tank upgrade anxiety

[Littlewolf]

Need some help from large reef keepers. I currently have a 75 gallon, very patched together system that I've had running for a couple years. It's just a plain ol' marineland that I cleaned up and repainted the stand, threw a canister on with in-line UV sterilizer (stand not compatible with a sump), a HOB refugium, a HOB reef octopus protein skimmer, a couple inexpensive powerheads and a couple black box lights. It's not pretty by any means, but it runs great, my corals are growing like crazy and my fish are fat and happy. Now i'm finally looking to upgrade. I am looking at the Innovative Marine 200 EXT complete reef system. I've never run a system of that size or that complexity and I am freaking out a little. It's the size tank I have always wanted and my very supportive husband has given my the green light to go ahead and get it. I have almost hit the "checkout' button about 50 times before I have a mini anxiety attack and my ADHD brain goes "is it too big? is it too much? is it too expensive? what if it leaks? what if i can't handle a tank this size? holy **** its heavy..how will we even lift it? how will we even set this up? how will we transfer all of my babies without any of them being damaged?" and on and on.

I don't really know what I'm looking for here... talking down from my anxiety ledge? encouragement? reassurance? advice?

 

[Dburr1014]

Need some help from large reef keepers. I currently have a 75 gallon, very patched together system that I've had running for a couple years. It's just a plain ol' marineland that I cleaned up and repainted the stand, threw a canister on with in-line UV sterilizer (stand not compatible with a sump), a HOB refugium, a HOB reef octopus protein skimmer, a couple inexpensive powerheads and a couple black box lights. It's not pretty by any means, but it runs great, my corals are growing like crazy and my fish are fat and happy. Now i'm finally looking to upgrade. I am looking at the Innovative Marine 200 EXT complete reef system. I've never run a system of that size or that complexity and I am freaking out a little. It's the size tank I have always wanted and my very supportive husband has given my the green light to go ahead and get it. I have almost hit the "checkout' button about 50 times before I have a mini anxiety attack and my ADHD brain goes "is it too big? is it too much? is it too expensive? what if it leaks? what if i can't handle a tank this size? holy **** its heavy..how will we even lift it? how will we even set this up? how will we transfer all of my babies without any of them being damaged?" and on and on.

I don't really know what I'm looking for here... talking down from my anxiety ledge? encouragement? reassurance? advice?

Yup, been there doing that.
Just bought a 150 planet and it's not wet yet.
My goal is running completly by end of May. In my head is all the things I need to do for transition to safely transplant everything.

What has helped me is to write a list of what needs to be done. Then write the order of things. It has really helped and always changing until the day it gets done.
You got this, click the buy button.

 

[One Reefing Boi]

I don’t have experience with that large of a tank yet, but looking to get a custom Waterbox (450 gal display, 560 total system volume) which would be a huge upgrade from my 50gal. While I’m not ready to get it yet, don’t have the room for it till I move, I’ve done a bit of research. Some things I’ve seen people maybe not consider before taking the plunge is

1) tank weight - make sure the floor beneath it can handle the weight. Assume about 8lbs/gallon

2) cost of equipment - depending on if you want it to be a reef tank or FOWLR, equipment will be a bit more expensive. For example, you might need more lights or stronger lights, bigger and more powerful heaters and return/powerheads, etc..

3) maintenance on a larger tank - make sure you can make and store your salt and RODI water. My 50gal loses about 0.3gal/day in evaporation so I have an ATO keeping this stable (RedSea’s Reeft ATO - absolutely love it but anyways) so make sure you have plans in place for that. Also dosing food, major and minor trace elements, etc… it’s just on a larger scale.

4) sand and rocks for aqua scaping will be more $$ than on a smaller tank


All that said though, if you think through those things (and of course you measured the space and confirmed a tank would fit) - then I’d say go for it! You get to see fish mush more active and watch them explore a more diverse environment. You can get bigger fish or schools and watch more interesting behaviors amongst your babies. You also get more stability with a larger tank as things will be more stable.

For tank breaks, it’s a real nightmare worse case scenario. Not only does it most likely kill things inside the tank, that much salt water can be devastating for any house. But, IM has a good track record with quality of their tanks and just make sure again the floor can handle the weight and the tank is leveled. It’s a risk all of us takes, but a lot of times we here about the 0.001% of people who’s had horror stories with tank breaks, compared to the 99.999% of people who have tanks and haven’t had those issues.

