jaggedfire Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I need some advice. I have been planning a tank upgrade for some time now and really like the longer look of the 48" and 60" tanks in 20-25in heights. We even picked up a second tank (36" RR 65gal) thinking this would satisfy all the 'needs' for our tangs and larger tank. Now I am second guessing and want to go bigger. Barring that we cant put in a 72" tank in our rental do to length, would the 65 satiate the need for the tangs and my need for space? At least for awhile. Should I go bigger knowing I could move within the year to two? How did you come to the conclusion for your tank size? How long before you upgraded?....then again? Is there big enough? My hopes for the tank are keeping a few tangs, sps and lps. The ability for me to keep the alk up in the 25 has become insane. Thanks for any and all input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubasteve92 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 *side note.. The ability for me to keep the alk up in the 25 has become insane. What scale is this? I thought it was supposed to be 8 - 12? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 Sorry. Keeping up with the alkalinity in the 25gallon tank is what i ment. I am dosing ~16ml BRS 2part a day. In this tank it provides for a wild swing and 1.0dkh reduction every day if not dosed constantly. I have outgrown this little guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Depending on what kind of tangs you want, you can get away with a 75g or 90g (both have 48" length, variance is in height). I have a yellow and purple in my tank and they seem fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 I was really hoping a 75-90 would be adequate for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 Sorry. Keeping up with the alkalinity in the 25gallon tank is what i ment. I am dosing ~16ml BRS 2part a day. In this tank it provides for a wild swing and 1.0dkh reduction every day if not dosed constantly. I have outgrown this little guy. Think you have a C02 problem. High C02 drastically decreases the ability to buffer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 @Derrick : I have routed my skimmer as you have to outside. After seeing your trials I had to try. It has brought the pH up some, but I just have too much stony coral in this little tank. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 What are you dosing to keep the dkh up? Have you tried running baking soda in a reactor with your ATO? Thats what I did but I was using kalk and it was clogging up my pumps and putting a skuzzy haze on my sump. Not to mention all the harness make my cheato crunchy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 @Derrick : I have routed my skimmer as you have to outside. After seeing your trials I had to try. It has brought the pH up some, but I just have too much stony coral in this little tank. This is a good thing though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizardx322 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 depending on how much you want to spend and all i definetly recommend a dsa 190 i waited 2 years till i upgraded as i wanted to double my size tank from a 90 gal. i also decided on this tank as i saw a 185g dsa tank and fell in love with the dimensions of the tank but sadly they dont make that one anymore but now make a 190 gal this is the tank i upgraded to from my 90 gal. i dont see the point in upgrading from 65 to a 90 you would just be able to keep maybe 1 more tang then you can now in a 65gal go bigger if possible my tank dimensions are 60"x27"x27" couple of things to think about if you go with a big tank 1. cost 2. can it fit through your door( i know this sounds wierd but there are people who get tanks and cant get the stand/tank through a normal doorway) lol mine made it through by 1" 3. If you move a bigger tank might not be ideal as movng big tanks is a pain and causes alot of stess on fish and coral 4.. and to me there never big enough lol i already want to upgrade again but for now i'm ok with my tank if your ever north you can stop by and check out the tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 The 65 was never set up and would be sold to make the difference up for a larger setup. I currently house all my coral in a 25XH and I have most everything ready for a larger tank, just at the 11th hour said...."lets go bigger". The large fish currently reside in a 75hex (not ready for coral), which my daughter says I cant get rid of and will be hers one day. My goal is to bring the two setups together under one light source...Only, my longest wall available is ~5ft and I will have to move in <=2years. Another thing I have to take into account is ability to move the tank. I will only have 2 other friends available to move a larger tank. I would do anything for a tank of that dimension wizard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 What are you dosing to keep the dkh up? Have you tried running baking soda in a reactor with your ATO? Thats what I did but I was using kalk and it was clogging up my pumps and putting a skuzzy haze on my sump. Not to mention all the harness make my cheato crunchy... I have to manually dose as the tank is sump-less and no ATO at this time. If I miss a day, much less two, it is very hard to not spike the alk. and get the parameters back on track. The tank has proven to be quite stable with rapid growth....so rapid the coral is out growing my ability to keep calcium in the tank. I need volume to help buffer this uptake (plus it is a good reason excuse to go bigger). The tank has been running now for only 8 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizardx322 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 The 65 was never set up and would be sold to make the difference up for a larger setup. I currently house all my coral in a 25XH and I have most everything ready for a larger tank, just at the 11th hour said...."lets go bigger". The large fish currently reside in a 75hex (not ready for coral), which my daughter says I cant get rid of and will be hers one day. My goal is to bring the two setups together under one light source...Only, my longest wall available is ~5ft and I will have to move in <=2years. Another thing I have to take into account is ability to move the tank. I will only have 2 other friends available to move a larger tank. I would do anything for a tank of that dimension wizard! talk to jake at RCA about the tank. it only took 2 people to move my tank but anything larger then 190 i would recommend more people. people here on ARC are helpful just ask and you can prob get help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbnj Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 You don't need a sump to dose with a dosing pump. A pump on a timer (controller would be best) will allow you to dose small increments throughout the day, thus avoiding the alk swings. You also won't have to worry about forgetting to dose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 what about a drip method? simple jug with RO/DI water and some baking soda or pickling lime mixed in? Could use a small air valve to regulate the drip. I did this for a few weeks before I got my reactor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaggedfire Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 @Pbnj: A controller would be best and have thought about it for next step. The corals dont have much room to grow into though. @Derrick: When I have to dose a powder additive, I do use a slow drip currently. I only have a small container (16oz) and it only runs for maybe 2-3hrs. The thought though of having 2-3 days worth of additive on a continuous drip and having a catastrophic release into such a small tank (KIDS!), would wipe everything out and be devastating. I will try a better reservoir and extended drip times with RO first and see how that goes. Maybe I can cut some maintenance time down. Thanks everyone! So as an upgrade path, would most just skip the 65 and go to a bigger tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerrickH Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 With Hydro moving maybe you can get his? LMAO j/k Stephen! I want a 110 or so and that will be my limit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 How big are the tangs you currently have? If they are small, say 2-4", I think a 75/90/120 would be fine. If they are bigger than that, I'd suggest moving sooner and upgrading to a 6' tank. My theory on tanks is long and wider is better than height(this obviously only applies to fish). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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