# 180 vs 125?



## hawkkerw (Jan 31, 2012)

Hi Everyone

I have what I am sure is a very old subject on this forum. I am looking at a larger tank to replace my 55 Gallon. I am looking at both the 125 and the 180. The pricing on the 180 is almost double the 125 which means If I go with the 180 it will take me a couple months to be able to afford all of the equipment I need. The 125 I can afford just about all at once. I guess my question is should I have the patience and spend the extra for the 180? Will I see that much differance?

I currently have a Marineland C530 and a Penguin 350 which I hope I could move over? I don't see much on the Marineland canisters on the forum is it just older technology?

In addition what heaters would I need for each of these aquariums.

:-?


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## Steveboos (Dec 23, 2011)

Get the 125, they are so readily available and the equipment is easy to obtain. The 180 is VERY nice being an 8 foot tank, but in reality they are quite hard to find or obtain, so 125 it is!

Use both the canister and HOB, that would be fine, but you might want another Canister or AC110.

I would get an Aqueon Pro 250W heater, they are my favorite so far and the most accurate i have found.


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## hawkkerw (Jan 31, 2012)

Thanks for the quick response. Is the 180 and eight foot tank?

The measurments my local fish store gave me was

125=72"X18"22"
180=72"x24'x24"

Not meaning to question you just want to make sure the kid at the lfs has his info right? This is a Aqueon which I think is the same as All Glass?


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## Steveboos (Dec 23, 2011)

Well every tank is different. The normal size may be what you listed, but i swore i saw a 180 that was 96x18x22, but i could be mistaken.

The added depth is nice, but the height is not much different. Mine is an Oceanic 125, 72x18x22.

I might be thinking of a 240 gallon, so take that with a grain of salt haha.


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## mel_cp6 (Feb 3, 2009)

I think he's talking about the 6' 180g tank. 
Although the extra foot print on the 180g is great, IMO not worth the price.
I believe you will be more than happy with the 125 and the extra $ in your pocket.


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## littleolme (Nov 1, 2011)

The typical 180g is 72" x 24" x 24" although you can find many different combinations of different sizes.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

hawkkerw said:


> The measurments my local fish store gave me was
> 
> 125=72"X18"22"
> 180=72"x24'x24"


These are the standard sizes. I don't think 8 foot tanks are "standard"  but the ones I'm aware of are 240G.

Both tanks you are considering are great and will give you lots of options. The weight of the tanks may be a consideration along with what you plan to stock. For example, if I was keeping frontosas I would definitely want the bigger tank.


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## hawkkerw (Jan 31, 2012)

Again I'm not question you, It is mind blowing trying to keep straight all the sizes. With these two tanks it's not the stand that is so much more it's the tank. I just can not make up my mind if it is worth that much more when it comes to what kind and how many fish I can have. After the cost of the tank most of the items seem almost the same.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

hawkkerw said:


> After the cost of the tank most of the items seem almost the same.


The 180 will need a lot more filtration and the 2" added height will have some impact on the lighting - which will be added expenses. The cost of running the bigger tank will also be higher over time.

If my floor could support the weight and I had the space, I would definitely get the 180. The time you'll need to save the money for the bigger tank will also give you more time to torment yourself with how you want to stock it


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## hawkkerw (Jan 31, 2012)

Zimmey thats exactly what I'm affraid of  I'm going to have all my play money spoken for months ahead of time  lol


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

i like the 6" width bonus of the 180 but i would advise against it if youre going to go broke from it. i would rather have a 125 with the works than a 180 with the bare minimum.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

I have both a 150 and 180, both 6' tanks. It depends on what your plans are for the fish. If you are leaning towards larger fish (frontosa, central americans, etc) wait, and buy the 180 as the extra front to back depth will make a huge difference. If you are looking to keep smaller fish, the 125 is a great size.

As to equipment cost, other than the tank itself, I have not noticed a huge difference. Both of mine are run with sumps and an Eheim proII, the 180 does have a slightly larger pump (mag 18 vs mag12) and I believe the heaters are the same on both. My guess is that on a monthly basis, the only real difference is the difference in the pumps and that is not that large.