I’d say go for it and enjoy it!

 

[Littlewolf]

Yup, been there doing that.
Just bought a 150 planet and it's not wet yet.
My goal is running completly by end of May. In my head is all the things I need to do for transition to safely transplant everything.

What has helped me is to write a list of what needs to be done. Then write the order of things. It has really helped and always changing until the day it gets done.
You got this, click the buy button.

oo thats a good idea. I was trying to visualize it last night like "ok, i can drain the tank down to this much. then we can try to slide it to the other wall and refill it while I get the other tank set up and running..." and then i started to feel a little sick thinking about it. I just know that if I'm going to do it, I should do it now before too many of my corals get too big or too encrusted and I risk damaging them more by moving everything around.

 

[exnisstech]

Just finished spending months trying to decide on a new bigger tank. I decided what dimensions I wanted without compromise and that really helped narrow down the manufacturers I had to choose from. I did have to compromise on stand height but my only others choice was going custom and I didn't want to have to diy all the plumbing. I ended up with a waterbox 330.7 It's been running a month or so now with a few small fish as the only inhabitants. I haven't gotten up the courage yet to turn on the lights and start moving stuff over from my 180g that has been up for 8 year. My Gal never should have told me she didn't care if I left the 180 up for another 6 months. It'll probably take me that long to get my nerve up to make the move lol.

EDIT: This is just 1/3 of the tank I have to move. Some of these coral are going to be destroyed

 

[Littlewolf]

I don’t have experience with that large of a tank yet, but looking to get a custom Waterbox (450 gal display, 560 total system volume) which would be a huge upgrade from my 50gal. While I’m not ready to get it yet, don’t have the room for it till I move, I’ve done a bit of research. Some things I’ve seen people maybe not consider before taking the plunge is

1) tank weight - make sure the floor beneath it can handle the weight. Assume about 8lbs/gallon

2) cost of equipment - depending on if you want it to be a reef tank or FOWLR, equipment will be a bit more expensive. For example, you might need more lights or stronger lights, bigger and more powerful heaters and return/powerheads, etc..

3) maintenance on a larger tank - make sure you can make and store your salt and RODI water. My 50gal loses about 0.3gal/day in evaporation so I have an ATO keeping this stable (RedSea’s Reeft ATO - absolutely love it but anyways) so make sure you have plans in place for that. Also dosing food, major and minor trace elements, etc… it’s just on a larger scale.

4) sand and rocks for aqua scaping will be more $$ than on a smaller tank


All that said though, if you think through those things (and of course you measured the space and confirmed a tank would fit) - then I’d say go for it! You get to see fish mush more active and watch them explore a more diverse environment. You can get bigger fish or schools and watch more interesting behaviors amongst your babies. You also get more stability with a larger tank as things will be more stable.

For tank breaks, it’s a real nightmare worse case scenario. Not only does it most likely kill things inside the tank, that much salt water can be devastating for any house. But, IM has a good track record with quality of their tanks and just make sure again the floor can handle the weight and the tank is leveled. It’s a risk all of us takes, but a lot of times we here about the 0.001% of people who’s had horror stories with tank breaks, compared to the 99.999% of people who have tanks and haven’t had those issues.

I’d say go for it and enjoy it!

all very good points, thank you. I've been thinking about this tank since I started rigging up my 75 so pretty much all of my equipment is oversized for what i needed so most things I can reuse. my power heads/gyre run at like 10% because they just move waaay too much water otherwise. I also way over-purchased rock so i have like 2 boxes extra just sitting in my garage.

Our house is all one level with cement slab and LVP floors so should be fine on that front.

The struggle i have with the 75 is that because i have no sump, all of my equipment is hanging or plumbed weird to get it to work and its just such a hassle. my ATO is just me with a bucket every couple days lol i have glass lids so it helps to limit evaporation at least.

I appreciate the encouragement. I cant even imagine setting up a tank the size you are thinking. I'm getting second hand anxiety just thinking about it.

