180 to 330 upgrade?

[jschultzbass]

Question for all you big tank owners. I currently have a standard 72x24x24 180 gallon SPS reef. I have been considering upgrading to a bigger tank and after some careful measurement can fit a max of 84" length. My first though is a 84x30x30 which would be roughly 330 gallons.

Do you think it is worth the upgrade? Any other suggestions? Wondering what everyone's thoughts were on it. Thanks!

[dave.m]

That would be an ecumenical matter.

Dave.M

[jschultzbass]

I know, I'm looking for reassurance that it is a good idea before a spend thousands more :)

[tom obrecht]

I think this is a personal choice whether you want to take the plunge to a larger build. However, and I might be in the minority here, bigger isn't always better. Here's my personal experience...I started (many years ago) with a used 55 gallon tank. From there I moved to a 75 gallon followed by a 180 in wall. From there we moved to a new home where I custom built a 260 into the wall/kitchen area. That tank was running for roughly 3 years then we relocated again. The 260 was growing so well I thought it was too small so the next step was a 420 custom built into the wall. At the time it was the perfect size...in retrospect it was too large. There was a lot of daily maintenance, heat issues due to a lot of lighting, chiller expense, humidity issues initial cost issues ect. That tank lasted about 2 years before the hobby became a chore rather than a relaxing get away. I ended up getting out of the hobby for a few years before I got back in on a much smaller scale. Now I did have some other issues compounding my success with the 420 (private well water being the most prevalent) but never the less large tanks are expensive, require a lot of time and can open many cans of worms such as humidity, electrical cost ect. BY no means am I trying to talk you out of a larger system but rather sit back and reevaluate whether or not you have the time and dedication for such an endeavor. Personally my two favorite tanks were the 180 and 260. Room for a variety of corals and fish yet not so huge that you have to choose between taking care of the tank and other daily activities. In my personal situation the 420 was too much and I made the choice to dismantle it. Obviously I love large systems (or I would never have seen your post here) but be aware that at some point large tanks can become too large! I hope this gives you a different perspective from first hand experience. Good luck in your endeavor!!