I am looking at a 180 gallon tank. I have had smaller tanks, up to 55 gallons, but really want to jump into the monster fish category. I am leaning towards acrylic primarily due to the logistics (getting it into the basement) but also for longevity. I would love to stay at $1k for the tank. Any suggestions for manufactures? Should I look at glass instead? I am really just wrapping my head around all of this - any advice would be great.
Need some advice on putting together first big tank
- Thread starter rvadog
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From my experience, I’d only buy new if getting acrylic, truvu is my favorite acrylic maker. Glass will last longer and won’t scratch as easy but it’s also a lot heavier, personally with large tanks, I’d probably stick with high quality glass since two people should be able to move a 180. I’m not sure if either can be had new for under $1000 for the entire set up, probably not, but if you went with used glass and equipment, it shouldn’t be a problem
For under 1k I would looked used on Facebook or call a few LFS. Anything under 250 gallons can be glass but acrylic is definitely lighter. 2k is just a lot for a small tank. I remember when I bought a 250 for $500 8 years ago and I thought I got ripped off.. now I look around today ? idk what the hell happened but 200s go for a 800-1000 used
Focus on thickness of glass/acrylic and height of tank when looking used and compare to the specifications of brand new tanks being made for the same height/size
Honestly I would not look at new acrylic for about six months. Right now the acrylic market is getting hit super hard with the super high demand for it to put up covid barriers for all the cashiers etc world wide. So naturally the price has shot up.
I prefer glass to acrylic. Unfortunately, as jexnell pointed out with acrylic, glass tanks have also hiked their prices in the past year. I would not expect the costs to go down anytime soon or ever for that matter.
For a new 180 at the best price, best place to check imo would be a local fish shop. Oftentimes they can order a tank for you and you can avoid the shipping costs.
Other than that, ordering from a manufacturer and having a new 180 or similarly sized tank shipped to your home will probably cost around $2k, glass or acrylic.
As others have pointed out, used tanks come much cheaper, but it's often a waiting game to find a decent tank in your area and you may never get what you're looking for exactly. Plus it's used, quality can be questionable.
I prefer the DIY route these days. I can order all of the 1/2" glass, silicone, and trim I need for a 180 for around $750. But I have a bit of experience building and all the tools to do so which are added expenses...might not want to start building with something that size.
Anyways, good luck. Let us know what you come up with.
For a new 180 at the best price, best place to check imo would be a local fish shop. Oftentimes they can order a tank for you and you can avoid the shipping costs.
Other than that, ordering from a manufacturer and having a new 180 or similarly sized tank shipped to your home will probably cost around $2k, glass or acrylic.
As others have pointed out, used tanks come much cheaper, but it's often a waiting game to find a decent tank in your area and you may never get what you're looking for exactly. Plus it's used, quality can be questionable.
I prefer the DIY route these days. I can order all of the 1/2" glass, silicone, and trim I need for a 180 for around $750. But I have a bit of experience building and all the tools to do so which are added expenses...might not want to start building with something that size.
Anyways, good luck. Let us know what you come up with.
Thanks all for the advice. I've gone to see three tanks now in person and they were all of dubious quality. In other cases I was ghosted by the seller or the tank sold very quickly. I have leaned towards buying new lately to avoid the hassle of the used market and to get a bit more piece of mind on the condition. Like I said before, acrylic would be much easier to move which is a factor now with Covid more than ever.
If you go new I’d like more into fishtanksdirect, I think they’re a little more cost effective brand new and for 2100-2300 you can get yourself a larger tank than 180