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Considerations for Buying a Large Tank by Rex Niedermeyer Some of the things I would think about before choosing a large tank are the following: 1. Power access - a large reef tank requires a lot of power unless you use natural lighting and even then it can be substantial. My 240 gal reef uses close to 30 amps peak which means that you will need at least two dedicated breaker circuits of at least 15-20 amps each. Significantly more than 240 gallons and you might need three. Unless you are fortunate in your current house wiring at the selected location you will likely need to add additional circuits and wiring to support a much larger tank. Also expect fairly hefty power bills of between $100-200/month just for the tank. 2. Structural support - make sure that the location you plan on placing the tank will support its weight. As long as the tank is not too deep (greater than 30") or you plan to place the tank in the middle of the room you should be OK for loading. If either/or both of the mentioned conditions are true then you need to make sure the actual loading (total tank weight/foot print area) is with in your floors capability (if slab floor then should not be a problem). 3. Heating and cooling - Equipment to support a large reef tank can generate a lot of heat (assumes you are using metal halide lighting) and depending on tank location, cooling, even with a chiller, can be a problem. If you can remotely locate the chiller outside in a cool location (you do not want the chiller subjected to full sunlight as they can fail if their ambient temperature runs much above 90F) this can help reduce some of the heating but between the lighting and pumps required for a large tank you will still have plenty. If your house is air conditioned this will also help but if not try to have a significant number of fans strategically placed to help cool the tank through evaporation as well as your lighting system set up with a controller that can shut it off if tank temp gets too high (I also have my skimmer pump set to turn off if temp is too high as the pump for that is fairly large). 4. Evaporation rate - A large tank evaporates a significant amount of water on a daily basis (likely several gallons) I would try to have some sort of automated top off system planned and plumbed unless you really like having to add this much make up water to it every day or two. 5. Maintenance - My cardinal rule is that if maintenance is difficult to do, it will not get done. Especially for a large tank - make sure that all pumps, outlets, filters and especially the sides of the tank that need to be cleaned are readily accessible. I would also make sure that the tank layout and positioning allows you to reach most any point in the tank both for maintenance as well as specimen positioning. One of the keys to making the tank accessible for cleaning as well as getting to specimens is to have a canopy or lighting system that is easily removed or constructed so as to not hinder access by allowing it to be opened or hinged in some fashion. 6. Redundancy/safety precautions - try to have backup systems were ever possible, the cost and effort put into stocking a large tank are such that you do not want a single failure in any one piece of equipment to cause your system to crash. Use multiple pumps from the sump as well as with in the tank itself for circulation. Have multiple heater units. Place the various pumps and heaters as well as lighting fixtures on multiple electrical circuits (you have to for a large tank anyway) so that if any one circuit trips due to short or other failure mode not all the critical equipment will be shut down. Also use multiple GFI circuits were appropriate to minimize electrocuting both yourself as well as your tank. The ultimate in redundancy is to have an auxiliary power unit available to kick in in case of power failure (not for the faint of heart or pocket book). As to cost - if you can get used stuff its a lot cheaper especially the tank itself (check newspapers as well as some of the online auctions such as e-bay). A 240 gallon tank itself could run you $600-1000 new depending on the extras wanted (e.g., multiple overflows, black back, etc.). Expect to pay over $1000 on lighting for a 240, likely more for a larger tank. A large skimmer could cost you $1000 or so when you add the pump costs in as well. The pumps themselves will likely cost you several hundred dollars depending on how much redundancy you plan on having. Cabinet costs depend on whether you want stock or custom, if tank is much larger than 300 gallons you will likely need a custom cabinet unless you are lucky enough to find a used tank with its own cabinet. Even with the above equipment costs they will pale compared to the cost of stocking a large reef tank with specimens and rock unless you are very patient and willing stock with fragments and then wait for small to become large. As to selling your old tank - one option would be to donate the tank to SEABay and then write it off your taxes (we are a non-profit organization). Unless you find just the right buyer for your tank it will be difficult to get top dollar so the net gain for a donation may be very similar to that you would get for selling it (of course you do have to wait for tax time to get any benefit). Believe me, I am
not trying to scare you off, large tanks are really neat, but you should
also be aware they require more thought and planning than a more moderate
sized tank such as you currently have. Let me know if you have any further
questions and I will try my best. rexn@lanminds.com |
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