If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already made up your mind and you want to set up a large aquarium. The reasons to choose a 75+ gallon aquarium are multiple: water stability, enough room for quite a few fish, room for plants, decorations and last, but not least – gorgeous vast waterscape in your home. You’ve probably experimented a bit with smaller tanks and certainly know that a larger aquarium should be easier to maintain and much more stable than the smaller ones, once you get it cycled. You’ve now decided to “go big” and know that it’s going to cost a bit.
Setting up a 75+ gallon tank can be done within a wide range of budgets, but either way, it will be a noteworthy investment and something you don’t want to have to do more than once. Hence, you want to make sure your purchase is made right from the start as you do not want to spend a lot of money on replacing the aquarium shortly after you acquired it because it lacks certain features or is incompatible with your home.
What to look for when deciding on which 75-gallon aquarium to get?
Size & Location
It is crucial to make sure that your new aquarium will have a good, well-planned location in your home. As they tend to be large, you need to make sure that you choose your location wisely for your new 75-gallon fish tank because once set up, it will be hard to move it around. Trust me, I’ve thought about moving mine a few times and I know that it will be a difficult task. You’ll need to empty it and most likely remove the substrate and all decorations to make it possible for 2-people to handle it.
So, make sure you have the room for it and make sure you know where you’ll be placing it. Please keep it away from direct sunlight! I can not stress how important that is. If you have direct sunlight hitting your aquarium daily, then you will be overwhelmed with algae. Instead of a clear, bright, beautiful aquarium, you’ll have a green-ish foggy thing that you hate, and soon enough, you’ll be thinking of getting rid of it. So, to be concise (I get carried away sometimes), please check the measurements, consider the placement in your home and make sure that the aquarium will fit!
Accessories
A fish tank is so much more than just the actual container. If this is your first aquarium, then you’re in for a surprise! You’ll soon realize that the mini-environment that you will be creating in your fish tank takes a lot of work to start and needs quite a few things to keep it running. You’ll need lights, filters, UV Filters, Heaters, Chillers, Thermometers, Nets, water testing kits, water conditioners, medicine (wait till you get into “diagnosing my fish’ disease”), CO2, scrapers, air pump(s), vacuum cleaners, all kinds of filter material, substrate, decorations and probably a lot more than that. I don’t mean to scare you. If you’ve made up your mind, you probably know most of this anyway!.
So, with all this in mind, you need to consider what kind of accessories you will be using with the fish tank and what comes included. Most of the time, what comes included might not be enough, or you might want to replace it with a better option. This is the case with cheaper aquariums. Doing this might mean that you have to compromise and lose some of the aesthetic of the aquarium. When you replace a default filter or the default lighting system in your brand-new 75-gallon aquarium, you won’t necessarily have the same sizes for the new filter/lights/etc.
You might need to cut/drill holes to allow everything to close/fit in place. That might make for an ugly sight. Or – might cost you a bit to get replacements on the covers or custom-made covers to adjust for your changes. For example, adding a second set of lights on my aquarium meant ordering a custom 3-piece cover instead of the default 2-piece cover it came with. My advice here is – go for more expensive aquariums if they have the proper accessories included. Long-term, you will save money because you will have fewer items to replace.
Alternatively – getting a cheap 75-gallon minimum-accessory aquarium is a great option too because then you have saved some money to go for the performant filter you wanted or the brilliant, adjustable, programmable lighting system you’ve always dreamt about.
Whatever option you decide to go with, make sure that your accessories will fit and work with it nicely – this way, you will avoid unpleasant aesthetic situations or incompatibility and replacement thoughts.
The stand
You might not think about this too much as it’s not the part where the fish live in or the region that you’ll be looking at. It is, however, an essential part of your Fish Tank. I know it’s not actuallya part of it, but they usually come together as a whole, especially when we’re talking about 75+ gallon aquariums. You won’t just be able to place a 75-gallon fish tank on a random piece of furniture and fill it with water.
For an aquarium this size, you need a dedicated piece of furniture to hold it – and most important – its accessories. Either go for a kit/set that sells both the aquarium and the stand or research your desired product properly and make sure you can get a stand for it – a proper stand – otherwise, don’t order it!
