erik921
Member
After a long break from the hobby, I've decided to jump back in. Over the past many years, I've been satisfying my saltwater obsession with diving, but after my last trip to the Philippines I've finally broke down and decided I needed a tank. My last tank was done on a college kid's budget and this time around I'm going to do it right. I travel pretty regularly for work, so automation will be important. The tank is a hair smaller then I'd like, but I have limited spaces where it can go, and I'm on the second floor, so already somewhat concerned with weight. I'm not totally done with the planning, but I'm getting the ball rolling with this thread.
So far here is the tentative gear selection:
Tank:
32"L x 24"H x 20"D
5/8" sides
3/4" bottom
I live in an earthquake prone area and just couldn't get on board with acrylic, so I've upped the thickness from 0.5" recommended by the manufacture which should bump the safety factor from 3-5 to about 8.
Stand:
Steel stand - primarily fabricated from 1"x0.125" angle
I'll go into the stand construction in more detail in later posts, but here is a rough summary. A 1"X0.049" square tube frame will sit under the tank to provide a rigid flat surface and 1/2" particle board on top of that. Drawer and equipment cabinet to be mounted inside stand.
I still need to do some simulation, but my initial calculations show this should be more than strong enough to support the tank.
Circulation:
-2x Tunze Turbelle Nanostream 6055 (in tank)
-Sicce Syncra 3.0 return pump - estimating ~5x turnover with loss etc.
Additional equipment:
-Apex Controller
-iPad display (have an old one lying around)
-Tunze osmolator ATO system
Sump:
There is space for ~30 gal sump. I'd like to dedicate ~5gal to an ATO resevoir. In the remaining space, I'm still debating whether to go fully custom or try to use something off the shelf. In an ideal world I'd like space for a decent size fuge which seems like a tight squeeze for anything off the shelf in my foot print. Still working through some options. I plan to use a skimmer, but specific model still TBD.
Live Rock:
Leaning towards TBS. I've been debating starting with dry rock, but half of the joy for me is the array of tiny little inverts you find in your tank and I don't think I'll be happy with a beautiful, pest free tank that is missing all that life.
So far here is the tentative gear selection:
Tank:
32"L x 24"H x 20"D
5/8" sides
3/4" bottom
I live in an earthquake prone area and just couldn't get on board with acrylic, so I've upped the thickness from 0.5" recommended by the manufacture which should bump the safety factor from 3-5 to about 8.
Stand:
Steel stand - primarily fabricated from 1"x0.125" angle
I'll go into the stand construction in more detail in later posts, but here is a rough summary. A 1"X0.049" square tube frame will sit under the tank to provide a rigid flat surface and 1/2" particle board on top of that. Drawer and equipment cabinet to be mounted inside stand.
I still need to do some simulation, but my initial calculations show this should be more than strong enough to support the tank.
Circulation:
-2x Tunze Turbelle Nanostream 6055 (in tank)
-Sicce Syncra 3.0 return pump - estimating ~5x turnover with loss etc.
Additional equipment:
-Apex Controller
-iPad display (have an old one lying around)
-Tunze osmolator ATO system
Sump:
There is space for ~30 gal sump. I'd like to dedicate ~5gal to an ATO resevoir. In the remaining space, I'm still debating whether to go fully custom or try to use something off the shelf. In an ideal world I'd like space for a decent size fuge which seems like a tight squeeze for anything off the shelf in my foot print. Still working through some options. I plan to use a skimmer, but specific model still TBD.
Live Rock:
Leaning towards TBS. I've been debating starting with dry rock, but half of the joy for me is the array of tiny little inverts you find in your tank and I don't think I'll be happy with a beautiful, pest free tank that is missing all that life.
