# Is a 300 gallon too much tank for me?



## Fishandpitbulls (May 20, 2015)

I've been bitten hard by the fish bug. I'm setting up an office aquarium and I've been posting about it ad nauseum....it's a 46 gallon and I haven't even stocked it yet.

But now I found out that my good friends are selling a 300 gallon. It includes stand, lid, filters and lights and they are asking $300. That's way way too good to pass up, right? But how the **** do you even clean a tank like that? I'm a novice aquarist but I take my obsessions very seriously. I wouldn't half-ass it....do you think I could do it?

I'm envisioning what a fantastic African tank I could put together. Or discus. I've been dying to start a discus tank but I know they are hard to keep.

Am I insane to consider this after only 6 months in this hobby? A 300 gallon setup like this would probably run me thousands. And yes I do have the space for it in my house.


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## lilscoots (Mar 13, 2012)

Larger tanks are easier to maintain, in my opinion, as long as you can reach everywhere. I'd get a couple of bristlenose plecos for algae control and a gravel vac (python or whatever). It just means bigger water changes. For $300 and you have the room, you'd be kicking yourself for years if you didn't get it.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I would jump on that tank in a second but then I've also have multiple tank syndrome!!!!!

I agree that I find larger tanks easier to maintain and stock with fish though I will admit to only cleaning the front of my 30" tall tank so I can see the fish well. I started with a 75G tank and within 6 months I had added a 220G.


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## Cyphound (Oct 20, 2014)

I'd jump on it as well. As mentioned bigger tanks are easier to maintain. Plus if you decide your not up to the task down the road you won't have a hard time selling to get your money back. What are the dimensions of the tank. Filters and light models.


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## Fishandpitbulls (May 20, 2015)

Specs are as follows: 
75" wide, 62" tall, 20 " deep

Filter is under gravel so I would probably replace that with canisters and cascades. She's not sure about the light...

I care most about the tank and stand. That alone would cost me at least $1000 from what I have seen online. I have no desire to try to maintain a UGF in a tank of that size. I'm guessing the lights are suitable for live plants because she always has live plants in her tanks. I might do it as a planted discus tank. Talk about expensive but soooo worth it if I could do it right.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Are you sure on those dimensions for the aquarium only?


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## Cyphound (Oct 20, 2014)

Deeda is right. 62" can't be right. I would think if you Kijiji filters you could get what you need for a reasonable price. I would think the whole thing could be up and running for about $600-700 including the purchase of the tank if you go that route.


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## Fishnut71 (Dec 7, 2014)

Yes, at $300, that set up is a steal!

However, going from a 46gal, which has yet been established, to a 300gal is a big leap.

Without going into a lengthy pros and cons write-up, I would recommend you buy that tank and put it aside for at least another 6 months. Use this time period to research the hobby and learn from your personal experience via the 46.

Those dimensions don't really make any sense in regards to any 300gal I've ever heard of


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## Fishnut71 (Dec 7, 2014)

I just researched an aquairum calculator and those dimensions would work out to about 400gal(US) or 335gal(UK)

If those dimensions are accurate, a tank that's 5' tall will be a PITA to do maintenance on........even for Shaquille O'Neal

You will also need strong lighting to penetrate well to that depth. And strong lighting means algae


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## Fishandpitbulls (May 20, 2015)

I just realized she gave me the dimensions including the stand! So I'm not sure how big the actual aquarium is.


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

A few questions. Is it running, if not how long has it been sitting? It mat need to be re-sealed. Glass or acrylic? You said you had room for it but do you have a good supportive spot to set it? Tanks this large with water, sand and rocks your looking at a lot of weight. Either way it's a killer price for that set up!

