custom 150 vs standard 120

[Quinn]

i was originally planning a standard 48x24x24 120 gal tank setup, but now i'm beginning to think that i'd like to go bigger. i'm thinking of having a custom 150 gal built, 48x30x24 (30 being front to back, 24 being top to bottom). this would give me more room for aquascaping, something i plan to spend a fair bit of time on. how do you folks feel about the idea?

[Canadian Man]

Hey,
Well on my next tank the front to back mesurement will be 30" .
That depth I figure will look astonishing! Especially if the tank is in the wall.
I say you cant go wrong but make sure it's still in the budget :wink:
I have no clue on how much $ that would add to the tank.

[Delphinus]

As long as you can afford it, you won't regret the extra breadth dimension.. sounds like a great tank you're planning.

[Quinn]

now i'm a bit more worried about evaporation. this thing is going in my bedroom. i guess it won't be much worse than a 120 gal. :?

[AJ_77]

now i'm a bit more worried about evaporation.
Get a glass cover made while you're at it.

[Quinn]

ok if i go with a 60x30x24 i have 187 gallons of water. this is more than 12 times as big as the original size i was going to do in december (15 gal nano). this is getting stupid. anyone wanna buy a bed?

but seriously, if i have the money and my parents will tolerate it, i will probably do it. the length and width (front to back) would be enough to accomodate the yellow tang and two heniochus i want so badly. a few questions arise.

will two 400w 10k MH fixtures provide sufficient light for 5' of water? i know this almost needs three.

jon, will the skimmer i'm getting off you be able to skim 200 gallons of water until i can upgrade (maybe in the fall). also, will the calcium reactor be sufficient?

do i need air holes in the glass top? i'm assuming so, because i'll need finger holes in it as well.

anything else i should be worried about at this point in time, considering that i am now considering an extra 67 gallons of water sitting on the second floor of my house? this tank will weigh well over a ton when it's done.

help me before i hurt myself.

[Canadian Man]

Quinn, the reactor and skimmer will be fine :wink:
Maybe go with the 120 if you are doubting it. my current tank depth is 18" and 24" is a dream. 30" is a fantasy :lol:

The lighting will be ok but it is more suited for 4 feet, but it's probably not going to be a big deal. If you get a glass top the light's will have to be probably 12" off the top so you will get a good spread anyway.

[Quinn]

i think i've reached a happy medium for now: 54x30x24 for a total volume of 168 gallons. still darn big, only 6 inches longer than before (and length is more of an issue than depth). this will also give me more room for my refugium because this way the sump can be bigger. jon you'll probably agree that the refugium could be bigger (for the rest of you, i'll try to post a final design for the sump tonight).

[Delphinus]

Umm ... do I understand correctly you're going to put a 170 gallons of water on the second floor of your house?

I would check with a structural person, possibly even your house builder, before you put that water up there. I hate to be a pessimist, but ... Murphy's Law can and does happen...

[Quinn]

should be all good, my dad built the house and he's planning to reinforce the floor. somehow i've managed to get both my parents on my side for this endeavour...

what mag pump would you guys be running for sump return on a tank of this size?

[Dresden]

Mag24 maybe or a mak-5?

[BC_Grl]

JUst to let you know, our Mag 18 is quite loud. Soemtimes it sounds like a dishwasher (or a vacuum cleaner) if you're in the next room. And if it is in your bedroom- you want silence (unless you snore). :)

[StirCrazy]

your Mag 18 isn;t normal Jeanna, I hear you got another one?

Steve

[Quinn]

the stand will be soundproofed so i'm not too concerned about noise. i think i'll stick to the 48x30x24 at this point in time. should i still get a glass cover? if so, what would the size be? i'm assuming about 44x30 to provide for aeration?

also, what is the size of a mag pump (trying to complete sump design).

[Dez]

Why don't you go 30 deep and 30 tall? I think when you come over this weekend you'll like the height of my tank. I've got a 48 x 24x30 (tall) and I love it. I wouldn't really want it 30 width because it would stick out too much, unless of course it's going behind a wall....

Just my opinion....I have worked with 12, 18, and 24 inch wide tanks and I love the 24, just right...

Des

[Quinn]

des sounds like a plan. i think after this weekend i will be able to get a lot of the final details worked out on my system. i'm itching to get going on this and if all goes as planned, i can start spending my aquarium fund next week! :D 8)

[jgoldsney]

not to disagree with Dez :) but I have worked on a tank that was 24 X 30 X 60 and it was a total pain in the but to reach the botom. Personaly I wouldn't want to work on a tank that is deeper than 24"

Joel

[Dez]

Hey Joel...

You're just short...just kidding. I've met Teevee and his arms are probably longer than mine. In my 30 inch tall tank, I can reach the bottom (but I do have a 4-5 inch sand bed). It has never been a problem...

An easier way if you're going custom anyway is to measure the length from your armpit to the end of your finger and add a few inches to compensate for the sandbed (however deep you want to go) and get a custom height. That's what my friend did on all of his tanks...