If you decide to go for a kit, don’t think that all of your problems have been taken care of; Not all aquarium kits are set up for your specific plans. You might want to plant it densely – in which case you need to make sure that you have enough lights and room for your CO2 systems. Some of the lighting systems have programmable controllers – make sure you’ve got a place for those too. You might have temperature fluctuations, in which case you could need a chiller to make sure that your water doesn’t go above the safe temperature for your fish. Perhaps you’ll need space for a UV lamp too – and storing all the filter consumables and conditioners and food, etc.
Please consider how much room you need. Some stands are more design-oriented where they have open spaces underneath the aquarium for photo frames or other types of decorations – but if you ask me – when it comes to an aquarium, that’s just a waste of space! If you think that the stand in your kit won’t work for what your plans are, then consider buying the aquarium without the stand and get a different stand for it.
The best tip I can give you here is: the more space you get, the better – you can never have enough room for your aquarium accessories.
Build quality and warranty
Spending a lot of money and investing your time in an aquarium can be rewarding and you certainly can have a fantastic view of aquatic life straight in your home. That’s something that you, your family and friends would love to look at. However, it would be a pity to risk losing all that hard work and money spent because you chose poorly or didn’t allow yourself the time to research a product before acquiring it. Not to mention dangerous; when it comes to 75+ gallon fish tanks, you’re talking about a lot of water and glass (for most) that you’ll have to deal with if the worse was to happen.
Make sure that the product you buy comes from a reputable name in the industry and that it comes with a warranty – that’s a huge plus – it means that they know what they are doing and are confident in the quality provided. We try to provide you with as much information as possible, but if you can find out more about the specific product on your own – it’s even better – never hurts to know everything there is to know about a fish tank before buying it. Comments from existing owners are gold – they’ll tell you what you can expect – because you’ll be dealing with this aquarium very often once you get it.
As for the material – if you wish to go for glass or acrylic, you can check our guide here and decide for yourself what is better for what you’re planning to do.
Shape
This one’s easy – you’ll probably choose the shape based on where you want the aquarium to be placed in your home/office. If it’s a corner, then you can go with a pentagon or a square/rectangle. There are some triangle options as well. If it’s the center of the room, you probably need to get a square, round or a hexagon-shaped aquarium. However, these are rare and more expensive, due to the shape of course, but also because it is more difficult to connect everything without having wires and hoses hanging in the back – as there’s no “back” with these.
Most common shapes are rectangular and are the easiest to maintain. Also – because this is the “traditional” shape for an aquarium – most of the accessories are meant to fit a rectangular aquarium, so you might find it challenging to get certain accessories for other shapes.
Price
Usually, higher quality means a better price. It is also the case with aquariums. However, it doesn’t mean that you must go for the most expensive aquarium to be able to set up a fantastic fish tank. All you need to do is make sure you consider the items above and if it checks all your requirements – go for the most accessible one. With all the additional things that you’ll need to buy – saving money is going to be quite important – it will allow you to get better quality accessories when you need to choose again.
To try and help you spend your money wisely, we’ve rounded up some of the best options available for starting your aquarium, if you’re looking for a larger volume. All of these options have at least 75 gallons capacity and can be a great start to an impressive fish tank.
The Clear-For-Life 75 Gallon Rectangle UniQuarium provides large water capacity in a profile that maximizes the front-facing viewing area, offering more surface area through which to see your fish swim around in their environment. To make things easy for you, it comes with built-in filtration to keep the water clear.
High-quality acrylic construction affords a lightweight tank while providing more light, making it easier to see your fish. It’s ideal for any type of saltwater or freshwater environment and is backed by a limited lifetime warranty against any type of leakage (which shouldn’t be a huge problem in the first place for an acrylic tank).
a very good and versatile filtration system built-in.
Cons:Â
The top hood isn’t great for lighting an aquarium, you’ll be better off with a different solution as it won’t go edge-to-edge and that’s less than ideal for a well-planted tank.
The Red Sea REEFER 350 Rimless Aquarium 73 Gallon is an impressive kit for both beginners and expert aquarists. It comes in white or black, it is built to perfection, with rimless beveled edge glass, it has an elegant cabinet in which you get the room for everything your aquarium might need and it is extremely easy to use, maintain and set up. It is primarily built for saltwater tank setups but you can also use it for freshwater.
The kit includes the glass aquarium, the cabinet and a professional water management system – a sump, automatic top-up built-in and a very quiet down-flow system. The entire system is easy to assemble and requires no gluing.
