If you’ve been raising aquarium fish for a few years already and enjoy the hobby but find that your tank’s capacity is limiting what you want do, it may be time to upgrade to a larger capacity. Though 200-gallon tanks are not recommended for beginners, they offer limitless options for an experienced hobbyist who has the time, and the creativity, to construct a stunning display.

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To start with, you have to make sure you have the budget for this upgrade. Everything will need to be bigger -- not only your tank but the heater, the filter, the substrate layer, the lighting, and of course the plants and fish you will populate your tank with. You also need a sturdy piece of furniture to place your tank on. Tanks this large often have a footprint of 6 feet by 2 feet or more (at more than 2 feet in height); and, because water weighs 8.35 pounds per gallon, your table must be able to bear 1,670 pounds (758 kilograms) in water, plus the weight of the tank itself, the filter and other equipment, and whatever substrate, rocks, plants, and fish you put inside the tank. The table may be your biggest expense!

In selecting a tank, your first choice will be between glass and acrylic. Most enthusiasts prefer glass, because glass is much more difficult to scratch than acrylic; glass also maintains its clarity (some types of acrylic will yellow with age), and glass is cheaper. However, acrylic is less distorting, can be molded into a variety of shapes, is lighter in weight, and is more resistant to shocks: a sharp impact will scratch the acrylic but is unlikely to shatter it, whereas glass may crack or shatter. Unless you want a VERY large tank (say, 500 gallons), or want a tank in an odd shape or with bowed sides, then glass is most often the better choice.

As for substrate, you can quickly calculate the amount you will need to cover the bottom of your tank at an average depth of two inches. Multiply the aquarium’s length by its width (in inches), then divide by ten. The resulting number is the number of pounds of gravel you will need. So, if your tank is 72 x 24 inches, 72 times 24 equals 1,728; divided by ten, you will need 172 pounds of gravel. (If you are using another substance for your substrate layer, then you will need to determine the weight relative to the weight of gravel to use this formula.)

Smaller aquarium tanks are better suited for freshwater environments only, but a larger tank can easily accommodate a saltwater environment as well; you may wish to consider a reef tank, which will enable you to prominently display live corals and other marine invertebrates, as well as fish that play a role in maintaining a coral reef ecosystem.

The same 200-gallon tank, whether glass or acrylic, can hold either salt water or fresh water, but you need to choose a filter carefully. There are three primary kinds of filter: biological (which, using bacteria, converts ammonia into nitrate; mechanical (which physically removes both dissolved and particulate material from the water as it passes through); and chemical (which removes toxins through chemical reaction or absorption). Any of these systems will work with salt water as well as fresh water, but you need to ensure sufficient circulation through your filter for your large tank. If you have salt water, the total volume of water in your tank should “turn over” (pass through the filter) at least five times each hour. For a 200-gallon tank, therefore, the filter should be capable of turning over 1,000 gallons of water each hour. (For fresh water, the turnover rate can be slightly less, but at least three times per hour.)

Your aquarium heater, also, must have sufficient capacity to maintain the proper temperature throughout your tank; as a simple rule of thumb, you need 5 watts of heating power for each gallon of water. So if you need to heat your 200-gallon tank approximately 10 degrees above average room temperature, you will need as much as 1,000 watts of capacity total. It is best to get two heaters at 500 watts each and place them at opposite ends of the tank. Be sure to consult with your dealer; if you are planning a reef tank that requires a higher water temperature, for instance, you may need more heating power.

The most common kind of aquarium heater is an immersible heater, which hangs on the side of the tank, sitting partially in the water with the controls above the water line. These are relatively low-cost, but are plainly visible. Fully submersible heaters can be more easily hidden from view, but they are pricier and better suited for smaller tanks. Substrate heaters are positioned beneath the substrate layer, and are effective at promoting plant growth and heating the water uniformly. Filter heaters reside within the filter, again hiding the heater from view.

Another piece of equipment you may wish to consider is a powerhead: a submersible water pump that produces a unidirectional current. Powerheads are perfect for freshwater tanks housing river fish, as they can approximate river currents. They are also suitable for saltwater reef tanks, where underwater turbulence helps promote reef growth. For a reef tank, purchase two or more oscillating powerheads and place them in different locations, creating competing, multidirectional currents.

Once you have a basic idea about the equipment you will need, you can then decide what kind of underwater ecosystem you wish to create in your large tank. Your selection may determine precisely what kind of filter you need, or how powerful your heater needs to be, so consult carefully with your dealer in choosing your hardware.