 

[Littlewolf]

Just finished spending months trying to decide on a new bigger tank. I decided what dimensions I wanted without compromise and that really helped narrow down the manufacturers I had to choose from. I did have to compromise on stand height but my only others choice was going custom and I didn't want to have to diy all the plumbing. I ended up with a waterbox 330.7 It's been running a month or so now with a few small fish as the only inhabitants. I haven't gotten up the courage yet to turn on the lights and start moving stuff over from my 180g that has been up for 8 year. My Gal never should have told me she didn't care if I left the 180 up for another 6 months. It'll probably take me that long to get my nerve up to make the move lol.

EDIT: This is just 1/3 of the tank I have to move. Some of these coral are going to be destroyed

Yea, i was looking at having something made by glasscages because their systems are amazing, but I dont want to diy the plumbing either. I trust my ability to not flood my house only so much. That's why i picked the complete system from IM. the dimensions on the tank are good and it's hopefully as "plug and play" as I can get.

Did you have a different location picked for the larger tank? or did you have to move the other one? Thats one of my biggest hang ups. Mine has to go in the same spot so I have no idea how to get the new one set up and running unless i drain the 75 as much as i can without ticking off my fish and try to slide it across my office to a different wall temporarily.

 

[One Reefing Boi]

all very good points, thank you. I've been thinking about this tank since I started rigging up my 75 so pretty much all of my equipment is oversized for what i needed so most things I can reuse. my power heads/gyre run at like 10% because they just move waaay too much water otherwise. I also way over-purchased rock so i have like 2 boxes extra just sitting in my garage.

Our house is all one level with cement slab and LVP floors so should be fine on that front.

The struggle i have with the 75 is that because i have no sump, all of my equipment is hanging or plumbed weird to get it to work and its just such a hassle. my ATO is just me with a bucket every couple days lol i have glass lids so it helps to limit evaporation at least.

I appreciate the encouragement. I cant even imagine setting up a tank the size you are thinking. I'm getting second hand anxiety just thinking about it.

Yeah when I got the quote, the stand costs more than the tank but then I realized it’s holding up something heavier than my car so I guess it makes sense hahah. It will prob be another year or 2 but I’ll throw a build thread up on here when I do it!

That’s good you got things oversized for the 75 then! I bought a Nero 5 for my 15gal reef tank I started out with, it never left 1-2% power reusing those things will save on costs and offer some familiarity with equipment and settings and things!

I would definitely suggest an ATO though, I had done 4 years of just topping off manually and it is a night and day difference and wish I had done it sooner. Stability, going away for a few days not having to worry about water levels, and I just find it easier to add 2-3 gallons to my tank 1 day a week and the ato takes care of the rest. Other than that concrete slab should be perfectly fine then and I hope you make a build thread so we can follow along!

 

[exnisstech]

Yea, i was looking at having something made by glasscages because their systems are amazing, but I dont want to diy the plumbing either. I trust my ability to not flood my house only so much. That's why i picked the complete system from IM. the dimensions on the tank are good and it's hopefully as "plug and play" as I can get.

Did you have a different location picked for the larger tank? or did you have to move the other one? Thats one of my biggest hang ups. Mine has to go in the same spot so I have no idea how to get the new one set up and running unless i drain the 75 as much as i can without ticking off my fish and try to slide it across my office to a different wall temporarily.

Fortunately my new one is on a different wall so the old one is still running.

 

[One Reefing Boi]

Yea, i was looking at having something made by glasscages because their systems are amazing, but I dont want to diy the plumbing either. I trust my ability to not flood my house only so much. That's why i picked the complete system from IM. the dimensions on the tank are good and it's hopefully as "plug and play" as I can get.

Did you have a different location picked for the larger tank? or did you have to move the other one? Thats one of my biggest hang ups. Mine has to go in the same spot so I have no idea how to get the new one set up and running unless i drain the 75 as much as i can without ticking off my fish and try to slide it across my office to a different wall temporarily.

I hadn’t done a switch that large, but a lot of times what people will do is use the big Brute trash bins from Lowe’s/HomeDepot, clean them out and then essentially put all their tank water (or most of it) into the trash can. Then put a heater and powerhead in there too. You can then put fish into one trash bin and rocks/coral into another or if they all fit into one that’s fine. Those trash bins are great cause they’re 50ish gallons and have wheels on the bottom to slide around.