The cabinet (which can be white or black) is sturdy, roomy, very stylish and exactly the size it needs to be so that along with the aquarium they look like a single compact unit. It is also weatherproof and – for those of you living in warmer areas or have very hot summers – it includes a ventilated area where you can install a chiller.
Everything in their water management says “professionalism”. Just take a quick look at the video below and you’ll understand what I am talking about. This kit can make even the pickiest aquarist happy. You need to consider that the lighting system is not included and you will need to get your own water pump as well. Which, for most expert aquarists is not such a bad thing.
For me, the best thing about this type of kit is the fact that you get everything you need put together by experts, and everything comes together in a single block when it is set up. You won’t have pipes or hoses hanging anywhere, external ugly systems or wires. It is a beautiful piece of work and something that will look amazing in any home!
Pros:
Professional, from top to bottom;
Gorgeous aquarium and stand;
Black and white color options;
Very good, compact setup.
Cons:
Limited/difficult customization because of the built-in system;
This aquarium provides a durable, lightweight acrylic tank in a unique hexagonal profile. It offers multiple viewing angles spanning a full 360 degrees around the perimeter of the tank, allowing you to view your aquarium no matter where you’re standing. With a lifetime leakage warranty, you can rest assured knowing you’re protected from faults or damage. This aquarium measures 29″ in length x 25″ wide x 30″ high.
For more detail on the Clear-for-Life Hexagonal Fish Tank from MyAquarium click here.
Pros:Â
great quality on the acrylic;
unique shape;
limited lifetime warranty for leakage;
varied color options for the back.
Cons:Â
if you go with the clear back option, you will need to deal with visible wires and tubes connecting top-side accessories.
The Reefer Deluxe Concept 350 Aquarium (Black) 73 Gallons with 2 x ReefLED 90 Light Fixtures – Red Sea includes everything that the product above includes (Red Sea REEFER 350 Rimless Aquarium 73 Gallon) plus 2 of Red Sea’s amazing lighting system – ReefLED 90.
For those that are looking for a great lighting set for this aquarium, it’s probably going to be hard to find anything better, especially if you’re building a reef tank. Their lighting fixtures are perfect for reefs, it sets up extremely easy in 2 steps via their WiFi connection and the useful mobile app. Once you’ve set up the first one, all additional units will connect and become part of the same “lighting block”.
The app has some really nice features like acclimation for new tanks, lunar cycles for night light and simulation of random clouds during the day. The LED units are covered with an optical-glass, hollow lens that creates homogenous light and a pleasant shimmer within your entire tank. With this, you’re practically guaranteed to have amazing coral colors – as long as you don’t screw up elsewhere of course.
Within the app you can choose color temperature and options as well as sunrise times and night light options. You will just love the night view of your reef tank with the lovely blue light from these fixtures. They are easy to move out of the way when you do any kind of maintenance and there are multiple fitting options.
You may choose to mount them on the rear of the tank or hang them from the ceiling – the latter supports up to 4 LED units. Having the option to hang them above the aquarium is an interesting touch and something that many of you might prefer. I for one would certainly consider it – although it comes at an additional cost.
Pros:
Professional, from top to bottom;
Gorgeous aquarium and stand;
Black and white color options;
Very good, compact setup;
Great LED lights.
Cons:
Limited/difficult customization because of the built-in system;
The modern rimless 80 Gallon Starfire Aquariums with Center Overflow is a high capacity glass tank measuring 32 inches in length, by 24 inches wide, by 24 inches high. Some unique features are pre-drilled design along with all pipes included, along with an overflow box to ensure your water level remains consistent at all times.
Click here to find out more details about this high-quality Starfire Aquarium.
Pros:Â
the best glass quality you can get;
amazing support;
quality plumbing included for the overflow.
Cons:Â
some of the plumbing components can break (it’s plastic after all) and you might need to replace some of them for compatibility with your filters and other accessories.
The Deep Blue Professional Edge75 rimless reef ready system by DB Edge Series Aquariums is a great start to a high-quality setup. It comes pre-drilled and includes a plumbing system, making it as easy as possible to hook up your preferred pump choice for a great powered filtration option. The placement of the plumbing system ensures you will experience no problems with water flow, something that can take some trial and error without an already existing plumbing solution. This is a glass tank that features Marineland’s own Opti-Pure technology to ensure the maximum amount of possible light passes through the tank for an enhanced viewing experience. This tank is 48 inches in length, by 18 inches wide, by 20 inches high.
