STREAMLINEGFX
New member
Amazing tank! I love cubes. Can't wait to see stocked. Thank you for sharing.
My 330 Gallon Cube Project
- Thread starter Theron
- Start date
reefNchips
New member
its probably in here somewhere but what skimmer are you running and pump?
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13086563#post13086563 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Scott M
Beautiful tank, I love my acrylic tanks. Just a quick question though, what are the small "T's" in the end of the loc-line for?
Thanks, So far I am very happy with the arylic tank.
Inside the locline is a piece of eggcrate. It is there to keep snails, etc out when I shut down a pump.
Theron
reefNchips
New member
I just setup my 240 EV with a mag 18 and was curious as to how long it took yours to start acting right?
This weekend I finished the trim around the tank in the viewing room. I still need to add some filler and touch up the paint.
Here are some full tank shots. The bulbs are xm 20K, a little too blue for me. I may switch them later or add some 250 watt white bulbs.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25155538@N02/2734504488/" title="2008-08-04_19-31-28_1629 by tluttmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/2734504488_4fa04741cc.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2008-08-04_19-31-28_1629" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25155538@N02/2734506368/" title="2008-08-04_19-32-28_1633 by tluttmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2734506368_8780c20598.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2008-08-04_19-32-28_1633" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25155538@N02/2733679051/" title="2008-08-04_19-32-42_1634 by tluttmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3078/2733679051_fdf2624a96.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2008-08-04_19-32-42_1634" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25155538@N02/2734509906/" title="2008-08-04_19-33-18_1637 by tluttmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2734509906_09a7a16e58.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2008-08-04_19-33-18_1637" /></a>
No livestock yet. The tank is not quite cycled.
Theron
Here are some full tank shots. The bulbs are xm 20K, a little too blue for me. I may switch them later or add some 250 watt white bulbs.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25155538@N02/2734504488/" title="2008-08-04_19-31-28_1629 by tluttmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/2734504488_4fa04741cc.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2008-08-04_19-31-28_1629" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25155538@N02/2734506368/" title="2008-08-04_19-32-28_1633 by tluttmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2734506368_8780c20598.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2008-08-04_19-32-28_1633" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25155538@N02/2733679051/" title="2008-08-04_19-32-42_1634 by tluttmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3078/2733679051_fdf2624a96.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2008-08-04_19-32-42_1634" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/25155538@N02/2734509906/" title="2008-08-04_19-33-18_1637 by tluttmann, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3102/2734509906_09a7a16e58.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="2008-08-04_19-33-18_1637" /></a>
No livestock yet. The tank is not quite cycled.
Theron
If you don"t mind,,,I need Help,,, I am go with a 96x36x36-- 540 gal tank glass tank which I am that close in ordering from a group in Canada, However a local friend Keeps telling me to go with Acrylic ??? I am affraid of scratches. am I be fooooolish going with such a large tank in Glass ??
??
??<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13219371#post13219371 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by redfisher
If you don"t mind,,,I need Help,,, I am go with a 96x36x36-- 540 gal tank glass tank which I am that close in ordering from a group in Canada, However a local friend Keeps telling me to go with Acrylic ??? I am affraid of scratches. am I be fooooolish going with such a large tank in Glass ??
That is a tough question to answer. I cannot say that one tank is better than the other. I believe it the choice has to do with the individual and details about the tank. It was a hard decision at first but in the end the acrylic tank made the most sense in my case. Here are a few factors that came to play in my decision.
Weight - As you know, an acrylic tank is going to weigh less than the glass tank. In my case I am not sure how much more the glass tank would weigh, but I am going to guess 2x more. I had to get the tank into the down stairs basement. The only access was down a flight of stairs with a tight corner at the bottom. The tank was designed to barley make the corner. I wanted to make the move as easy as possible, so the acrylic was a plus here. I had to worry about scratching the tank, but not really worried about it breaking. The tank was very strong.
Built Like a Tank - I wanted the tank built with 1 inch acrylic. This thing is so strong, I cannot imagine what it would take to break it, other than a hammer. It is also has a Euro brace on the top. I have a ledge on the back of the stand for me to stand when accessing inside the tank. To get up there I grab onto the brace and use it to pull myself up. I would not do that if it was made of glass. I then lay on the brace when I need to reach to the bottom, it is 30" tall. I have no worries putting all my weight on it, it is not going to break.
Insulation - Some might think of this as a negative, as it does not allow the tank to cool efficiently. So far I think this might be a positive in my case. I have found that it does cool slowly, but it also heats slowly too. I can keep the temperature in the room warm and it will take a while to heat the tank. When the tank reaches a set temperature, a controller turns on the A/C unit in the room and fans come on to slowly cool the tank. So far it has worked well. Temperature does not change very rapidly which I think is good. I also wanted to leave the option open if I wanted to change the tank into a cold water reef in the future. The 1" acrylic will keep the tank cool and the tank will not sweat.
Clear - The acrylic is so clear. I have not seen a tank with low iron glass in person so I cannot compare the two. Even with 1" material, I cannot imagine anything being more clear than the acrylic.
Black Acrylic - This is an in-wall tank and I wanted the sides to be made with black material. By using the black acrylic, I don't see the mirror image as bad as if it was made with clear acrylic or glass. I still get some, but not as bad.
No Silicone - I don't like having silicone in the corners. I always got Carolline algae growing on it and did not like the look. I kept damaging it when I was scraping the glass and got too close with the blade.
No Shipping - I am fortunate to live somewhat close the one of the best acrylic tank manufacture in the country, Envision Acrylics. I used to live in Portland and while visiting friends and family, I stopped by James and picked up the tank. Shipping a tank of my size and dimension would have been expensive.
Scratching - Ok, this is the only negative I have with the acrylic tank. I have not had to clean the display much since I do not have the tank stocked yet. This is something I am going to have to be very careful about. I have a very nice magnet cleaner for 1" material to make it easier to clean but I am going to have to take my time and be cautious. Small scratches should not be too hard to buff out, and I believe you can do it without emptying the tank. Also since this tank is in-wall, I only have one side I have to be careful with scratches and it is only 54"x30", yours will be much larger.
So that is some of the factors that helped me come to the decision. So far I am happy with my choice. You need to look at these and see how important they are to you in your build. If you don't think you can clean the tank walls often, then glass might be the right choice. It seems that glass with low iron is the most common choice these days.
Hope this helps,
Theron
Yes that information does help, I am 5 foot 5 and i do find myself sticking my hands in my tank to shift a piece of coral or pick up a fallen torch. I just know one of these days after work while up on a foot stool doing this my belt will scratch the front and I will be ****ed.......I Realize however I will be able to buff it out..... HOWEVER the inside is a different story. I clean the front display every 3 days, usually after I get home from work basically to unwind, it may not be a great clean but I spend 10 to 15 minutes clearing the glass with my float magnet. Here is where I see myself scratching the tank. Since the display will be 36 inches deep I will not be able to touch the bottom easily and I HATE the scum that is next to the gravel so for me get close enough to the gravel and clean the display and not pick up a piece of sand or ten....Well IT WILL HAPPEN. Inside scratches I heard are not to bad however, (Theres that word again) alge grown in the scratches and the it really looks bad then. SO I am going to go with a good Glass MFG in Canada Miracles aquariums and stay with glass. Thanks again.
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