woodwerker
New member
Can we please have a discussion on taller tanks? I'm currently thinking about a 30" tall tank.
A Tall tank?
- Thread starter woodwerker
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woodwerker
New member
it looks like I'll be going with a 24" then:sad2:
Looks like you already knew the answer going into this discussion.
My advice...do what YOU want. If you want an extra tall tank then go for it. The people on here already gave you the reasons why it isn't ideal to build a tall tank...maybe you'll figure out a way to do it with success. If it doesn't work, then so be it...but you'll never know unless you try.
Aqueon and Marineland already make Extra High aquariums...but even those are 24" high. I can't help but wonder if there is a reason for that? Would the added height cause more pressure on the seams making a leak a higher possibility? 110 gallons are 30" tall but they have a 48" x 18" footprint.
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Mine is 36. I can get there with a net, but maintenance of the bottom is more or less...hire some sandcleaners and work with an ecosystem, not hand maintenance. Lighting is a challenge. I have a 36x36x36 wedge bowfront, and it's mostly rockwork at 105 gallons. A strong skimmer and a gyre pump are an asset.
humphreyhh
New member
I personally like shallow tanks. I like to be able to see the animals from the surface. It's just a different view for me. Feels so much closer to them too. I'm and I agree with others. The lighting has to be stronger if tank is tall.
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woodwerker
New member
Thanks for the feed back guys! I'm off to World Wide Corals here in Orlando. I will be discussing my design with them and see if it's feasible. This is what my current design is.
http://<a href="http://s825.photobucket.com/user/Woodwerker_photos/media/IMG_0173.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz171/Woodwerker_photos/IMG_0173.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0173.jpg"/></a>
http://<a href="http://s825.photobucket.com/user/Woodwerker_photos/media/IMG_0173.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="https://i825.photobucket.com/albums/zz171/Woodwerker_photos/IMG_0173.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo IMG_0173.jpg"/></a>
woodwerker
New member
OK back. They told me that the height was no problem. But he did tell me that my width wasn't ideal and he didn't think my sump would be large enough to handle the tank. See the problem here is that I'm working with an existing cabinet that I made about15 years ago. So what I've decided to do is make my tank 36x24x24. I will have to add 6 or 7 inches to the back of my existing cabinet to make this work. t these measurements this should give me around 90 gallons of display and about 37 gallon capacity on the sump. So I'm looking at about 30 gallons of usable sump. Gonna draw this thing up now then I'll post the drawing next week. Again, thanks for every ones input.
Where it says Pull Out for Sump...is that a type of drawer so that you can pull the sump out of the stand for cleaning? If so, that is an interesting idea...but is it feasible with saltwater weighing roughly 9 lbs. per gallon? 9 x 30 = 270 lbs.
I also don't understand why they told you the sump wouldn't be large enough to handle the tank? A sump isn't even a necessity for a saltwater aquarium. They are designed as places to run media, skimmers, reactors, etc...but they aren't a need to have item.
I also don't understand why they told you the sump wouldn't be large enough to handle the tank? A sump isn't even a necessity for a saltwater aquarium. They are designed as places to run media, skimmers, reactors, etc...but they aren't a need to have item.
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I've had 30-36" deep tanks before, and as already mentioned above maintenance can turn into a PITA. Even if you have long arms & can reach the bottom, it's easy to forget that you have deodorant on while doing maintenance. :uhoh2: I started timing tank maintenance to coincide with me just getting out of the shower (before putting on deodorant), but then your arms smell all fishy before bed. 
A 24" deep tank is the sweet spot for me.
A 24" deep tank is the sweet spot for me.
The sump needs to be large enough to hold enough water while the tank is running to keep the return pump submerged and still provide a little buffer for evaporation, but at the same time it also needs to have enough space to allow for the backflow of water that will drain into the sump when the power fails or the return pump is shut off. This can often be as much as 10% or more of the DT's volume. The sump also needs to be big enough to hold all of the equipment you want and need.
Like you said, you don't need a sump, but if you have a sump it definitely needs to be big enough to allow for the above, and frankly, bigger is better. Working in a sump that is barely large enough can be cramped and frustrating. Additionally if you design the sump to barely hold the equipment that you have today then you will will be stuck if you want to make changes a year or two down the line. You might want to add a new media reactor or your skimmer might fail and you could discover that the one you want to replace it with is just a few inches bigger than the original one and it won't fit.
My tank is 220G and it is 72" wide, 24" from front to back, and 30" tall. I can *barely* reach the bottom of the tank on the far side (often when I need to get something way down in the back my face will be so close to the water that my nose gets wet). I do have a grabber that I use when I can, but occasionally something will be under or behind a rock in such a way that the grabber can't get to it.
That said, even though it can be kind of a pain sometimes I *love* the 30" tall viewing window and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Once the tank is up and running you shouldn't really be reaching in and touching stuff very often anyway. As long as you know what you're getting into and realize that some maintenance might be a bit of a pain I don't think there's any reason not to go 30" tall.
That said, even though it can be kind of a pain sometimes I *love* the 30" tall viewing window and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Once the tank is up and running you shouldn't really be reaching in and touching stuff very often anyway. As long as you know what you're getting into and realize that some maintenance might be a bit of a pain I don't think there's any reason not to go 30" tall.
That makes sense.
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