So they drain most tank/water into trash can and put rocks and fish in there (or 2 separate trash bins) with a heater and powerhead. No need for a filter for a few hours and the rocks have plenty of nitrifying bacteria.

Then scoop out the sand from the existing tank and either rinse the heck out of it or just discard it. Once most of the Sand is gone, move the old tank out and stand and slide the new one in.

Then set up the new sand (or heavily rinsed old sand + new sand) , and start filling with the new saltwater you have on hand. Try to match the new salt as closely to the existing tank as possible. Then add back the rocks and fish from the trash bin(s) and then you can either put back some of the existing water from the trash bin or just fill the rest of the new tank with existing/old tank water from the garbage bins

 

[One Reefing Boi]

Fortunately my new one is on a different wall so the old one is still running.

How do you like the Waterbox?

 

[Dragen Fiend]

That's defiantly a big jump. If you find yourself overwhelmed with your current tank, then yea I'd be rethinking it. But if you don't have issues maintaining 75 gallons. Then I'd make the jump. You'd have so much more room to work with stocking wise. I know personally myself 100 gallons would be my max lol.

The good news is, its better system with sump. You may find maintenance even easier or just the same.

Obviously the biggest hurdle is transferring. Prob the thing people hate the most.

 

[Wasabiroot]

Don't forget- you experienced success with a patched together system of budget equipment and less experience. Moving to a high quality larger system might be intimidating, but you have the knowledge base to be successful. I think the main thing you should plan for is cost, which is most likely to be the biggest adjustment for you.
Researching tank transfer methods might also put you at ease. It could be the process of upgrading, itself, rather than the tank BEING an upgrade that is unconsciously making you nervous.
Going in to this with a well laid out plan, extensive livestock research, and a concrete idea of how to move and install the new tank will help a lot. Figure out a date, coordinate and lock in some time with friends or helpers, and it will be relatively smooth!


The rest of the risks can be mitigated with warning systems/automation/etc.

I also suffer from ADHD so I totally get it. Good ol' analysis paralysis. But look at the evidence that you have currently showing you ARE capable. You are simply scaling stuff larger.

Melevs reef has some good podcast episodes about the nitty gritty stuff that might help (tank transfers, equipment, power outages, etc).

Not to mention, there are some old timers who can help guide you through any roadblocks you encounter.

Think of it this way - some of the little things you must consciously think about NOW might be solved simply by the higher quality, more functional and customizable setup the new tank provides. For example, maybe you hate your current sump - but a brand new sump custom tailored to your new tank that has its own awesome overflow might mean that is less of a concern.

 

[Reef-Engineer]

another suggestion, manage the complexity. as things get bigger, you might be tempted to add a calcium reactor, but then your pH takes a hit and you add back a kalk reactor and a fuge, but then the fuge depletes trace elements so you improveour dosing, and then corals grow so you need a frag tank, and and and and

This happened to me, and the hobby can become a job and a source of stress as opposed to a source of relaxation. With my new 300 build I am ACTIVELY trying to keep things simple. It is tough. but your future self will thank you.

 

[PharmrJohn]

Great suggestions all the way around. My first concern was how your flooring would handle the weight (as stated above). You'll find that larger tanks are easier to run. My minimum was 29G and max was 90G. The 90 was SO much easier. I'm waiting until I get an opinion on whether my floor will handle the extra weight of a 120, then I'm gonna upgrade my actual flooring from wood to tile. All that being said, I am jealous! You're gonna have a great time. Oh! And have EVERY step of a tank transfer planned out and mapped. That way, you'll minimize your livestock in a less than optimal environment.

 

[ShoreReefer]

I am completely going through the same thing. I have a patched together marineland 125 gallon and last month decided to pull the trigger on the IM 200EXT as well. Delivery is approximately another month away. I too am on a slab and going to be swapping out in the same place which means, like you, emptying out what I can, sliding the tank over about 8 feet but my problem is that I can’t put the new one in it’s spot right away because we are getting new floors installed . So I have to move the tank, fill it back up, rip up and install new floor, put new tank in place and then transfer livestock. My anxiety is through the roof thinking about it lol.
As mentioned before, write down todo notes and leave time for the unexpected. Once the new floors are finished I’m going to plan the entire transfer in one weekend.
I say pull the trigger, you got this.

