What to look dor in buying a bigger tank.

[Sam.Caz]

I want to get a bigger tank anything 55g or bigger. I have a 36g bowfront that had a black painted back which I regret and I dont have a sump so I dont know what to look for in that area or what everything means. I've read a lot of posts of other peoples question when interested in buying another tank but I dont know what to look for like drilled, bracing. :confused: So what should I look for? I need everyones knowledge. Thank you.

[Sam.Caz]

Also I saw a new tank like the nano but its the Red Sea 65g. But of course the back is painted black. Is that a problem in the long run? As far as will I regret not being able to see the back? Would this tank be ideal? I should also mention that this tank maybe moved within the next year. Military. So as far as waiting, well my tank will always be moved. Thanks again.

[Europhyllia]

I will be upgrading from a 125g undrilled tank to a 215g drilled tank in a few months.
The undrilled with regular overflow boxes actually didn't bother me much until I had to make screen lids for the tank (got 'flying fish' now ;) ). I think the 'reef-ready' (meaning drilled) will be nice though.
If you are buying used inquire about scratches and potential defects. For example I will be selling my 125g cheap because it does have some scratches on the front and whoever will get it should probably turn it around and make that the backside. So if you buy used identifying small defects can save you money.
Bracing... I got bracing now and will have bracing on the new tank. It bothers me mostly in regards to feeding but the price difference and weight difference is just too big to go with a brick tank (brick meaning super thick glass sides that don't require any center bracing)
There's also the glass itself to consider. Some people really like starfire (low iron content) glass because it distorts the colors less but I figure I got so many blue and purple bulbs a little greenish tint from the glass will be acceptable.
Do you want glass or acrylic? Personally I prefer glass. Acrylic scratches even easier. On the plus side you can fix scratches in acrylic but not scratches in glass...

[StevenSeas]

Take a look about the Red Sea, I have worked with them in person and they are great setups for what you pay. Also to my knowledge the back isnt painted black but rather is smoke colored glass (just really dark clear glass, made it easier for them to make baffles that will not have as great of potential to slip if it was acrylic.) The pluses to it for you in my opinion are this: One all inclusive built into the back means moving is a whole lot easier than taking apart and resetting up a sump style filtration system. Two The potential for a flooding tank (I am assuming that you rent wherever you move) is less because its not draining into a sump. Three plug and play capability, you litrally dont have to think about what equipment to get for the tank itself because it already comes with your skimmer, heater, pumps, 6 HO T5, mech/biological filtration. Everything is included, and yet should something get broken or lost (in a move) it would be easy enough to replace. Overall its a great tank for someone who doesnt want to worry about little things that the rest of us have to. HOWEVER that being said I personally after owning a Biocube 29 wouldnt ever buy another all-in-one tank ever again. The reason for this is stupid but its because I personally love picking out and researching all the different compontents that go into a tank. and i love to built my own fitration system be it sumps or in an all-in-one style like the tank I am currently running. But if you dont get a red sea I personally would go with a Reef Ready tank of 18 inches in width. Those overflow boxes take up a lot of room to begin with and plus 18 just makes it look better/more natural.

[funkyseamonkey]

I have a 55 and a stand. Pm me if you are interested.

[Still Learning]

I think there is a tank out there for everyone. I would assume if you are military then you would want something that you and a friend could carry. I would say a standard 90 gallon is about as big as you want to go. That is unless you and your friend are really stong!!

Like aggie said....Red Sea makes a great plug-n-play tank. But a lot of people like to tinker and that doens't really allow it.

If you want to do a high end reef...I personally would go with a 75 gallon reef-ready. You will have room to play in the space below the tank, and you have lots of room for your reef.

If you want to do a Fish Only tank...you can save some money and not get a reef-ready tank and use the canister filter or Hang-on instead.

So what kinda contents do you want in your tank?