96"long and wavebox

[marinelife]

I upgraded tank and now have a 96x30x30 so I am going to get an extention for my wavebox, but will that be enough with a tank that long with the both on the same side of the tank

 

[marinelife]

Also do you have screws so I can make the holders work on a 1"thick tank. I would love to use the magnets but they will not hold, unless you know a trick

 

[steve the plumb]

thats the same size tank I am looking at.I was going to put 1 wave box on it along with a closed loop and maybe a few powerheads.I am looking into having the overflow on the left side of the tank.The colsed loop inlet will also be on the left side with the returns on the right side of the tank.I had planned to plave the wave box next to the overflow pushing the water across the tank.I will also have a 1 inch return outlet(from sump) placed after the wave box.This will also help push water across the tank

 

[marinelife]

This tank has the overflow in the middle with the returns in the corners. my main problem is mounting the thing. The aquarium walls are 1" thick for some reason. I got the tank used at a great price and it has some scratches on the front but nothing I can not live with. I have 2 6100 streams in it with the returns right now but want to get my wavebox running. I was thinking of putting it is the front corner

 

[rvitko]

Is the tank acrylic or glass? Does it have perimeter bracing?

 

[marinelife]

1" acrylic, the bracing on the side is 4" that includes going to the edge of the tank. I am thinking of cutting holes in the bracing to make room for the holders if they will work on 1" thick acrylic. I will do the same for an wavebox addon if I need too

 

[rvitko]

That is one solution, the other is to drill holes near the top about 1/2" into the acrylic, tap a thread into them and then screw the rails into position with a nylon screw. You have to be careful doing this but a lot of specialist installers and maintanence companies use this trick.

 

[marinelife]

hmm, that does sound risky, I will have to think about this.

For this size tank should I have two waveboxes

 

[marinelife]

Also would the front corner be the best away from the rock

 

[rvitko]

That tank is so wide it would need to be roughly centered, you are at the margin of needing an extension, basically it will work but the wave will be much bigger with the extension.

 

[marinelife]

Centered you say, well that messes with my rock work then, I will have to do some rock moving to make that work.

 

[rvitko]

With an extension you could have one in front and one in the back and by centered I just mean at least 6" in from an end.

 

[marinelife]

ok 6" could work, I would only have to move two corals.

what will I look for to know if I need a second wavebox?

Thanks
Eric

 

[rvitko]

Too short of a wave.

 

[marinelife]

ok thanks for the help

 

[marinelife]

just wanted to update, that I got my holes cut and the wavebox mounted with the brackets and I am getting a 1/2" wave

 

[rvitko]

You might try tuning a bit more, the wave should crest on one side and trough on the other and be constant in height when the tuning is correct but you may well need the extension to get anymore wave height.

 

[triggerfish1976]

I started out with two waveboxes on my 96" x 48" x 30" acrylic tank and I was not happy with the wave I was getting so I added a third. They are all centered on one end. I am now getting a 1 1/2" double wave and the water motion in the tank is unreal. I am thinking about adding a fourth box but I am worried the water movement will blow out the other end of the tank .
A few things that I have noticed when trying to maximize my wave height:

1. Constant water flow seems to impede the wave frequency. I have one 1 1/2" pipe acting as my main return line and if I dial the water flow down I get a bigger wave. I am thinking about splitting the main line into four smaller lines because I hate reducing my water turnover rate.

2. I have an external overflow box that runs approx. 6' along the back of the tank. To feed the box I cut out several 1" x 6" slits in the back of the tank approx. 3" down from the top. The overflow is very efficient and displaces a lot of water but it changes the frequency of the wave.

3. Dialing in the frequency can take a while. I have spent several hours playing with the dial on the controller. You have move it a millimeter at a time to make sure you are not missing the sweetspot.

 

[marinelife]

I have been playing with it and getting different results, a second wave box maybe need to get it perfect but right now I have to spend my money on lights and building the stand and canopy. I will continue to mess with it and see what I get