Large Tank Questions

[jthomps123]

I will be acquiring a 72"X24"x31" tank soon and have never owned a tank so large. I have a few questions if someone can help me out.

1. Will humidity be a problem? Will I need to worry about the paint/drywall getting saturated? It is bottom drilled.

2. What sort of lighting will I need to keep sps under a 31" high tank? I assume my 150w DE HQI will only be good enough to keep sps in the upper regions of the tank? I've been wanting to switch to T5 but now think this would not be feasible?

3. Typically what sort of daily top-off demands will a tank this large have? Im trying to plan a resevoir large enough to hold a few days worth but will only have the space underneath the stand to work with most likely.

Thanks for any input.

Jason

 

[rlxwcapt]

Humidity should not be a problem in your house with a tank that size. I would forget about it.

Lighting can be an entire thread. The lighting will depend on how deep your sand bed is. What type of corals do you want to keep. What color do you like. MH w/ T5 is the best combo.

You have along ways to go till you get to top off. How are you circulating the water? What pump are you going to use to return water out of the sump. Closed loop vs power heads. Cooling and heating. Chiller or fans. lighting. all of these have a factor on evaporation. You could use .5 gallons up to 2 gallons a day.

Good luck and keep on researching. If you plan 1st it will cost you less in the end. even if the plan does not work 100%

 

[BigJay]

Re: Large Tank Questions

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13136272#post13136272 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jthomps123
I will be acquiring a 72"X24"x31" tank soon and have never owned a tank so large. I have a few questions if someone can help me out.

1. Will humidity be a problem? Will I need to worry about the paint/drywall getting saturated? It is bottom drilled.

2. What sort of lighting will I need to keep sps under a 31" high tank? I assume my 150w DE HQI will only be good enough to keep sps in the upper regions of the tank? I've been wanting to switch to T5 but now think this would not be feasible?

3. Typically what sort of daily top-off demands will a tank this large have? Im trying to plan a resevoir large enough to hold a few days worth but will only have the space underneath the stand to work with most likely.

Thanks for any input.

Jason

1. People never think about this, but it needs to be the first thing anyone considers about when planning a new tank. The additional heat and humidity added by 200+ gallons of 80 degree salt water is considerable, and it will to either be vented outside or handled by additional air conditioning, dehumidifiiers, fans, etc.

People fortunate enough to have dedicated fish-rooms usually add an extra window AC unit or dehumidifier. Those with in-wall setups usually put a duct/fan over their tank and vent the hot and humid air outside.

In my case, I added an extra half-ton capacity when I replaced my heat pump condenser and installed a duct booster fan to my living room to deal with my 180. I still question whether it was enough.

In any case, you need to worry about electrical more than you do ventilation. You're going to need more than a 15 amp circuit can provide.

2. You're going to need to look into a large T5 array with individual reflectors, or 250 to 400 watt halides on quality reflectors such as lumenbrights to penetrate that deep. Nobody buys a tank as large as yours to make a softie tank, so research your lighting options carefully. Figure out what you have space for and what you intend to keep. Buy the lights before even filling the tank.

3. It's been said before, worry about ATO later. Evaporation will depend on how you vent your tank, what equipment you use, etc.

 

[jthomps123]

Thanks for the insightful replies!
Jason

 

[illal]

to keep sps in a 31" deep tank id go with 400w mh's

 

[ricks]

Large tanks and SPS = Big wad of cash...

My .2 cents

Happy Reefing