Hey Quinn, have you considered building the tank yourself, just get the glass cut and build it yourself... I've built a tank before and it's really simple... you just have to clean the glass well with vinegar before hand and mask off the edges for a nice silicone job...

Des

[Quinn]

des i don't know if i trust myself with glass. i'm sure i could recruit my dad for it though, and now that i think about it, i might be able to get a deal at a local glass shop. will any glass do? i'm thinking it will need to be about 5/8" thick...

[Dez]

I'll find out what thickness it needs to be..

Des

[Josh23]

Teevee:
Just a thought before you start building a super deep tank, what kind of lighting are you using? 30 inches is a long way down,

I like the tank size 60x30 (deep) X24 (I was thinking of building one that size myself once I move out of mom and dads house.

Are you thinking of buying it from MITCH at Inter-American Pet Suppley in Calgary. If so keep us all updated on your progress. I would like to hear some thoughts on time, quality etc.

josh

[Josh23]

another question

If you buy a tank with 30 inches of depth, how does that affect your lighting set-up. As I understand it a MH bulb is good for about 2 feet X 2 feet is that correct. With this style of set-up would you not have a shaddow either in the front or back of the tank?

Josh

[StirCrazy]

a MH can give good coverage to a 3 foot span if mounted right and using the right reflector.. but in the case with a 30 inch wide tank I personaly would leave about 4" of sand around the reef that I don't need to light anyways.. how often do you see SPS growing on the sand? well unless you have looked at Brad's tank laitly :wink:


Steve

[Delphinus]

how often do you see SPS growing on the sand?

Ummm .... have you ever seen a real reef? Plenty of acros grow right out of the sand bed. Ok, I guess there might be a superstructure of rock under the sand but to the untrained snorkelers eye they look like they're gowing out of the sand.

[StirCrazy]

sorry I ment in our average tanks.. I personaly like to keep room open around the reef to clean the glass easy.. don't know about you or anyone else but if I had the room I would have a large sand bed for the LPS that don;t need 400 watts of baking MH but in reality I would probably end up with to much rock and fill that up also... :wink:

either way a MH can light a 30" didstance with little trouble.


Steve

[BC_Grl]

Steve, we got a new Mag 18 and it is quieter than the old one, but still noisy. :(

[StirCrazy]

Steve, we got a new Mag 18 and it is quieter than the old one, but still noisy. :(

weird, you are going to have to stop buy and see if it is much noiser than my two mag 12's..

Steve

[Quinn]

hey i appreciate all this input people. i don't want to screw this up and regret a rushed decision.

i will be running two 400w german 10k MH's over the tank, not sure if i want actinics yet (or perhaps i should say, i can't afford them off the bat). i will also be doing an approx. 4" DSB. i would like to add some contours so i may look into making it deeper in some spots. i won't be going nuts with the LR, rather than making a wall of it, i want to put down a sort of L-shape mound of it. if possible i would like to leave enough room for the fish to swim around the back, but i don't know if there will be enough space. the 48x30x30 will be 187 gallons, which is a heck of a lot, so i may go with the 48x30x24 (provided i decide to go 30 deep rather than 30 high, after i see des' tank).

i am dealing with mitch at IA, yes. so far everything seems very reasonable. the 120 quote i got from him was about $450, sump at $100. getting the tank edges ground and polished added $96, but i think that's both front and back, and i might only get the front done. i'm not exactly sure how it looks yet so i can't judge. he said that if i call in advance, i can drop by their shop, which i plan to do, perhaps the morning before i head to jon's before i head to the calgary meeting. :)

[Quinn]

:!: update :!:

ok the higher-ups within the home (dad and mom) have officially declared that i cannot put more than 120 gallons of water in my bedroom. if i want to do a bigger tank in the office downstairs that's fine by them, but i'm never down there, so... 120 it is, 48x24x24.

oh well, at least it will be cheaper! :)

[BCOrchidGuy]

My LFS can get you custom tanks at an amazing cost, I got a 48x24(front to back)x20 tall for $250, took a week to get it. If you want the phone number give me a private message.

[StirCrazy]

:!: update :!:

ok the higher-ups within the home (dad and mom) have officially declared that i cannot put more than 120 gallons of water in my bedroom. if i want to do a bigger tank in the office downstairs that's fine by them, but i'm never down there, so... 120 it is, 48x24x24.

oh well, at least it will be cheaper! :)

i would start spending more time down there myself :wink:

Steve

[Quinn]

My LFS can get you custom tanks at an amazing cost, I got a 48x24(front to back)x20 tall for $250, took a week to get it. If you want the phone number give me a private message.

how thick is the glass on it, what kind of braces, and how is the cutting and siliconing? it might be worth looking into, although shipping via greyhound might kill the savings.

[StirCrazy]

it will be over 100lbs.. you can't ship greyhound anyways

Steve

[BCOrchidGuy]

Grey hound won't ship it, nope and it is heavy, 3/8s inch front/back and sides with 1/2 inch bottom if I am not mistaken. The one I got weighs about....... alot... heavy even for two strapping guys.