Cleaning wise I do water changes on my 240 once a week around 40% vac the substrate then as well. I am running one FX5 and two Aquatop 400s and they do fine. You have lots of options for fish that's for sure, I have around 60 Trophues in mine. Mbuna are pretty forgiving on water quality with in reason. If it is a 300 it's probably 96X30X24 if it's 30 high it can be a challenge getting to the btm with your arm but still very doable specially for that price. Lighting I have 2 48" LEDs from Beamworks many different ones to choose from quality and price wise. Go with PFS (pool sand) for sure.

Id say get the tank, I started with a 46 moved to a 110 then a 165 till I found the 240. Should have just started with that. :lol:

Also I would skip discus as they require double ultra clean water. People I know that have them do water changes every couple of days. That may not bother you short term, but after a few months of doing it might get old. Then there's vacations and you have to figure out how to take care of it when your away. Really depends on your time, they are beautiful fish! Anyway good luck, you have a great adventure coming if you take it! :thumb: pics are always great as well!


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## Fishandpitbulls (May 20, 2015)

JimA said:


> A few questions. Is it running, if not how long has it been sitting? It mat need to be re-sealed. Glass or acrylic? You said you had room for it but do you have a good supportive spot to set it? Tanks this large with water, sand and rocks your looking at a lot of weight. Either way it's a killer price for that set up!
> 
> Cleaning wise I do water changes on my 240 once a week around 40% vac the substrate then as well. I am running one FX5 and two Aquatop 400s and they do fine. You have lots of options for fish that's for sure, I have around 60 Trophues in mine. Mbuna are pretty forgiving on water quality with in reason. If it is a 300 it's probably 96X30X24 if it's 30 high it can be a challenge getting to the btm with your arm but still very doable specially for that price. Lighting I have 2 48" LEDs from Beamworks many different ones to choose from quality and price wise. Go with PFS (pool sand) for sure.
> 
> ...


So I've decided I'm definitely going to get the tank. The current owners are even willing to work out a trade. I'll babysit for their kids while they're out of town for 5 days and then it's mine! The challenges now are just going to be moving it (I'll probably pay a professional mover who has experience with large tanks, which I suspect will be a couple hundred bucks) and buying all of the stuff I need to set it up. It's no big deal though because I expect it may take me around 6 months to buy everything I need, and by then I should have quite a bit more experience under my belt with the 46 gallon.

I have been looking into it and I think I might spring for 2 Fluval Fx6 Canisters for it. Seems worth it when I'm getting the tank so cheap, and will make my life much easier in the long run.

Oh to answer your questions, it's not running, it's been sitting about 6 months. She purchased everything new and tried to set it up and just realized they didn't have the space for it. It's been sitting outside, I think. She has a gorgeous 90 gallon (maybe 100+ gallon) bowfront acrylic in her living room now that is giving me crazy tank envy! She has like, 6 tetras in it and I'm like "WHYYYYYY?!?!"

I'm not ready to give up on discus. I love them so much, and I could have such a cool set-up for them in a tank that size. I think they're worth the work of daily water changes, and I do think that the more often you do water changes the more they become fairly routine and easy. That has been my experience with my first tank, which I forgot to mention.

It's a 5.5 gallon planted tank with a copper halfmoon betta and a recently added nerite snail. I know it's NOTHING compared to a larger tank, but at the same time I've learned a ton with it, mostly through mistakes I've made. :roll: As everyone has mentioned, it's harder to keep a smaller tank cycled and stable. I still haven't perfected it and am actually saving up to move him to a 20L with some shrimp and a couple more nerites. Small tanks are a hassle! Anyway, he's having some persistent fin rot issues and I've been doing 50% water changes every few days in the tank plus keeping him in a QT tank with meth blue and AQ salt that is also getting water changes every 24 hours. So yeah, I'm pretty obsessed with this whole aquarium thing and I think I might be ok with daily water changes if it meant a tank full of 15 gorgeous discus!

Then again, I haven't really experienced African cichlids yet, and I might want to go crazy and cram this 300 gallon full of all kinds of them! I've been kind of bummed about the limitations of the 46 gallon at work as far as species go, so the 300 gallon could really help me remedy that!

