spend my money
This month I will be receiving a check that will have about 3,000 extra that I can spend on my new tank. I have a mental condition (fearo of leakonfloorish) which makes me want to do everything new and not buy a used system. I know this won't cover everything but wanted some input from people who have put together tanks larger then my 29. Here are a few bits of info. I have thought about tanks from 90/120/125/180gallons. (I have 6 feet in length and 24 inches in depth to work with) I would want T-5 lighting (no mh) I would of course need a stand, sump, skimmer, pumps, powerheads,.... (leave the tank empty, no rock, sand, water, fish, corals) How far along can this money get me and what would you buy (and where if you have ideas).

Well if you can build the stand that will save you significant amounts of cash depening on what size you go with.. even if you aren't fantastic with woodworking you can easily make something A LOT stronger than the prefab stands that are normally sold. It could end up saving you some money to build that yourself and also will allow a lot less worry when it comes to the weight issue. After seeing my 90 gallon stand I knew I would have to significantly reinforce it with 2x4's Aside from that you can save a lot of money getting used equipment, even if not the tank you can save on lighting, skimmer, etc. It would have to depend but I have regularly seen skimmers for >150 gallon ratings on the MARS board on reef central for less than 300 and we're talking name brand skimmers (euro reef, ASM, ETC.) I would at the very least shoot for used with some of the stuff. I have about $400 total into my 90 and that's including the stand, tank, skimmer, lights, and hood. I will still need to spend a good amount more on other needs but realistically I can't see this build being over $1000 after all is said and done. If i had bought a Reef Ready tank, stand, and hood new I would be over $1000 right there.

personally, i would consider MH. you have nems and WILL want some sticks and clams. t5 imo isnt enough to penetrate a deep tank. (oh my vote is for a RR 180) you can build the stand anyway you want. i can help you build a fuge sump and i would go with an octo or asm skimmer. drilled tank= 1500? lights= 700 ( 3x lumatek e ballasts and reeflux bulbs, thats close to what i payed a few months ago) skimmer, g6/5/4/ octo300 pro = 700 ish theres 3 grand. the rest can be had for cheaP/diy. (i guessed on the prices of everything i might be wrong but i think im close) IMO these are the things you dont want to skimp on. the rest can be fudged as budget allows. i have an acct at ace and would be willing to share my discount (quite healthy on some stuff) to get you going. plumbing stuff and dolomite substrate are two of the cheaper things i can get. i also have sheets of glass that we can make sump/ fuge baffles from. heres mine, it works great and was free. i had the tank and cut my own baffles. or you can just dump it all on a tank and fancy stand and scab the rest like i am. if you decide to buy a fancy stand, look for a local cabinet builder. factory stands are just like walmart furniture, expensive crap. i payed several hundred for a "top of the line brand" stand for my 72 and within a year i took the tank down because the stand scared me.

c'mon by the house anytime and see my setup if you want some ideas.

Tank If I could design a tank I would want one that is 18inches in height and 24inches in depth. (the opposite of the 125) Where would someone get a tank built around here? Stand I have BASIC woodworking skills but am nervous about building my own stand because of all the threads I have read about being off by 1/4 of an inch and foam under the tank and stress and voiding warranties and.... Any thoughts on these...

its not hard to make a burly stand that sits level and can hold a freight train. making it look good is another story. mine looks like weak sauce but it is way beefy on the ends and corners. its been up over a year and its fine so far. my quality is so-so, the doors arent quite square so it had gaps that show the fuge light but it looks good to the casual observer and im not worried about it collapsing.

no idea on a custom tank maker, i would ask rick or jody. i believe they both have custom tanks for their shops.

A custom tank would easily cost you $3000 alone I would think.

Custom tanks are not much more then a standard depending on how you customize it. (stands and canopies can be more then the tank!!) I can get custom tanks at a fairly good price, it gets more costly when you get into Starphire glass,diamond polished edges etc. A custom 120g standard glass with overflow and CL holes would run you about $700-$850, a standard AGA 120g I sell for about $550. Do you like cube tanks? You can really customize a cube with a nice closed loop and pretty much eliminate any power heads in the tank. I like the 180g best as far as standard tanks go but remember a 180g is going to cost $1-$2k more in the end and cost a lot more to run as well VS a 120g. Anything smaller then a 120g and you will want to upgrade soon hahahahaha. I agree with Josh making a good strong stand is easy making it look good is hard and very time consuming. I have built a few nice ones so feel free to call or email anytime Peace Rob

Not to hijack but Josh, who made your stand doors? Are you that crafty with wood working?

yeah, i made em. they qualify as good from far but far from good.

I'd go for the 120. I love the shape of that tank, thats why I own one. Lots of lighting choices for 48" aquariums. Plenty of room under the stand as well.

a 48 x48 x24 almost cube would be the shiznit!!!

The 4 footers are nice! cheaper on lighting too!

Rob- can you find out how much it would be to have a reef ready tank made that was 6ft by 18 inches tall by 24 inches deep? I think I will need to buy Josh a beer/pizza/coral for some help with building a stand, It looks great from here. I think I should start working on some DIY rock as well. 3.5 days of school left.