Last thought - I don't think I ever heard anyone say "I wish I had got the smaller tank". And if you go for the 180 now, the next step gets you to 8' tanks! 

Do yourself a favor and start looking earnestly at all places you might source a used tank - odds are you can get one for a great deal, as when people move large tanks quickly become a liability.

Either way, going to a 6' tank opens up a ton of possibilities, so good luck with your decision.


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I decided to wait until I had the money to buy a 210, the 220 was an inch taller and cost $100.00 more. By the time I bought all the equipment, it did cost a lot more money, but I wouldn't want anything smaller. I actually wish I would have got a 300g tank now. It all depends on what you want to stock. I wanted a 24" wide tank min. so that I could keep some large featherfins and still be able to have a background or large rocks. I also wanted a tall tank so that I could keep some large cyps with the Featherfins. Now that I have Trophs, I wish I had an eight footer.


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Have you watched craigslist?
With a little patience, You can usually find a good used 180 (or larger) cheaper than a new 125 and have even more money for equipment / fish.


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## Vadimshevchuk (May 23, 2009)

I would go for the 180. the 24" depth is a lot better then 18" and if you get a 3D background on an 18" tank then your down to 14-15" of width.


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## corpjet1 (Jan 17, 2012)

I would go with the 180, as mentioned above a lot of options and directions you can go with by having the larger tank.


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## nlui220 (Feb 2, 2010)

180 hands down. Depth and freedom to add a 3d background.


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## hawkkerw (Jan 31, 2012)

Thanks everyone.

Its a tuff choice. Does the 180 appear that much larger up close? I'm in Rural Montana I have one fish store in town and have to drive almost 100 miles to the next one so none of these stores have allot of large display tanks. I had a Oceanic 135 in my youger years and loved it they are awsume tanks havn't seen any up here.

The other problem is the additional Filtration, Heater, Lighting, etc. For the heater I have had a couple people mention the Aqeon? The other one I was looking at was the Eheim, What is so confusing to me is that the manfactures all rate differant wattage heaters for the same size tank, this is just a example Eheim might say that their 250 watt heater can handle up to 200 gallons where Marineland says you need their 400 watt model so OK whats the differance. I know for filtration allot of folks seem to like Hagen or Eheim. I found the Marineland 530 for a great deal and so far I love it. I can lay on the couch with my head not far from the filter and not have a problem sleeping. My only observation is that I need at some point to make a spraybar as the intake and return are awful. They make this nice Canister then supply you with what looks like toy intake tubes and returns. Also, this is a big bugger. I was trying to stick with all one brand to keep things in common. I was going to get the FX5 but found this sale first.

And last Lighting, I have been looking at the LED's just not sure what I would need? I will not be trying plants so don't need reef lighting. Is the upfront cost of the LED worth the savings in the long run?

You know its kinda fun going online and shopping for all the stuff gives you something to look forword to but it gets you in trouble also


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## hawkkerw (Jan 31, 2012)

Oh by the way for fish I will have Mbuna and some Haps as weel as pleco and catfish (cuckoo)


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Whether you go with the 125 or 180, if you're stocking heavily you will eventually want more than the Marineland 530. If you start with juveniles, it'll be okay for a while. Combining with Marineland with the FX5 may be the way to go in the end.

The other option to consider (especially if you go with the 180G) is to set up a sump.

In terms of the heater, what's the temperature in the room (where the tank will be) like?


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## bzartler86 (Dec 13, 2011)

I just went from a 90 gallon to 200 gallon 84x24x24 tank today and it is awesome.


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## Vadimshevchuk (May 23, 2009)

well if the tank is in a colder place like a basement then i would go with 2x300 watt eheim heaters and if it's usually 70-72 where the tank is going to be then 2x200 watt should be fine. Go with multiple incase of an malfunction you have more time to turn off the broken heater. Also an fx5 with the additional filter would be good. I would do sump if the tank is bought drilled. 40 gallon Breeder would be perfect for wet dry set up and placement of heaters.


