Large tanks: How wide/deep is too wide/deep?

F

fikes

Premium Member
As part of a new house project, I'm planning to add a new saltwater tank. We are still in the early planning stages, but the current thought is the tank will be 7 ft long, 4 ft wide and 3 ft deep. It will be viewable from the two long sides, with both short ends capped (for pipes, etc. to run down to the fish room in the basement).

My current tank is 30 in. deep and hexagonal, and is a royal pain to work in. I don't want to make that mistake again. Any comments from people out there with tanks 3ft deep or 4ft wide? Am I setting myself up for another hard-to-clean tank, or do those dimensions sound workable? I'm mostly worried about the 4ft width.

Thanks!
 
So your 30in deep is a PITA and you don't want to repeat that mistake so you want a 36" deep tank?? :D

My tank is 4' x 3' x 2' so the height isn't there, but the width is, definitely need to get on a stool to reach anywhere near the middle regardless of what direction I go. So there definitely is going to be an issue with working in it. If you had a fish room to access it you'd definitely have many more options as far as working on/in it, however from the way you describe it'll be a room divider type of tank, which compounds your "working on it" plan.
 
Love the 7 x 4 footprint.

Referencing the height, also consider lighting. The extra 6" will make a significant difference in PAR in the lower levels of the tank. Not sure what you are running now but 400's with decent reflectors should do the job.

Personally, to me, 27-30" is ideal height as it is relatively easy to work on with tongs, etc. 36" can be rough doing work in the lower 1' of the tank.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14610784#post14610784 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SALT WATER CRAZ
just make sure you can get in the tank from both sides and it wont be to bad.
Click to expand...


You will want some of these.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3728+4018&pcatid=4018

a nice mag for cleaning. (size to the thickness of the tank.)

https://diyreef.authsecure.com/shop...d=342&osCsid=977861846f303ba90b06594208fe2ab1

And a kent scraper.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3728+4072&pcatid=4072

my tank is 72x36x26 its not to bad the stands 36" tall so i have to get on a stool th reach the top of the tank.
 
Re: Large tanks: How wide/deep is too wide/deep?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14610590#post14610590 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fikes
As part of a new house project, I'm planning to add a new saltwater tank. We are still in the early planning stages, but the current thought is the tank will be 7 ft long, 4 ft wide and 3 ft deep. It will be viewable from the two long sides, with both short ends capped (for pipes, etc. to run down to the fish room in the basement).

My current tank is 30 in. deep and hexagonal, and is a royal pain to work in. I don't want to make that mistake again. Any comments from people out there with tanks 3ft deep or 4ft wide? Am I setting myself up for another hard-to-clean tank, or do those dimensions sound workable? I'm mostly worried about the 4ft width.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
48" width is awesome. You won't be reaching across 48" to clean the opposite side viewing pane, will you? (Probably not!)
36" depth is what you should be concerned about ;)
 
My 180 bowfront is 30" deep and is a royal PITA to reach the bottom. I have it in- wall with a fish room behind it and a built-in step on the back. I'm also 6'-2" and have to LEAN way down to get to the bottom front. Next time i'll do something like 96"l x 36/48"w x 24"h. Save yourself the hassle, it's not worth the extra gallons, IMO.
 
The depth is going to be the big killer, 4 feet across should be fine but I've had tanks 26 and 27 inches deep and that seems to be just about perfect, I still need a short step stool but its very managable.
 
I would try 30 or so inches tall.. I am in the process of designing my tank right now and it is going to be 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 30 inches tall. Anything above 30" tall is kinda a pain to clean.

Thanks Erik
 
there's nothing more impressive than a tall tank....i agree 30"h is great for service

my current project is 18'l x 48"h x 30"w and its not that much of a pain to service

just remember the taller u go the more $$ it is for the tank
 
Thanks for all the feedback. It was certainly helpful. :)

It sounds like the consensus is:

+ I'm going to need a stool

+ 30 inches or less is a better height for service, and is better from a wattage perspective. This corresponds to what I've learned by servicing my current 30" tank, although I think most of my trouble comes from the bracing (9" deep in the front, w/ a 9" x 20" service hole).

+ 48 inches is not too wide, especially since it will be accessible for cleaning from both sides. I'm excited to hear this. I think the extra width is really going to be fantastic.
 
Go with mightymagnets.com and check out their algae dozer (gets coraline) and algae cutter sock (good for those hard brown spots). Then reaching into the tank to clean shouldn't be a problem.
 
That's not a half bad idea, if you have a bar/shelf at the bottom of the tank you can make the top part of the wall slide away from the tank.
 
When i plan my next tank (96l x 36/48d x 24h) for the new house i believe i will use this method. Beats trying to fuddle around on a stool, IMO. I wouldn't want a" Deuce Bigalo" incident to occur. :)
 
i would make the tank bigger. The problem is that its not quite deep enough to be able to get into it. I would go 48"deep at least if not 5ft, than you can jsut strap on a wetsuit nd hop in haha.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
Need sanity check on Deep Sand Bed Cleaning
Replies
3
Views
216
wvned
wvned
D
Rimless cube 17 or 18 inch wide and long AND 15-16 deep???? NOT all in one?
Replies
2
Views
292
Reefing102
Reefing102
Coral Dilema
Using an old new tank?
Replies
2
Views
174
Reefing102
Reefing102
Itchy Trigger
Heaters for Sump and for Storage Tanks
Replies
2
Views
126
aquaman67
aquaman67
Jyetman
Leveling New Tank on Rug
Replies
5
Views
357
Jyetman
Jyetman
Back
Top