Purchasing a new 75 Gallon need advice

[gwrace]

Hello all. New to the board.
I've had various sized tanks over the years but have decided to upgrade to a new FW 75 gallon tank for our living room. (wife's request). Spent the last several weeks researching acrylic vs glass as well has various tank shapes. I've made the decision to stay with a glass rectangular tank. I have two little children and the thought of them scratching an expensive acrylic tank is more stress than I want at the present time.

We have a local Petco and Petsmart in our town that stock the larger tanks. Are there any known quality issues between these two national chains for their larger tanks. My wife is concerned about leaks. I believe Petsmarts brand is Top Fin/Perfecto/Marineland. Not sure about Petco.

Any brand/quality/durability advice would be appreciated.

Regards;

David

 

[Mudfrog]

I have not heard about any quailty issues with either. I think most of them have decent warranties as well. I'd say your safe either way

 

[bs6749]

I prefer Aqueon/All-Glass Aquariums (AGA) over the Marineland/Topfin/Perfecto setups but either of them is a good tank and you really can't go wrong.

Just curious, what do you have in mind as far as inhabitants for the tank? Also, do you plan on having live plants? Where are you located?

I'm asking this because the tank may be too small if you plan on keeping something like stingrays or larger predatory fish, but 95% of the fish commonly seen in this hobby would do well in a 75. Just trying to head off any issues if you had your mind made up on one fish and were centering this tank around it.

If you plan on going with a planted tank you should skip the lights that come with the tank because they won't be ample for growing anything other than maybe some Java fern, Java moss, and some crypts. You'll need to invest in better lighting for plants that require more and better light.

 

[jsoong]

I have the 80 gal from Petsmart (& it is labeled as Marineland). No issues at all after 3 years. It is double seamed, and the seam job is not perfect (little globs of stuff oozing out of the seam line) but easily fix with a bit of careful trimming. <Cosmetic defect only...>

I got it for $99 on the boxing day madness sale <with glass top & seperate light>, so can't complain.

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

I got one of the All-Glass Aquariums from wal-mart, it was only a 55 though, but i've had it for almost a year and absolutely no problems at all.

 

[gwrace]

Thanks all for the replies

I stopped by both the local Petco and Petsmart this morning. Petco only had one 75 gallon tank and it was matched up to a stand and canopy that they would not separate. Even though I had called and talked to three different sales people at Petco who told me I could purchase just the tank. They would also only warranty the tank for instore exchange for 30 days. They were made by All Glass. Had I been able to purchase the tank the top and light would have been separate items. Sales people seemed preoccupied and really didn't care whether they sold a tank or not including the store manager. Price for the entire setup including canopy, light, tank and stand $745.00.

Next stop was Petsmart. I was immediately greeted and asked if I needed assistance. The sales person led me to their 75 gallon tanks and answered all my questions. The tank came with glass versa top and 48 inch florescent light fixture with a lifetime warrany against leaks. I needed to pick up several other supplies and while I did that the staff loaded up the tank for me. Out the door for $179.99.
Probably not the best deal in town but I'm happy with the purchase. I already had a nice stand rated to 90 gallons so didn't want to purchase another.

The tank size decision was based on the room, space and budget we had available. Not sure yet what to do with seascaping it out or type of fish. My wife really likes angelfish and since this is her project I'll probably head in that direction. If you all know of any good sources for ideas on setting up an angel tank I'd appreciate the links.

Regards;

David

 

[FishCrazyBenBOMB]

I think you got a good deal for the tank, my 55 gallon complete set was 165.99, but that's with both hoods and light fixtures, nets, filters, and a bunch of other stuff.



If you want ideas for fish, since you'll be adding angels I would suggest a large community tank.

I think a really cool idea would be an african cichlid tank, they are very beautiful fish. Really though it's all up to what you want, these are just opions.

 

[Mudfrog]

A new 75g with tops and lights for $180 is a pretty good deal I think.

 

[gwrace]

Finally decided on the filter

Went with a new Eheim Pro 2 2028 and an existing Aquaclear 110. I know that's probably over kill but I'm shooting for a low maintenance tank.

Hope I made some good choices. Reviews appeared very positive for the 2028. Picked up the new 2028 for 199 with free shipping.

Just waiting now for the rest of the supplies from the good doctors foster and smith and BigAls online.

Hope to finish this project up in the next couple of weeks, then will start the tank cycle.