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## charon (Feb 26, 2012)

I have an oceanic 215 with the same footprint as the nomal 180. Got the tank (which has a starphire front panel) the stand, the custom built sump, a 72 inch coralife power compact fixture, and a bunch of odds and ends from craigslist for a whopping grand total of 700 dollars. I say wait and watch. I had to drive 4 hours to get it but thats only one tank of gas. If you find yourself not wanting to wait, my vote is for the 180.


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## hawkkerw (Jan 31, 2012)

Thanks for replies folks;

There isn't much up here for craigslist except maybe Spokane which is like mentioned above three to four hours away. I only thing I worry about is a leak with a used tank. I am disabled and would be very limited with what I could do for repairs. That said finding a 180 complete for about 700.00 sure would be nice.

Back on the other subject, you all mention above that two heaters would be best on a 180? I keep the room its in about 70 to 74 degree's. What turn over rate should I be looking at on the 125 vs 180 for filtration? Just stating to look at the additional stuff?


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## jd lover (Mar 11, 2011)

as for filtration the turn rate depends on what you would like. for polishing i have my turnrate over 15x the tank volume but for biological a simple 5x will work. 10 is what most aim for in both cases


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## Morpheen (Jul 21, 2010)

noddy said:


> I decided to wait until I had the money to buy a 210, the 220 was an inch taller and cost $100.00 more. By the time I bought all the equipment, it did cost a lot more money, but I wouldn't want anything smaller. I actually wish I would have got a 300g tank now. It all depends on what you want to stock. I wanted a 24" wide tank min. so that I could keep some large featherfins and still be able to have a background or large rocks. I also wanted a tall tank so that I could keep some large cyps with the Featherfins. Now that I have Trophs, I wish I had an eight footer.


You have pretty much summed up my thought process to a tee when I started to think about what kind of show tank I want. Started with a 180G and am now thinking of 450G. :lol: I knew from the start I wanted an 8' tank.. then I wanted it wider to accommodate a lot of rock, then I wanted some height...


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## hawkkerw (Jan 31, 2012)

Well All

Thanks for all your help with this. I ended up getting a complete 125 setup for just about the cost of the 180 tank alone. Don't get me wrong would of loved all the extra space. The 125 is still a large tank and will be nice to have the room. I will always have the 55 left to stock up if I run out of room 

Now to get the filters and heaters decided on and ill be in good shape :dancing:


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## theyangman (Nov 5, 2011)

I was in your exact position a few months ago.

I had a 75, and hated the fact I bought it all new, and regretted throwing so much money in the garbage for such a puny tank. I had the 75 for less than 3 months before selling it and moving bigger.

I scoured CL, and kijiji for ages, and even posted wanted ads. One day an older lady calls me up telling me she is selling one of each. 180 and a 125. After seeing the depth difference, and the height, it had me sold, and I bought it the next day (I had to let her drain it and move her discus over to a different tank)

Having 2 feet of depth is HUGE. Allows me to build a nice tall rock wall and have plenty of room in the front of my tank for the guys to swim around in. I love it. The added height doesn't play as much of a role as the fish don't tend to be up as high, but dang, I love it. Plus, you can have just that many more fish in the end!

However, I got lucky. IF you think you will be happy at the end of the day with a 125 and have no regrets, then do it. But if you are going to want to move bigger down the road then save the money and hassle now, and do it once, do it right. Even if it slows you down, it is worth the time and aggravation later on that you didn't do it properly when you had the chance. If you are so close to being able to achieve your dream tank right now, then isn't it worth the slight delay? Rather then buying the 125, building it, then having to upgrade all that **** again in say a year anyways?

Just my .02 cents

PS: mine is 6 ft x 2 ft x 2 ft.


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## theyangman (Nov 5, 2011)

OLD setup:


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## hawkkerw (Jan 31, 2012)

Again Thanks for all of your advice everyone.

Wow, that 180 is very nice it looks so huge when your used of a 55 gallon. Very Nice pictures, seems like it would open up so many options when it comes to fish you can keep  $$$


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## matt121966 (Mar 6, 2012)

i actually find a bunch of 180 g's for sale on craigslist almost same price as 125's or smaller.

alsmost bought a 90 today - $400 for tank, stand and fulval 400 filter.

180 with cherry stand and lights for 350.00


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