The 75G Aquarium Majesty Ensemble is one of the easiest ways to get started with a 75-gallon tank since it includes both the tank itself and a stylish stand capable of supporting the weight of such a large tank.
The black base offers multiple storage areas, making it as easy as possible to keep your supplies (like fish food, nets, chemicals, and cleaning materials) within access and out of sight. It is 48 inches in length, by 18 inches Width, by 21 inches high to provide plenty of room to watch your fish swim about. In addition to the tank and stand, you’ll also get a fitted hood with matching dual lights to ensure the length of your tank is properly illuminated at all times.
The Perfecto Manufacturing APF97003 Aquarium Tank is a 75-Gallon aquarium detailed with stylish black accent features. It is 48 inches in length, by 18 inches wide, by 21 inches high, so you end up with plenty of room to house a large number of fish. It’s ideal for just about any type of fish, making a perfect home for your favorite freshwater or saltwater varieties. This is a core tank, rather than a kit, so you’ll just need to pick up some basics – like a pump and heater – before you’re ready to begin.
The Deep Blue Professional ADB11075 75-Gallon Reef Ready Glass Aquarium Tank offers an impressive profile and thick, distortion free glass to help provide advantages usually only offered from acrylic tanks, while keeping the durable advantages offered by traditional glass. It is 48 inches in length, by 18 inches wide, by 20 inches high, so you end up with an expansive landscape that’s visible from the front of the tank. You can make a home for either freshwater or saltwater / marine life in this tank, and it has plenty of room for multiple varieties of fish species or for an expansive coral reef.
For a detailed comprehensive product description and further photos of the ADB11075 read here.
The Tetra STS26923 Reptile Enclosure is a 75-Gallon tank suitable for pets like turtles or iguanas. At 48 inches in length X 18 inches wide X 20 inches high, it provides plenty of room for multiple animals or larger verities of pet options. It features easy heat lamp installation to ensure you get off on the right foot with ease. With back punch outs, you can easily route cords out of the way for a clean look. The full length of the rear lip prevents smaller pets or prey from escaping the enclosure.
The Tetra STS26926 Deluxe Slide Door Cage is a 75-gallon tank that can also be used for reptile habitats. It has a sliding front door to allow easy access to the interior for interaction and cleaning. The drain hole on the bottom allows for easy removal of liquid waste products without opening up the tank. Another nice feature of this tank is the ability to add a padlock to the front – something that’s useful for any house with children who might tamper with your animals when you’re not around. This tank can be used for reptiles or Guinea pigs.
The Deep Blue Professional ADB18080 80-Gallon Reef Ready Frag Aquarium Tank features a profile of 48” by 24” by 16” with black accents. This tank has a strong presence in any room you place it in, and high quality glass allows high visibility across a range of lighting conditions. This tank is an ideal start for just about any type of aquarium, and at 80 gallons of capacity, it offers some additional room beyond the basic 75 gallon options. It’s fully reef ready and pre-drilled, so you’ll be up and running in no time flat.
This option from All Glass Aquariums is a 90gal aquarium with black accents and Megaflow technology making it reef ready and simple to set up, to protect your aquarium from problems that result from overflow. It’s glass, and measures 48.5 inches in length, by 18.5 inches in width, by 25.4 inches high. At 90 gallons, you get a noticeably bigger tank from the smaller 75-gallon models.
The Deep Blue Professional ADB18090 90-Gallon Reef Ready Aquarium Tank measures 48 inches in length, by 18 inches wide, by 24 inches high and is made with all-glass construction. It’s a rectangular profile that’s reef ready and pre-drilled with all necessary plumbing included. This is a great tank for saltwater but can work equally well for freshwater fish.
This tank is a full 93 gallons, making it the largest option on our list. For someone who wants the best of the best, it’s hard to beat this tank. It measures 30 inches in length, by 30 inches wide, by 24 inches high and is all glass – so, needless to say, this is a fairly heavy tank. It helps to have two people to set it up. This is a cubic aquarium with a seamless frame, housing distortion-free and scratch-resistant glass for a lifetime of enjoyment.
The best tank option for your personal needs will depend on your plans, budget and size requirements. While it is hard to make a bad choice with either of the aquariums presented in this article, it is important that you remember to ensure that the tank has a proper place in your home, with no direct sunlight, it can fit there, it can hold the fish and plants you want to grow and it is compatible with the accessories you plan on using.
If you have not made your mind up try reading one of our other helpful guides:-
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