240 Gal questions
- Thread starter shag26272
- Start date
asnatlas
New member
I take it you are looking at a tank from glasscages...
240 Gal Long 96 x 24 x 25
240 -5 wide 60 x 36 x 25
I would go with the 60x36x25 personally, but I love depth over length... You will have a better layout for your rock work if you go with the 36" front to back... It's worth the extra $185.00 IMO...
What do you plan on keeping in the tank... Also depends on your lighting, with the 36" depth you will have to get a bigger reflector like the L3's or something like...
240 Gal Long 96 x 24 x 25
240 -5 wide 60 x 36 x 25
I would go with the 60x36x25 personally, but I love depth over length... You will have a better layout for your rock work if you go with the 36" front to back... It's worth the extra $185.00 IMO...
What do you plan on keeping in the tank... Also depends on your lighting, with the 36" depth you will have to get a bigger reflector like the L3's or something like...
shag26272
New member
well the one I am considering is 25 inches high but the depth is 36, I plan on using it as an in wall system, im trying to find the email address of ocean view aquariums in MS or somewhere else close that makes glass tanks, the only prices I have to work with so far is glasscages , but i want to compare other builders and I really would rather not ship the thing across the entire country it would be better if I could pick it up
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
4x4x2'h is my favorite... you might want to consider it. It makes the most of lighting (a long narrow tank spills more light then a square bottom tank where lights overlap in the middle more), you can get more interesting flow, etc. Rather than a 5' or 8' front panel to view (the ends arent 'display worthy' most of the time because they are too narrow), you get a 4', 4', and 4'... like having a 12' long tank almost.
Waxxiemann
New member
I was thinking about and 8' foot versus a 6' and one of the big things for me is flow in an 8'. It seems like it would cost way more to get the same amount of flow in a 8' over a 6'.
Does anyone have any comments one this? I know it's the same volume of water but it's that long length.
Does anyone have any comments one this? I know it's the same volume of water but it's that long length.
treejohnny
New member
how big of an issue will cleaning the tank be in your decision ?
the 8' will be easier to reach the bottom for cleaning and placement where the 36" depth will make it pretty difficult in my eyes.......just my 2cents
the 8' will be easier to reach the bottom for cleaning and placement where the 36" depth will make it pretty difficult in my eyes.......just my 2cents
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Yeah, the 36" of horizontal depth could be a challenge unless the tank is accessible from both sides.
As for the 4'x4'x2' tank, Im an oddball when it comes to lighting... so my opinion may not be that common at least. the real advantage of the 240g 'square' tank is the versatility you can have with the lighting. REEFER714 and chet2m both have 4x4x2 240g tanks with good lighting, but done in very different ways.
REEFER714 uses a single 400watt 10,000K halide on a light mover moving back and forth over the tank (front to back). I believe recently he added 4' VHO actinics to the sides to suppliment the halide, but as you can see, the tank is getting the most it can out of a single 400watt halide thanks to that light-mover.
chetm2 uses a more traditional approach, of a rack that holds four 250wattDE halide pendants in fixed positions above the tank.
And SONOFGALADRIEL did an even more 'standard' approach by simply hanging two identical 4' Giesemann/Aqualine halide/T5 fixtures (like maristars) from front to back on his 240g. (sorry, cant find any pics)
Sonofgaladriels and chetm2's lighting setups are rather standard, in that what they have is the same as what an 8' 240g would have, only folded on itself.
There is another 240g that someone has here where its nothing but 24 T5 bulbs... 54watts each. Looks sweet.
REEFER714's setup takes advantage of the tank's square shape though... using a light mover to prevent stagnant shadows.
I am considering a 240g cube for when I move in a couple years, and I think I will use the following lighting...
Two 250wattDE halides on light movers moving front to back like REEFER714s, but parallel at each side of the tank. Then alongside these two halides, 2 rows of blue+ and actinic T5s running the outside of the tank parallel to the halides. And then in between the halides, 6 more T5s with blue+ and actinic bulbs. Much like REEFER714, I plan on using the convenient dimensions of the tank to get the most light into the tank with the least wattage. 240g square's allow for this more than any other tank.
Either that, or I will rip a hole in the ceiling and add a 3'x3' skylight to light the tank instead... but if I do that, the temptation would be to just step up to a 6'x6'x2' tank.
As for the 4'x4'x2' tank, Im an oddball when it comes to lighting... so my opinion may not be that common at least. the real advantage of the 240g 'square' tank is the versatility you can have with the lighting. REEFER714 and chet2m both have 4x4x2 240g tanks with good lighting, but done in very different ways.
