tank upgrade your thoughts please

[stangbabe1993]

I'm looking to upgrade my tank i have a 90 gal right now. I'm looking to go maybe 150 to 180 not sure. would you guys sugest acrylic or glass. I'm kind of afraid to get acyrlic how does it hold up for scratches. I want to get the kind that has the built in overflow with the nice stand and canopy.
I'd like as many opinions as possible so feel free to coment

 

[teresaq]

I dont know about acrylic, but I have a 150, and really wish I had the 180 for width. more room for aquascaping.

 

[snakeblitz33]

I would personally go for the 180. I like glass aquariums too, however acrylic also has it's benefits. The only real thing going against acrylic is that it scratches, and you have to work really hard to scratch glass.
I would get glass if it were my tank. Just make absolutely sure that the stand you are going to build/buy is very very very sturdy and level.
Also, what type of corals are you going to keep in it? If you are going with sps corals, you might want to get 3 overflow boxes so you can have a high turnover rate in your tank.
If you go with acrylic, you can easily drill a couple of holes in the back of the tank and add a closed loop system with just a return pump for circulation. Remember, the main key in larger systems is flow. You need a lot of flow to make it work, and not really just for sps corals either.
good luck, I hope everything works out for you.

 

[2ntx]

When we upgraded, we were thrilled to have the overflow box and refugium. It was such a tremendous upgrade aesthetically from that overhanging filter. Additionally, we got a nice cabinet stand and canopy and transferred from PC lights to VHO's and that was great for us too. We got extra thick glass with the black seams so that the occasional green algae wouldn't show so quickly and that was well worth the money. We are pretty happy with the size -lots of room for the few fish and several corals, lots of rock; however, after the new tank had been up and running for awhile, we sure started to regret still having those darned powerheads. If at all possible, I would highly recommend that you get one pre-drilled for the circulation. It makes a big difference in the looks and the maintenance!! Like so many others have said, go as big as your budget will allow. If you truly love this hobby, it will save you money in the long run and it is sooooooooo much easier to maintain a larger system than a smaller one. I have yet to hear anyone say " Gosh I wish my tank was smaller" - especially not the fish!!
Good luck!

 

[stangbabe1993]

I have a 90 gal in the wall between my kitchen and rec room. I'm kind of tired of keeping 3 sides clean. the rock goes right down the center of the tank so its hard. i have a sea apple some mushrooms a frogspawn clove polyps, rose bta and i think its a brain favia or favites not sure if thats even how you spell it.. my sump is a rubbermaid container. i would like to do something so you don't have the powerheads to and i read about this closed loop thing but alas I'm a women who doesn't understand it. My husband does alot for me but i have to understand to tell him what i want. so if you guys want to explain. Is there a difference in reef ready and the built in overflows or is that the same thing. right now i have a hang on overflow box with 1 pump in sump. when you have the built in ob is there 2 pumps working them or do you split it

 

[stangbabe1993]

and i do have 1 green acro. i do have metal halides 2X250 W and 2 vho actinics. depending what the set has when i go to get a tank i migt put those it or i might just do the T5 not sure. I'm going to that store up above Lancaster the big one. I love that place.