 

[Littlewolf]

I hadn’t done a switch that large, but a lot of times what people will do is use the big Brute trash bins from Lowe’s/HomeDepot, clean them out and then essentially put all their tank water (or most of it) into the trash can. Then put a heater and powerhead in there too. You can then put fish into one trash bin and rocks/coral into another or if they all fit into one that’s fine. Those trash bins are great cause they’re 50ish gallons and have wheels on the bottom to slide around.

So they drain most tank/water into trash can and put rocks and fish in there (or 2 separate trash bins) with a heater and powerhead. No need for a filter for a few hours and the rocks have plenty of nitrifying bacteria.

Then scoop out the sand from the existing tank and either rinse the heck out of it or just discard it. Once most of the Sand is gone, move the old tank out and stand and slide the new one in.

Then set up the new sand (or heavily rinsed old sand + new sand) , and start filling with the new saltwater you have on hand. Try to match the new salt as closely to the existing tank as possible. Then add back the rocks and fish from the trash bin(s) and then you can either put back some of the existing water from the trash bin or just fill the rest of the new tank with existing/old tank water from the garbage bins

This was another method I definitely was considering. I already have 2 of the 44 gallon Brute cans on wheels that i use for my water changes right now, plus i have like 20 5 gallon buckets laying around I could use to place more delicate things. I'm glad you suggested it, even as a confirmation that my brain was going in the right direction with that idea.

 

[Littlewolf]

Don't forget- you experienced success with a patched together system of budget equipment and less experience. Moving to a high quality larger system might be intimidating, but you have the knowledge base to be successful. I think the main thing you should plan for is cost, which is most likely to be the biggest adjustment for you.
Researching tank transfer methods might also put you at ease. It could be the process of upgrading, itself, rather than the tank BEING an upgrade that is unconsciously making you nervous.
Going in to this with a well laid out plan, extensive livestock research, and a concrete idea of how to move and install the new tank will help a lot. Figure out a date, coordinate and lock in some time with friends or helpers, and it will be relatively smooth!


The rest of the risks can be mitigated with warning systems/automation/etc.

I also suffer from ADHD so I totally get it. Good ol' analysis paralysis. But look at the evidence that you have currently showing you ARE capable. You are simply scaling stuff larger.

Melevs reef has some good podcast episodes about the nitty gritty stuff that might help (tank transfers, equipment, power outages, etc).

Not to mention, there are some old timers who can help guide you through any roadblocks you encounter.

Think of it this way - some of the little things you must consciously think about NOW might be solved simply by the higher quality, more functional and customizable setup the new tank provides. For example, maybe you hate your current sump - but a brand new sump custom tailored to your new tank that has its own awesome overflow might mean that is less of a concern.

I don't think i've ever wanted to hug an internet stranger so much in my life...thank you for this. I get in my head so much and I forget that I've been in this hobby since like 2009 (took a long break in the middle), and that I've dealt with way cruddier tanks and equipment and somehow made it work. I'm finally to a place in my life that I have the means to do this and it's exciting, but so dang scary.

Thank you for the podcast recommendation. I will definitely check those out.

 

[Lavey29]

Just finished spending months trying to decide on a new bigger tank. I decided what dimensions I wanted without compromise and that really helped narrow down the manufacturers I had to choose from. I did have to compromise on stand height but my only others choice was going custom and I didn't want to have to diy all the plumbing. I ended up with a waterbox 330.7 It's been running a month or so now with a few small fish as the only inhabitants. I haven't gotten up the courage yet to turn on the lights and start moving stuff over from my 180g that has been up for 8 year. My Gal never should have told me she didn't care if I left the 180 up for another 6 months. It'll probably take me that long to get my nerve up to make the move lol.

EDIT: This is just 1/3 of the tank I have to move. Some of these coral are going to be destroyed

This is my fear to. Trying to migrate everything over with minimal losses.

 

[Serpentman2024]

For what its worth, that anxiety works both ways. I used to have a 300g display connected to a 750 gallon system. Once you get used to the scale, its actually kind of nice. I have more anxiety running my current 75g tank than I ever did with that big system. Keeping a successful reef is all about stability. Big systems tend to be easier to keep stable. Only downside is making changes take glacier speed.