REEFER714 uses a single 400watt 10,000K halide on a light mover moving back and forth over the tank (front to back). I believe recently he added 4' VHO actinics to the sides to suppliment the halide, but as you can see, the tank is getting the most it can out of a single 400watt halide thanks to that light-mover.
chetm2 uses a more traditional approach, of a rack that holds four 250wattDE halide pendants in fixed positions above the tank.
And SONOFGALADRIEL did an even more 'standard' approach by simply hanging two identical 4' Giesemann/Aqualine halide/T5 fixtures (like maristars) from front to back on his 240g. (sorry, cant find any pics)
Sonofgaladriels and chetm2's lighting setups are rather standard, in that what they have is the same as what an 8' 240g would have, only folded on itself.
There is another 240g that someone has here where its nothing but 24 T5 bulbs... 54watts each. Looks sweet.
REEFER714's setup takes advantage of the tank's square shape though... using a light mover to prevent stagnant shadows.
I am considering a 240g cube for when I move in a couple years, and I think I will use the following lighting...
Two 250wattDE halides on light movers moving front to back like REEFER714s, but parallel at each side of the tank. Then alongside these two halides, 2 rows of blue+ and actinic T5s running the outside of the tank parallel to the halides. And then in between the halides, 6 more T5s with blue+ and actinic bulbs. Much like REEFER714, I plan on using the convenient dimensions of the tank to get the most light into the tank with the least wattage. 240g square's allow for this more than any other tank.
Either that, or I will rip a hole in the ceiling and add a 3'x3' skylight to light the tank instead... but if I do that, the temptation would be to just step up to a 6'x6'x2' tank.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Well, the advantage of light movers is that you can get away with 1/2 the wattage... so rather than 4, you can just use 2 and get the same effect. The idea is that corals only get brief 'peak exposures' to intense sunlight in nature... during this period the cells store up as much energy as possible... like a battery. Then, when a cloud passes over, and light levels drop, the photosynthesis continues, even in darkness, for a while until the light comes back around. Its more natural than a constant peak all day long like many tanks. Its also neat because it eliminates much of the whitened spots that corals get from point-source lighting due.. from the shadows that they cast. The moving lights get light across more of the coral's surface.
You can pretty much sub 4 bulbs with 2 using this method. The only concern by some is the viewability of the tank in the unlit areas... but thats why I suggest the T5s with blue and actinic bulbs (perhaps a daylight bulb mixed in as well) across the tank. This way the corals are still viewable, and getting some light... just not the peak levels, until the halide comes back a minute or two later.
The tank I am putting together right now uses this method. I talked with Kevin Kohen (in charge of Foster&Smith's aquaculture facility) and he said that the light movers have proven themselves very well. Higher light corals get their peak levels and better coverage across their surface, and lower light corals dont mind as much because its not a constant exposuer problem like with stationary lights. He said the corals have responded very well because the lighting is so natural.
You can pretty much sub 4 bulbs with 2 using this method. The only concern by some is the viewability of the tank in the unlit areas... but thats why I suggest the T5s with blue and actinic bulbs (perhaps a daylight bulb mixed in as well) across the tank. This way the corals are still viewable, and getting some light... just not the peak levels, until the halide comes back a minute or two later.
The tank I am putting together right now uses this method. I talked with Kevin Kohen (in charge of Foster&Smith's aquaculture facility) and he said that the light movers have proven themselves very well. Higher light corals get their peak levels and better coverage across their surface, and lower light corals dont mind as much because its not a constant exposuer problem like with stationary lights. He said the corals have responded very well because the lighting is so natural.
Waxxiemann
New member
^ Cool.
I notice that Sunlight supply makes one that is realtivly cheap. I wonder what other makes there are out there. This seems like an excellent idea.
I notice that Sunlight supply makes one that is realtivly cheap. I wonder what other makes there are out there. This seems like an excellent idea.
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hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Buy the one that foster and smith sells... Gualala Light Rail 3.5 Its a great buy (notice H&S has the cheapest price by far of anyone... thats because they use tons of them at their facility... it pays to buy in bulk!). It gets great reviews as well by the hydroponics people as well... nice low-profile. There are decent ones on ebay as well... just look up 'Light Mover' and you will see... the arag mover I think its called.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
I love that tank... he took 9 corals, grew them huge, and made them look good. So many people pack so many corals into a tank that it looks like a carnival. I cant wait to get the frag tank online so that I can move everything smaller than 4" from the main tanks.
