I had a dream!

[oscarmeir]

Well to be exact, I've been dreaming. My local glass store will build me whatever I design for a reasonable price.
So I've had this idea for a cube. 1 meter all around. deep, wide and tall, should give me around 230 gallons.
Can I hear pros and cons of such a design?

Will lighting be an issue at a depth of 3 feet? I'm using Led panels now, would love to keep as much equipment as possible. Would I be able to keep euphilia and such on the gravel?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks,
Oscar

 

[Gorgok]

Biggest con of a tank that deep is you will probably need to go topless every time you drop something to the bottom. I would also make sure you have enough room at the top to get head and shoulders in... which limits the area available quite a bit.

My tank sits at 30" and i hate it every time i have to reach the bottom. That means i can just skim the bottom with my finger tips when my armpit is wet...

 

[oscarmeir]

Topless huh? I can live with that
I hear you though.

 

[_shorty_]

+1 about depth IMO. It would be nice to look at, but with those demensions, it will be difficult to reach the bottom, especially if you don't have easy access to at least 3 sides. In addition, your materials will cost more, as the taller your tank the thicker the glass must be. I personally have been liking the shallow large footprint tanks that have been popping up. 12 - 18 inches deep with a large footprint.

 

[oscarmeir]

Right now I have a 90 gallon, 120cm x50x 60deep. The cube idea appealed to me. Dunno shallow doesn't speak to me as loudly,

 

[SGT_York]

30" tall is doable. I wouldn't go much higher than that, just imaging scraping off the coraline alone would be a hassle.

 

[hllywd]

I'm 5'9" and can't reach the back bottom of my 30" 210 by hand, no way, no how... not even with finger tips and a wet pit. With that in mind, another few inches isn't going to make a big difference, but it won't make your life easier. Structurally your glass will need to be fairly robust for a tank that deep, I'll bet at least an inch. I love the aesthetics of a big cube, but after always having mass produced tanks, I'm considering a shallower, somewhat smaller semi-custom tank in the 48x30x20 range...

 

[Philly guy]

I also am not in favor of a tank that is deeper than 30". Like previously stated unless you have access from multiple sides you will never reach the back of the tank. Even the surface of the tank at 3 feet will be a stretch from the front. Also a lot of LED lights penetrate good to 24" to 30" but not much below that level.

Another consideration is the fish you plan to keep. Although your tank will have a large displacement there is not a lot of length for fish to stretch out an swim. If you are aiming for slow peaceful swimmers that should not be a problem, but if are looking for active fish like tangs, they won't have enough room to be happy.

 

[oscarmeir]

Thanks Guys. I guess that's one idea that's gonna stay a dream...

 

[behlke]

oscar-

I don't think anyone said it was not possible for you to have a 1 by 1 by 1 meter cube. They just say that they would not do it because they have short arms and don't want to get wet. If you want to wear goggles and a snorkel every time you want to reach the bottom of the tank that is your choice. There are also various contraptions to extend your reach when you work in the deeper aquariums.

The point is, if you really want a 1 meter cube tank, it is possible. You just need to think about the maintenance on it.

 

[oscarmeir]

True. But as the points brought up are all quite reasonable, I concur that such a tank is really not practical. While I do appreciate the aesthetic beauty of a cube tank, I'm also a reasonable guy and after all factors considered a cube that size will remain a dream for me. Maybe one day I'll go for a smaller cube, but realistically it won't hold much more then my current 90 gallon, so it would be an additional tank not an upgrade from my current set up.

Appreciate the support!

Oscar

 

[oscarmeir]

Did the math, working with Philly Guys 30 inch max, that gives me about 120 gallons (bare) so that is a 30% increase from 90 gallons, which is significant.

However fishes prefer a rectangle with less overall volume then a square with more volume. Is that a true statement?

Answering my own question here, I guess it depends on what I keep.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Oscar

 

[Philly guy]

Oscar

I don't think that fish prefer a long tank with less volume. It's just they prefer more room to swim in a straight line. I read somewhere that a rule of thumb is to give a fish at least 10 times its length in swimming length. Using that as a guide, a 6 inch tang would require a minimum of 60 inches in tank length. If you wanted to build a six foot cube, most fish would be happy but access would be next to impossible without physically getting into the tank.

You just need to take all factors into consideration, including accessibility and the inhabitants. Not just the shape that is aesthetically pleasing.