Keep it tall, or go cube?

naterealbig

naterealbig

Premium Member
What should I do? I have a 180 tall that I bought from Rob's Reef (AWESOME deal by the way), and when I say tall I mean really tall. The tank is 42"long x 42"high x 24" deep. I have been looking at all of the "semi cube" threads in the large tanks forum and I'm starting to fall in love with the idea of one. It just so happens that when you lay my tank its side, its a semi cube. I would have to take the tank apart and have several of the sheets cut, and I would have to replace the 'top' of the tank with a new pane of glass. I was thinking of taking what would eventually be the top (one of the 42" x 42" peices) and cutting it to make the side that I need, and I can use the rest to make a brace around the top. I was also thinking buying a pane of low iron glass for the side that I need, but I have no idea of the cost of a sheet of 42x24 low iron glass. Any ideas? Any suggestions? Anyone recommend a glass place in Jax to talk to? Or, should I just leave it alone? I am going to have SPS (dominating), some LPS, and clams for sure. Here is a pic to give you an idea of how it looks, and how it could look in the future. Thanks in advance for all your help.

Nate

IMG_1203.jpg
 
Wow! I think the tank as-is is pretty darn unique! Keep it as is!

What kind of light would you put on that thing? 1000w Metal Halide?
 
i thought that tank looked familiar. It was in robs for quite awhile. Me personally its so tall i would think that it would be a huge pain in the butt to deal with because you couldn't reach the bottom. I personally would probably make it a cube....
 
I agree with both replies so far. The tank is very unique (as bubblethumper said) - but it is like that because most people wouldn't want to deal with the maitenance and placement of corals in such a high tank(as nikonosis eluded to)(sp?). I have great ideas for the aquarium both ways. I just priced a 42"x24" sheet of starphire from a local glass dealer and jax and he wants $630! I didn't realize how expensive that stuff is!
 
By the way, I'm 6'4" and if I lay on the top of the tank I can almost reach the bottom. I think that with a deeper than normal (notice I didn't say deep ) sand bed, I could probably get away with maitenance without too much of a hastle. As for the lighting question, I will probably go with 2 or 3 400watt 14k bulbs supplimented with t5's. I have read quite a few stories here on RC of deeper tanks than mine, keeping SPS's and clams from top to bottom successfully.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8743662#post8743662 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by naterealbig
I agree with both replies so far. The tank is very unique (as bubblethumper said) - but it is like that because most people wouldn't want to deal with the maitenance and placement of corals in such a high tank(as nikonosis eluded to)(sp?). I have great ideas for the aquarium both ways. I just priced a 42"x24" sheet of starphire from a local glass dealer and jax and he wants $630! I didn't realize how expensive that stuff is!
Click to expand...

it shouldn't be that expensive, thats insane.
 
I checked with www.glasscages.com and they quoted me $120 for a 24"x48" sheet. The only problem is that they won't ship it; the best thing they can do is have one of their trucks deliver it to atlanta. It would be ok, because I have a sister and brother in law there. But here's another potential problem: they only go up to 1/2" thickness. I'm not sure if that would be sufficient for this particular tank. A
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8744313#post8744313 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by naterealbig
I checked with www.glasscages.com and they quoted me $120 for a 24"x48" sheet. The only problem is that they won't ship it; the best thing they can do is have one of their trucks deliver it to atlanta. It would be ok, because I have a sister and brother in law there. But here's another potential problem: they only go up to 1/2" thickness. I'm not sure if that would be sufficient for this particular tank. A
Click to expand...

how thick is the glass on the tank now?
 
The glass is 5/8" I believe, it may be 3/4" though - I'll have to check. I'm going to do a little more research on glass thickness, I think I may be able to get away with 1/2" for a 24" tall tank - especially since it will be braced. We'll see.
 
FYI - I checked online for a glass thickness calculator and I found a chart that was taken from an article by Warren Stillwell, posted on the Federation of New Zealand Aquatic Societies, Inc website. According to the chart 12mm (.47") glass thickness is more than sufficient for a tank that is 48" long and 24" high. I'm not thinking that this is the end-all be-all, but so far I have found that 1/2 should be ok.
 
I would leave it the way it is. Messing around with that much water makes me say use caution with whatever mods you choose.
 
Well, here is something else to consider: I have talked to several "large tank" owners who have very deep tanks (48"+). Most tell me that lighting a 42" deep tank for SPS's and clams would be no problem with 400watt MH's. With the tank like it is, I would need 2x400w MH's that I would suppliment with t5's. If I changed the tank into the semi cube that we have discussed, I would need 4x400w MH's and more actinics. With extra lighting, the sheet of starphire glass, and the new cuts I would have to make on the glass I already have, I would be looking at approximately $500 bucks more on the spending budget for this potentially very expensive project........I love those cubes though. Still undecided. Ok, another question, strictly opinion - would you put the tank in the wall, (so all you could do is look through the front) or would you let it extend out into the viewing area? Lastly here is a quote from a PM from a guy who has taken apart and put back together a 125gal.

Its really not an easy job to do! What I did was use a razor blade and cut the silicone seal. This in its self is a real pain to do and getting in between the pains of glass is even harder. You may want to reconsider doing this for it is a lot of work and there is a good chance of breaking the glass. Not to mention getting all of the silicone off the glass edges and I do mean all of it cause new silicone will not glue/stick to old dried silicone.
Click to expand...
 
The tank itself weighs about 600 pounds dry. The glass on the sides is 3/4" thick, and the top and bottom are 1/2" thick. I was insanely heavy, took 5 people to get it into and out of my truck.
 
Definately. I'm going to mount it in a wall, with a dedicated "fish room" behind it. I'm building most of the equipment for it, and I'm definately 'overkillin' it. The size of the skimmer, sump, etc. will warrant a large, out of site space. I will probably have it on a stand about 36" off of the ground. Maybe a little less, depending on how the floating canopy is mounted. I'm drawing plans for everything right now with a program called Sketchup by google. I'll share when I get the plans for the skimmer drawn - you wouldn't believe how hard a (even a relatively simple) program like that one can be to learn. Any ideas?
 
i am currently building our 180g in wall.

The thread on it is in the the NFMAS members only section on The Reef Tank forum.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Height limit for seams regarding silicone sealed glass tanks
Replies
0
Views
159
Brother D
B
adova
300g DIY Acrylic Tank Recommendations
Replies
5
Views
358
griss
griss
P
DIY Hang on back Sump Tank
Replies
14
Views
554
kharmaguru
kharmaguru
D
Structural support for 125 gallon aquarium
Replies
7
Views
351
ddang
D
L
Equipment help
Replies
8
Views
116
lilredwuck
L
Back
Top