Do u regret getting a 96 inch long tank?

[Sand]

Do u regret getting a 96 inch long tank?
my largest tank is only 48 inches long. all is well & my two Synodontis have lived happily in this tank with a few bushy nose plecos for eight years. for years we have talked about getting a 96 inch acrylic tank. the manufacturer said he could make it any length i want, so maybe 90 inches, anyway. all i keep thinking is what a pain this will be to maintain,I am the only one who cares for all the animals, etc.

1) If you have a 96 inch long tank do you regret it?

2) is there anything you wish you could change? like "oh I wish it were less gallons, or I wish it were 90" instead of 96 inches long, or I wish it were 18 inches high instead of 20 or 24, or you with it were less deep from front to back etc etc etc.
3) you know like any advice before I fork over the cash to actually have the stand and tank built?

the only thing I've come up with so far is I am having the stand built in two parts to be pushed together (easier to move it this way

 

[krichardson]

I suspect most people who have such tanks only regret them not being bigger.

 

[Woefulrelic]

I wish my 96x30 was 96x48

You'll want a dimension under 30" to get through normal door frames with door removed. 24 is more comfortable with doors.

 

[pacu mom]

I haven't read about anyone regretting that length (as in too long). Some people have found 30"+ height to be a little more difficult to do maintenance, then say a 24" tall tank. 96" x 30" x 24" tall is a pretty common tank dimension for a 300 gallon tank.

 

[altumangel]

i think people are more concern about the height and width rather then the length. i personally dont care for the length. however, i do wish my tank was wider. i would say go as wide as you can. and no taller then 30" or it gets hard to clean the glass tank unless you have long ass arms.

 

[dan518]

If set up right big tanks won't be any harder to do maintenance on then small tanks,

 

[nzafi]

If set up right big tanks won't be any harder to do maintenance on then small tanks,

Not sure I agree with this. The bigger tank allows for more error due to volume but can require more maintenance from a time perspective. For example, if you have to clean algae, siphon the gravel, or do a WC a bigger tank just requires more time. Most folks as they upgrade they start looking at ways to quicken this via python siphon, pumps, auto drips, etc. This is where your "setup" comment is 100% spot on.

When shifting from a 75g to a 180g I decided to do sand which tooks me hours upon hours to clean it properly and it still was not good enough. I then decided to remove the sand, which took me hours to do it again. In my 75g it would have just gone quicker.

To the OP, I am looking to upgrade again any the only regrets I have consistently seen are related to not going wide enough or the height. While tall aquariums are gorgeous it is very difficult to clean a tank more than 30in deep that is then 48in wide. How do you easily do that without a ladder and long cleaning tools? That is when folks start looking at bare bottom with low drains to avoid doing vacuuming.

 

[Sand]

the door frames! aw,see that's what I mean, Hadn't thought of that, thank you!

N nzafi thx for mentioning the sand! I WAS going to put sand in it,now I WON'T!

And yes the dang water changes, that's my biggest issue, I refill SUPER slowly for safety and it takes forever, plus it takes a lot of water. We sometimes have water rationing here & that's another consideration. I love the idea of a long tank, I just want less GALLONS, so I may keep the height and width down. Plus it will weigh so much less

 

[philipraposo1982]

i regret not getting a 96" tank...

 

[jaws7777]

Do u regret getting a 96 inch long tank?
my largest tank is only 48 inches long. all is well & my two Synodontis have lived happily in this tank with a few bushy nose plecos for eight years. for years we have talked about getting a 96 inch acrylic tank. the manufacturer said he could make it any length i want, so maybe 90 inches, anyway. all i keep thinking is what a pain this will be to maintain,I am the only one who cares for all the animals, etc.

1) If you have a 96 inch long tank do you regret it?

2) is there anything you wish you could change? like "oh I wish it were less gallons, or I wish it were 90" instead of 96 inches long, or I wish it were 18 inches high instead of 20 or 24, or you with it were less deep from front to back etc etc etc.
3) you know like any advice before I fork over the cash to actually have the stand and tank built?

the only thing I've come up with so far is I am having the stand built in two parts to be pushed together (easier to move it this way

I just recently set up a 96 inch tank and love it. Actually wish it was bigger. I find it easier to maintain than my 150. If you want ease of maintenence (i do) then go with sand over gravel and filter socks for mech. Easy peasy changing out socks vs squeezing out foam.

I suspect most people who have such tanks only regret them not being bigger.

+1

I wish my 96x30 was 96x48

You'll want a dimension under 30" to get through normal door frames with door removed. 24 is more comfortable with doors.

Could always go 24 inch high then flip it on its side when bringing it through the doorway. I regret going 30 inches wide and not 36 or 40