bulkhead seals and your overflows, and rig up a siphon break mechanism so if the power goes out your tank doesn't drain into your sump and onto your floor. They also tend to be noisy, and this may or may not be a factor depending on where you put it. For me, I would not mind if I heard some splashing or bubbling in my living room, but I've never had a sump and I'd have to take a crash course. I wound up siliconing thick glass panels over the drilled holes in my 150 for this reason - I just went with canister filtration. This would not be a deal-breaker for this current tank search, but must be considered. Always ask if the tank is drilled when buying second-hand. As a freshwater fishkeeper I have the luxury of going either way with filtration.

The other 110-gallon tank I was looking at has an excellent Eheim Professionel III filter, which is worth A LOT of money all by itself (more than what was being asked for the entire setup), plus a canopy and lighting, but no stand. I'd have to either build one or find one. I was doing some research on finding a 110-gallon tank stand, but I had zero luck even finding one for sale that would fit. Building it would not be a problem, since we could use the model of the stand for my 150, which is an excellent design and we certainly have the tools and the skills, but it would mean time and effort and money for quality lumber, paneling and molding, then primer and paint. I'm not really interested in a DIY project like that now, especially since we nixed the idea of building our own tank. 

So I kept looking. I figured at some point someone would be practically giving away a complete setup, or if it was only the tank/stand/canopy for super cheap then I'd just leave it empty until I could afford the filtration and lighting. I was not in a rush, for once! I had seen some filters and light fixtures being offered on Craig's List as well, so I could get the components piece meal.

Then I found it, though it is 30 gallons smaller than I had originally intended for this space. A 4' 120-gallon setup, with stand, canopy, CF lighting (with brand new bulbs, they were careful to point out), two Rena Filstar XP3 filters plus a Penguin 330 double HOB filter, driftwood and substrate (likely won't use the substrate - I already have sand). This tank measures 48 x 24 x 25 or thereabouts, and this is a perfect dimension for my 58" wall space. Everything I need is included, which means I don't have to purchase anything. I have rocks, tons of rocks, plus extra driftwood in the Gambusia (mosquito eater) tub that sits on the deck. 

I also have fish to go in it, which will be some of my baby angelfish that are growing rapidly in my 45, plus some black neons and rosy tetras. I have heaters and everything I might need.

I made arrangements to pick up the tank Saturday. It is in the Lynchburg area, which means a 2-hour drive, but it is worth it for what I'm getting for the price. He insists the tank and stand are "pristine" and worth a lot more than he's asking, which is definitely true based on what he's listed. This tank ought to weigh about 200 pounds empty, as I think it has thinner glass than what was used in my 150 (1/2" glass for the larger tank) so it won't weigh near as much, and the seller is confident we'll be able to move it. 

Since I have the 150 overfiltered with a Fluval FX5 and a Rena Filstar XP4, I can take the XP4 off the 150 and put it on the 120, plus one of the XP3's, and put the extra XP3 on the 150 with the FX5. This is a lot of X's and numbers, but you get the idea. 

I definitely could filter the 150 with the FX5 alone, but I'm nervous about having all my eggs in one basket, so to speak, and I like to have 2 filters on my larger tanks. I've got an XP1 and an Eheim Classic 2215 on the 45, which seems to be barely enough filtration, for some reason, though technically the Eheim ought to do the job by itself. I like to have my biobugs spread out, especially if there is a tank crash somewhere I can take a filter off one tank and use it in an emergency, leaving the other filter running. Or, if a filter fails (I have never really had this happen in 20+ years) there'll still be another one on there to do the job. 

That said, I could technically filter the 120 with the XP4 alone, but I don't consider that to be adequate by any means, or maybe its just my skewed idea about how to filter a tank. This method has worked very well for me so far, though, so I'll continue to overfilter! 

Here is a handy link to AqAdvisor, a site that calculates the filtration you have/need based on the size of the tank, the type of filter(s) you have running (it can accept up to 2 filters) and the stock you have in the tank, including a way to account for juvenile fish and their smaller size. They utilize drop-down menus and you select the species and how many of each fish, what filter you're using, and it tells you if you have adequate filtration for your setup. It also notifies you of incompatible species, and special requirements of certain species. The database is quite large, so you are bound to find your exact species or a close approximation for the calculator. 

What I like is that when they factor in the type of filter(s) you're using, they base the calculations on 65% of the manufacturer's recommendation for tank size. This takes into account the real life applications with filter media, etc., and is a more realistic view of what a filter can do for a certain size tank. I've always felt the manufacturers were extremely generous when rating their filters, so this reassures me that the estimate you get on AqAdvisor is closer to an accurate estimation.

Sooooooo...... according to that site, even with just the FX5 on the 150-gallon I'm something like 300% of the recommended filtration! Lol! I guess I should not worry about putting the XP4 on the 120 then, huh? That is a fun, fun, fun calculator, and you ought to try it out, even for a future fantasy setup. It is very helpful. 

I will cross my fingers that everything goes well with this tank move and I'll post pics and provide updates once I've got it up and running. 

There is one other important factor that may have gone unnoticed unless you read the previous post. My dogs, a bullmastiff named Major and a Great Dane mix named Sirius, are fixin to be displaced! There is a very large crate in the room, about the size of a refrigerator turned on its side, which is used daily when we're gone (Sirius), and the door is always open so one or the other of the dogs goes in there to use it like a cozy den when we're home. I need to find a place for the general purpose dog bed, though, and I could get away with a smaller one. They don't spend a lot of time on that bed but they DO use it, and I feel a bit guilty taking their spot right by the door. I'll come up with something....