This was originally posted in the advanced forum, but I realized my mistake and chose clarify this thread and repost it here.
I'm new to saltwater, so any criticism is helpful.
I want to build a very long, narrow and low tank (plywood and acrylic). It would be 12 feet long, but only 14 inches high (some of which will be my plenum and behind plywood - the acrylic window and display area will only be 10 or 11 in. high) and 10" wide, with a matching sump, cut in half to make two (partition in the middle, two standpipes and two return pumps). I understand this would give me a display tank of ~70g or ~90g with the plenum and a total system ofabout 170 gallons. I am building it like this so that:
1. I don't want to put 100 gallons in one spot and have it fall through the floor.
2. I like the accessibility (both for viewing and for maintenance) of nano tanks but want more stability and inhabitants.
3. I want to set it into the wall so it shouldn't be in the way. I want it to be very close to the wall (and partly in it), so that I can still use the rest of the room (I am also not the only one in the house and can't fill it with tanks)
4. I have a lot of 1/4 inch acrylic. Shallow tank = thin acrylic & less lighting.
The sump would be split in half, each half would have its own overflow and 350gph pump, and one half could have the skimmer from a 90 gallon tank that someone gave me. I have a 270gph powerhead for further circulation 970gph total. is that enough or should I add more? I have two 200 gph hobs that came off a friend's mbuna tank (1370gph total). The two sumps would each have their own overflow/standpipe and 5 foot long spraybar (I built a triple set of 3 1/2 foot spraybars [13 1/2 feet total] for a reverse undergravel jet filter in my 55g freshwater that I am setting up now, and it works great on a 350gph pump, so I know it will work.)
Can I use the skimmer that came with a used 90g? Will it be useful if I do?
What kind of fish could I put in? I'd have to treat it like a bunch of 10s because its narrow or can I add something bigger? I spoke to the guy in my lfs today & he said I could keep anything I want in such a tank, as long as it can "turn around" when fully grown. How long of a fish can I get? in the freshwater forums they say the fish can be one to two thirds as long as the tank is wide except for things like rainbowfish that need more room and things like eels that need less. Can I apply this to saltwater? If so, how?
Would a refugium with plants be useful or is the plenum sufficient? Do I even need the sump?
Garf's calculator says they don't recommend anything bigger than 96 in. Am I missing something here?
I'm new to saltwater, so any criticism is helpful.
I want to build a very long, narrow and low tank (plywood and acrylic). It would be 12 feet long, but only 14 inches high (some of which will be my plenum and behind plywood - the acrylic window and display area will only be 10 or 11 in. high) and 10" wide, with a matching sump, cut in half to make two (partition in the middle, two standpipes and two return pumps). I understand this would give me a display tank of ~70g or ~90g with the plenum and a total system ofabout 170 gallons. I am building it like this so that:
1. I don't want to put 100 gallons in one spot and have it fall through the floor.
2. I like the accessibility (both for viewing and for maintenance) of nano tanks but want more stability and inhabitants.
3. I want to set it into the wall so it shouldn't be in the way. I want it to be very close to the wall (and partly in it), so that I can still use the rest of the room (I am also not the only one in the house and can't fill it with tanks)
4. I have a lot of 1/4 inch acrylic. Shallow tank = thin acrylic & less lighting.
The sump would be split in half, each half would have its own overflow and 350gph pump, and one half could have the skimmer from a 90 gallon tank that someone gave me. I have a 270gph powerhead for further circulation 970gph total. is that enough or should I add more? I have two 200 gph hobs that came off a friend's mbuna tank (1370gph total). The two sumps would each have their own overflow/standpipe and 5 foot long spraybar (I built a triple set of 3 1/2 foot spraybars [13 1/2 feet total] for a reverse undergravel jet filter in my 55g freshwater that I am setting up now, and it works great on a 350gph pump, so I know it will work.)
Can I use the skimmer that came with a used 90g? Will it be useful if I do?
What kind of fish could I put in? I'd have to treat it like a bunch of 10s because its narrow or can I add something bigger? I spoke to the guy in my lfs today & he said I could keep anything I want in such a tank, as long as it can "turn around" when fully grown. How long of a fish can I get? in the freshwater forums they say the fish can be one to two thirds as long as the tank is wide except for things like rainbowfish that need more room and things like eels that need less. Can I apply this to saltwater? If so, how?
Would a refugium with plants be useful or is the plenum sufficient? Do I even need the sump?
Garf's calculator says they don't recommend anything bigger than 96 in. Am I missing something here?