I'm so excited about the limitless possibilities for this tank!


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

You might want to look into an automatic w/c system if you're going to get into Discus.


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## Ryan_R (Aug 20, 2014)

All I can add is to use sand as a substrate. With good flow, you're looking at only water changes and canister cleaning as regular maintenance. I haven't bothered with gravel vacs since I switched to sand 5 years ago. If you love discus, do discus. Figure out the water changing regimen.

Personally, I use a pump and hoses the change the 300 gallons worth of tanks in my dining room. Easy. Automatic systems are better.

-Ryan


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

No, no, no... Don't do it!
To keep you safe, PM me the information on the person that is selling this, so I can buy it myself and SAVE you from your obsession! LOL!
BUY... IT... 
even if you hang on to if for a few months while you're learning...


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If I were going to get a 300G tank I'd want it to be at least 8 feet long.

For a 75" tank I'd just get a 125G...might even be able to get a new one for comparable investment.


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## Mcdaphnia (Dec 16, 2003)

If you have the dimensions right, 75" x 62" (tall) x 20", that comes out closer to a nominal 400 gallons. A tank that is over five feet tall top to bottom, would have tremendous water pressure and I'd expect it to be an acrylic tank. The thickness of acrylic needed for this tall a tank could account for the missing 100 gallons. Silicone and glass would not be my choice for a tank this deep.

Yes aquarium maintenance is easier (per gallon) the larger the tank. However the tank capacity and the convenience of getting in to ddo maintenance in an extremely tall tank are negatives. Tank biological capacity is mainly determined by surface area, not so much by total volume. In my 520 gallon tank which was 42" tall, I had to drain out 200 gallons of water to do tank cleaning, and be upside down from the waist hanging down into the tank. I always managed to get my hair wet, and sometimes a shoulder. You would have to reach in another 20" to clean your tank bottom.


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## Handyjoe (Jan 11, 2015)

I suspect that it is a 72 x 30 x 20, which works out to be ~ 185 gal. The stand is probably 32" tall. If it was 75x30x20, then it would be a ~ 195 gal. Tank. In either case, it's nowhere close to a 300 gal. In either case, it is still a good size tank. It is even better that it basically cost you nothing. GET IT !!! :thumb: 
Joe.


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## Belcher (May 20, 2015)

Fishandpitbulls said:


> I've been bitten hard by the fish bug. I'm setting up an office aquarium and I've been posting about it ad nauseum....it's a 46 gallon and I haven't even stocked it yet.
> 
> But now I found out that my good friends are selling a 300 gallon. It includes stand, lid, filters and lights and they are asking $300. That's way way too good to pass up, right? But how the #%$& do you even clean a tank like that? I'm a novice aquarist but I take my obsessions very seriously. I wouldn't half-ass it....do you think I could do it?
> 
> ...


300 is sufficient for the you i think. I have 250 at my manager office and it is working quite good. So go for it and then share your reviews and problems if you have.


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## illy-d (Nov 6, 2005)

I agree with whomever said that larger tanks are easier to maintain... There are also some things you can do to make it even easier on yourself;

1. Sand substrate: don't go too deep and it's pretty much maintenance free... Keep fish that dig or sift sand and there is nothing else you need to do to maintain your substrate.

2. Live plants: You can go nuts with plants - but it becomes more work. Keep it simple with low demand species and there are literally no drawbacks. Anubias, Java Fern, Valisneria, and some floating plants will do well in a low-tech set-up and help improve the water quality too. Secure the anubias and java fern to rocks wood and you easily keep them with the previously mentioned fish that dig or sift your substrate. In my experience planting Valisnaria in sand is a pain in the Butt. However, once it takes hold it's actually quite secure and the runners it shoots off as it propagates are remarkably adept at getting a firm hold - not surprisingly the plant does a far better job at rooting itself than we could ever do. My advice would be to add the Vals before adding fish - let it take hold and establish itself and you're golden.

