Tanks Over 75g - Price Dramatically Increases

So, I'm pondering my next tank and I have a good spot, but I can't go long. Basically <58" wide.
Here is the spot in my living room.



That leads me to 75 gallon and 90g in standard sizes.

Right now petsmart is selling a Marineland 75 gallon with stand, led light and glass top for $300. Normally $500 they say.


They don't sell a 90g and neither does the other big box petstore.

When I'm searching for 90g online, I see a huge price increase. Is 75 gallon the limit before tanks start to get really expensive? Is there anywhere you fine people can recommend for me to shop online?

 

I have had a lotta luck on FB marketplace and KijijI finding tanks
If you don't want to buy a tank that big online for flooding reasons that makes sense though. I see ads for big tanks all the time for pretty cheap since they're hard to get rid of

 

IMO you end up overpaying on those Petco/Petsmart kits unless they are on sale. Those stands are made from particle board, not solid wood. Also some of the designs are dubious. (I saw one stand where the top of stand (where tank frame would sit) didn't have any vertical support beans, instead was glued onto frame, which was inset by an inch. I was like, huh??) I take close look to see if stand is built well.I personally prefer metal stands.

 

Check craigslist as w3ll... people often have a hard time unloading 75, often there are some with reasonable prices... Petco often has a 75, tank only, for around 100, maybe 125.

Larger tanks need thicker glass hence the price increase, however, secondhand tanks it’s usually the opposite, larger tanks resale for less, while smaller might go for more

 

I think it really depends on what is local to you. There are still specialty fish shops that stock large tanks, and their prices aren't crazy - but you have to live in their immediate area to take advantage of those prices. For the rest of us in aquarium deserts, yeah, if you can't get it at Petco/Petsmart prepare to cough up for a special order.

Definitely reach out to any LFS within a reasonable area. They may not have them in the store, but their distributor should be able to special order it in for you, and it may not be as crazy you'd think since it would be coming with their other trucked supplies.

 

Hi,

Larger tanks need thicker glass hence the price increase, however, secondhand tanks it’s usually the opposite, larger tanks resale for less, while smaller might go for more

Just to qualify this, taller tanks require thicker glass. Given a 90G is typically 3" taller than a 75G, but same width, it's the height that means thicker glass is required, thus the glass will be more expensive.

So as an example, I'd expect a standard 125G to be about the same price as a standard 90G, simply because, whilst there is more glass in the 125G, the extra thickness needed for the heigher 90G would probably equate to about the same size.

And a standard 75G is the same height as a 125G, thus the thickness of the glass is probably the same.

Note: when talking thickness, I'm referring to side panels. The wider the tank, sometimes the thicker the base to cope with the weight.


EDIT: As an alternative, if it's suitable, you could look at acrylic. Acrylic is generally cheaper than glass, especially for larger builds.

 

Hi

Wait till petco has a dollar per gallon sale, 29gal = $29, For Larger aquariums like the 40gal, 55gal, and 75gal they are 50% off instead of $1 per gallon.

 

Hi

Wait till petco has a dollar per gallon sale, 29gal = $29, For Larger aquariums like the 40gal, 55gal, and 75gal they are 50% off instead of $1 per gallon.

They are having it, until February 2nd.

 

The issue is, once you get into larger tanks, they aren't selling as many and you aren't getting rock bottom pricing because of this. As mentioned earlier, try and get with a lfs and get their prices. I paid a lot for my larger tank, but I wanted new with certain features. If you just want a plain old 90 gallon I can imagine it being too crazy. Build your own stand. Pet store ones aren't that good typically. I can't remember who made mine, but its well built and wasn't very expensive. I got it through the same distributor as my tank.

 

Pretty much all of my big tanks came from Craigslist. Watch it like a hawk if you're trying to buy a new tank because the good deals go fast. I got my 75 for $100 on there. It came with everything needed, including two large pieces of driftwood. The lady said the largest piece of wood was $100 alone. I also got a 120 on there that had a massive leak in the bottom for $20, and a 125 that had a small leak in the corner for about $50 if I recall correctly. Just get on there daily to get first dibs on what's being posted until you find your tank. Good luck!