Looking to purchase a 75-100 gallon tank

I have a 75 gallon hand me down tank that is at least 20 years old with a particle board stand that is falling apart on the edges due to water exposure. I would like to upgrade to a newer tank in a similar size. Freshwater fish including loaches, rainbow fish, guppies, and plecos. I am moving soon and the reuse this tank I would probably need to strip it down and reseal it which I am not comfortable doing.

Initially I was going to get a 75 gallon kit from petco/petsmart for under $1000. But looking at the online reviews a lot of them complain about the tanks leaking after 1 year or the stands being made of cheap particle board and leaking. Any recommendations of a tank and stand combo or separately that I can purchase under $1500 including shipping? I have previously made stands for smaller tanks but no time currently for a larger stand.

Currently my thoughts are purchase an Aqueon 100 gallon tank and then purchase a reputable tank stand. But open to any suggestions.

 

Pet Smart sells acrylic clear for life tanks. A 90g may be in your budget. Hear a pic of mine. It’s now 5 yrs old. I’ve had 30 yr old acrylics that were fine!
The stand is an 80s Ethan Allen buffet. Cost $75 on marketplace.

 

Now Im wondering if the best thing would be to get an easier to move 40 gallon and then upgrade a few months after the move to a 70-100 gallon with plenty of time to shop

 

A 90g acrylic is probably lighter than a glass 40. I can easily carry mine.

 

Talk with a lfs and see what they can do for you. I ordered a 125 that way and paid wholesale cost.

Otherwise, I have several tanks from Petco - all Aqueon brand - and have not seen a leak yet. Oldest is a 2yr old 75 gallon. Alot has to do with how they are offloaded from the truck to the store by the staff. If they tweak it or try to manhandle it you'll be in trouble. It makes one wonder what happened from the store to their homes - could be user error as well.

I dislike the particle board stands with a passion and would encourage you if you have the time & tools to DIY one instead. You could probably knock a stand out in 24 hours if needed....that includes dry time for paint.

FWIW....my 29 gallon tank is from the early 90's, on original glass, and original seals. I'm the original owner - bought it with birthday money. It's gone through 2 moves and sat dry in my basement from 2014-2020. No leaks.

 

I would have to agree as far as the tanks from the early 90s IMO they were built really well and solid the glass was thicker than many of today's tanks. My old 60 gal ran over 25 years moved several times when getting a new carpet and was still in good shape. although it did start to leak on the side because the silicone started to wear which any tank could after a while, which i could have resealed but i didn't i just got a new one.it still was a pretty good run for a tank as opposed to many of today's tanks. I think a lot of things were made better back then compared to today.

 

My options are limited in my town currently. My plan currently is to get an Aqueon 55g and an Imagitarium 55g metal stand as below. My only concern is that the reviews on the 55g tank really tear apart the tank. The alternative would be top fin but reviews seem just about the same for the 55g. What is going on?

 

Well then I must be darn lucky as I have (2) 75 gallon, (2) 55 gallon, (2) 10 gallon - all Aqueon, and all from Petco with 0 leaks. I know, I just walked by all of them this morning checking on the fish.

All of these tanks were transported in the bed of my truck so they stayed level/flat.

I really wonder how these leaking tanks were transported by their new owners as that will affect their longevity.


Can't comment on the metal stand....I prefer storage so I go for closed stands and recently been making my own.

 

Well then I must be darn lucky as I have (2) 75 gallon, (2) 55 gallon, (2) 10 gallon - all Aqueon, and all from Petco with 0 leaks. I know, I just walked by all of them this morning checking on the fish.

All of these tanks were transported in the bed of my truck so they stayed level/flat.

I really wonder how these leaking tanks were transported by their new owners as that will affect their longevity.


Can't comment on the metal stand....I prefer storage so I go for closed stands and recently been making my own.

I will inspect and transport these tanks myself so I think it should be fine then.

I plan on making my own in a few months but this purchase is more limited by time. Do you have any recommended videos or guide for creating my own stand? I've made a 20g stand with 2x4 before but I have no idea how to make it look nice with shelves and cabinets.

 

I made my stand for my 125 out of 2x4's, put a top of 1/2" BCX (exterior grade) ply, and faced with 1/2" sanded ply. Painted it satin black with exterior grade paint.

Here's the frame tipped on end.


Finished product with doors installed. I have a heater vent to contend with on the left side of the stand so I put an opening in that door and covered it with speaker cloth to allow air flow but yet hide the pails I keep in there.




Stand dimensions are 73" L x 19" W x 28" H. I ended up using (8) 2x4x8 in the build. At the time, they were $3.50/ea for the 2x4.

For a 75 gallon, I'd start at a stand 49" L. Shelving I'd cut to fit using plywood and seal with paint/stain as needed. Can either use those adjustable shelf pegs and drill where ever you need/want them OR use shelf brackets OR use a 1x2 cut to size to lay the shelf on top of.

One thing I added to this stand is a 110V 18" undercabinet light. It's a godsend. It was $20 at Homely Despots and I plan on adding them to all my stands.


This was my first stand build and the next ones will be better as I learned alot on this one.

 

i think a lot of it also has to do with the kind of silicone some companies use, some could be better than others and how they apply it, also how they ship it and how companies don't test the tank before its shipped to the Consumer as far as i know. (Which i did a whole post on a while back) when got my new tank from the LFS it was bubble wrapped in thick plastic when i picked it up not sure if that's the norm when buying a new tank. I also recommend testing it first and waiting a day or so to make sure it doesn't leak.