3. Overfilter / Understock: If you can do this you can greatly reduce the amount of maintenance required. Weekly water changes and that's it!


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## Fishandpitbulls (May 20, 2015)

Hi guys. I finally got a look at the tank in person and I won't be getting it. The current owner said it holds water because she had it set up for 6 months in her house but just doesn't have room. Turns out it was set up for 6 months...10 years ago. It's been in her backyard under a tarp since then. So I doubt it even holds water, and even if it does it needs a MASSIVE cleaning. Considering how much of a pain it is to clean out a 20 or 55 gallon, I shudder to imagine the task of cleaning out a 300 gallon. Then there's the stand: it's homemade and not in good shape at all. I'm sure $300 would be a good deal for someone who has the time and space to clean this thing out, reseal the seams, and either fix the stand, build a new one, or buy one (assuming they have thousands of dollars.) But for me, that's just not feasible. So it wasn't meant to be. I took the advice of DJRansome and looked into used 125 and 150 gallon tanks on Craigslist. That's still large enough to put together an awesome tank, and I could probably get one of those for around $300-$400 that doesn't need a ton of work to be functional. So that's the long term goal.

The short term goal is buying and setting up a 55 gallon for my new Jack Dempsey, who is itching to get out of the 29 gallon tank he's been in for a week.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

By any chance did you get an actual measurement of the tank? I have a feeling it was actually a standard 125 or 150 gallon. 75" x 62" x 20" would be just about right for a 150 gallon on a 32" tall stand.

But I think you are right passing on a tank that has been sitting outside that long.

Andy


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## Fishandpitbulls (May 20, 2015)

I did not get an actual measurement on the tank. It did look way bigger than the 125 and 150 at my LFS, but maybe that was the atrocious stand throwing off my perception :lol:


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## Tony La Morte (Nov 30, 2011)

Don't get a 55 gallon man. You said you have the room!!! If you can fit a 4' tank go 75 gallon. you WILL THANK ME LATER!!!


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## Fishandpitbulls (May 20, 2015)

Tony La Morte said:


> Don't get a 55 gallon man. You said you have the room!!! If you can fit a 4' tank go 75 gallon. you WILL THANK ME LATER!!!


I will probably get the 75 gallon eventually and upgrade the JD to that, then put something else in the 55. But I found a used 55 gallon with stand and heater for $75, and I feel like it's important to get him into an appropriate size tank ASAP. Not only are the 75 gallon tanks more expensive, all the accessories are more expensive as well. If I do the 55, I can probably get him in there within a week or two. If I try to do the 75 it's going to be more like 4-6 weeks and he is itching to get out of that tank NOW!


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## Fishnut71 (Dec 7, 2014)

Tony La Morte said:


> If you can fit a 4' tank go 75 gallon. you WILL THANK ME LATER!!!


120gal (4'X2'X2')


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## Fishandpitbulls (May 20, 2015)

I'm not gonna use a whole 120 gallon on 1 JD, but I will definitely be getting a 125 or 150 in the future and hopefully doing an AWESOME African Cichlid tank in there.


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## Tony La Morte (Nov 30, 2011)

Even a 75 is small for a full grown JD. I don't know a ton about SA cichlids but they grow to 8" - 10". Not sure what else you can even put with one that big!
As to tank sizes, my opinion is 125 is one of the coolest tanks made for its size.
Regards,
Tony


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## Fishandpitbulls (May 20, 2015)

The general consensus on JD's is that a 55 gallon tank is the minimum size. That's what I can afford right now so that's what I'm doing. Regardless, it's a huge upgrade from the way he's lived his whole life. I am hardscaping it with rocks and driftwood and eventually adding some anubias. He's going to be the only fish in there, I don't plan to add any tankmates for him. I may eventually upgrade him to the 75, but for now he should be fine in the 55, according to the JD people on Fishlore


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