Buying a large aquarium

[Taiken5968]

I am thinking about buying a bigger aquarium at Petsmart on Black Friday. They have a 120 with a stand that I’m leaning towards.

My question is where do people usually buy large aquariums, 180-240s. I don’t want to buy the 120, then regret it, and wish I had gotten a bigger one. I don’t mind buying a tank only, because I can build the stand.

I’ve done a little research online but any input would be welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[King Fisher]

You are going to have to order it unless you got a company close to you that does tank builds. I'm dealing with this right now trying to plan for a 240g tank for the living room. If you want to order online I've found a couple of companies that are pretty legit that will ship to you.

 

[Taiken5968]

You are going to have to order it unless you got a company close to you that does tank builds. I'm dealing with this right now trying to plan for a 240g tank for the living room. If you want to order online I've found a couple of companies that are pretty legit that will ship to you.

That could help. Deffinantly post the links if you have them.
Thanks.

 

[King Fisher]

I'll PM you

 

[V227]

I bought the Petsmart Black Friday sale 120 gal. For $300 even, 2 yrs. Ago. Its been a good tank, thick glass, black silicone. The stand is particle board, but holding up well. Its a good size for an African Rift Tank. A little small for a New World aggressive cichlid tank. I have no regrets, but I'd like to find a good deal on a 180.

 

[Taiken5968]

I'll PM you

I replied to your pm, but your inbox is full.

 

[Taiken5968]

I bought the Petsmart Black Friday sale 120 gal. For $300 even, 2 yrs. Ago. Its been a good tank, thick glass, black silicone. The stand is particle board, but holding up well. Its a good size for an African Rift Tank. A little small for a New World aggressive cichlid tank. I have no regrets, but I'd like to find a good deal on a 180.

I was told by a manager that they would be about half off on Black Friday. I didn’t check out the stand it came with last time I was in there. Would it hold a 30-40g stump in it?

 

[King Fisher]

That's weird. I got like 8 messages in there. Lol

 

[Taiken5968]

That's weird. I got like 8 messages in there. Lol

Here’s what it said.
Thanks for the information. I’ve checked out glass cages and custom aquariums. I’ll check out the other ones when I get home from work.

One thing that I’ve noticed from what I’ve seen the past few days is how much the price shoots up when you get passed 120 gallons. For example a 120 tank/stand/glass top combo is 600-700 at petsmart, and may be 300-400 on Black Friday, and a 180 alone may be 700-800.

I don’t mind paying more for the larger tank, but I guess I want to make sure I’m getting good value.
I guess my mind is working like this, what would I enjoy more, 2-3 120s or 1 240?

 

[King Fisher]

If you get past 6 feet long it does go up.

Whether you'd like several 120's or a single 240 depends on what you are looking to get as far as fish, if you have the room for two or three tanks and if you got the time to do maintenance on two or three large tanks. But that's gonna be your decision [emoji4]

 

[Taiken5968]

If you get past 6 feet long it does go up.

Whether you'd like several 120's or a single 240 depends on what you are looking to get as far as fish, if you have the room for two or three tanks and if you got the time to do maintenance on two or three large tanks. But that's gonna be your decision [emoji4]

I may go with the 120. What I was wanting to do is a ton of tiger barbs, and Opalin or chocolate gourami. I once had a 30g with opaline gourami and tiger barbs, and I’d like to recreate that in a huge tank with maybe the addition of clown loaches. If I decided to add the clowns, I bet they would do better long run in a bigger tank.

I don’t mind doing maintenance on multiple tanks. I probably do more on my 60g than I need to. It’s relaxing to me.

 

[King Fisher]

Clowns would be great in a 120g. Keep us updated on your build.

 

[Ulrichsd]

I have a 125g from pet smart. I think they are a great deal. The stand is particle board, but seems solid. Would make me nervous if it ever got wet though.

 

[V227]

I'm in agreement regarding the partical board stand. I check for water drips daily and always dry it off after messy WC'S. The stands are alledgedly coated with a waterproof finish, but who knows?

 

[Taiken5968]

Clowns would be great in a 120g. Keep us updated on your build.

Thanks for the information. I think I’ll go with the 120. I’ll probably enjoy 2 120s with different set ups than one 240. I will probably only get one for now. It will probably be a few months before it’s set up, but I’ll come back and post some pictures.

Annother thing I’ve been thinking about is if I’d go with a stump or not. Any thoughts? Drill the tank or not?

 

[Taiken5968]

I'm in agreement regarding the partical board stand. I check for water drips daily and always dry it off after messy WC'S. The stands are alledgedly coated with a waterproof finish, but who knows?

I do the same for my 60g stand. I’m always looking for the wood bubbling up, or anything like that.

 

[V227]

I think a well done sump system provides the best filtration currently available, but how much better than top rated canisters or Hob's? You could debate that all day.
Personally I wouldn't drill your tank. I'd go with a Fluval FX 4 or FX 6, or mayby 2x Fluval or Tidal 110's.
There is a constant & abundant supply of used drilled tanks sold locally on Craigslist in my area. Maybe there is a reason for that.

 

[King Fisher]

If you do a sump and want to drill your tank you'll have to make sure the tank isn't made of tempered glass.

 

[Taiken5968]

I think a well done sump system provides the best filtration currently available, but how much better than top rated canisters or Hob's? You could debate that all day.

Personally I wouldn't drill your tank. I'd go with a Fluval FX 4 or FX 6, or mayby 2x Fluval or Tidal 110's.

There is a constant & abundant supply of used drilled tanks sold locally on Craigslist in my area. Maybe there is a reason for that.

I was thinking of a stump or 2 flival 110s. I’ve heard mixed things about the tidal.

 

[V227]

I have 2x Aqua Clear 110's on my 120. They do just fine. The Tidal 110's are a little cheaper, apparently made with higher grade plastic, has a "time to clean" notification system, a skimmer, and a heater slot. I've probably read the same reviews. The Tidals are likely better suited for marine aquariums.