Need input on final specs for my dream 250g tank.

[Hal]

My wife approved my dream tank upgrade: 72x28x30H. It'll fit into a corner of my family room right next to the hearth/fireplace. 2 sides will be viewable, but I'm designing the tank for 3 sides viewable in case I ever move (God forbid). I'm leaning towards using Miracles in Glass, but need to agree on budget.

Specs:
-72x28x30H (I'm 6' 2" and hate to stoop to look at my fish. I also plan to run a 4-6" DSB, so want the extra height to compensate.)
-Starfire glass on 3 sides
-Euro-braced top and bottom.
-Holes drilled in Euro-bracing for optional 2 Sea-swirls (back corners) and one for a float switch (safety measure to shut off return pump if water gets too high) My initial thought is to place it in the overflow so it's not visible.
-Single internal overflow in back middle (no room for external overflow)
-3 holes for a Herbie style drain (will let the tank builder decide on sizing)
-teeth sized by tank builder- Miracles suggested slightly bigger spacing than normal between the teeth because I'm running 3 MP40 vortechs.
-Dark blue backing for tank and overflow
-Clear silicon

Lighting will be 3x 250 MH in Lumenbright 3 pendants (mounted in a hood), plus 2x VHO Actinic (50")

What do you think?
Is there anything else I should consider?

 

[Hal]

64 views and not a single comment?

I'll even take a "Looks good" to calm my fears that I'm missing something.

 

[mc-cro]

You have clearly put some thought into it. At first I was a little iffy on the 30h, but if your going to offset that with a DSB, then that should work. not that it matters, height is purely a personal choice.

I wouldnt necessarily worry about the float switch, but its a nice cheap easy safety feature.

3 holes in the overflow is a good decision. I think you are referring to a beananimal overflow. 1 siphon, 1 durso style, and 1 emergency. These are great.
Although, I dont understand the logic of using larger spaces because your using vortechs? what does in tank circulation have to do with turnover through the tank?

that is going to have to be a very tall tank/canopy to put Lumenbrights in there. I initially wanted them, but the bulb has to be something like 18"+ off the water, plus the light fixture itself. You could go topless, and just hang the fixtures, or if you really want a canopy, you could go with LumenArc III. LumenArc have just as good as coverage, but spread the light better at lower heights.

What about your stand? custom built? wood, metal frame? how tall?

You also mentioned fire place, how often do you use the fireplace? Is heat going to be a factor with the tank being that close?

Do you need to support the floor?

need any more thoughts

 

[Hal]

Thanks so much for the comments. I don't think it's a Beananimal. The Herbie uses a siphon drain, emergency drain, and a return, but doesn't have the Durso's like a Beananimal. I also thought that the Beananimal needed 4 holes.

Truth be told, I don't quite understand why teeth spacing changes for higher flow. I'll ask the tankbuilder that suggested it. You're right, upon reflection, it doesn't make any sense.

I was planning on mounting the Lumenbright 3 pendants lower than 18". I've got a Lumenbright 3 non-pendant now at about 12 inches and I think it works fine. The Lumenarc 3's, as you pointed out, spreads the light more, and wider than I'm designing for.

The stand will likely be made by whoever does the tank. Probably metal with a finished wood skin. I'm trying to match some built in cabinets in the room where the tank will be.

The fireplace won't be a heat issue, but thanks for asking. My current tank is in the same spot as the new tank, but is slightly smaller, and heat isn't an issue.

Do I need to reinforce the floor? Yes. The contractors finished that this week.:fun2: 2 steel I-beams running parallel with my joists. I added a utility sink, floor drain, and sealed sump in my basement fish room too.

 

[d3hree]

Will the cabinet/stand have an enlarged lip to cover the DSB in the tank?
One thing I hate about my current tank is that I can see the side of the sand bed and it doesnt look pretty over time.
Also would you consider black silicon?...clear silicon turns green over the years and never looks as good as it did when the tank was new.

Best of luck with it, I will be following along.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

How high is your stand,I am only 5'7'' and I made my stand 42'' tall for my 240.I am like you I hate bending over looking at my tank.From the bottom of stand and top of my canopy is 80''.Your plans look good.

 

[dave.m]

I'm not sure I understand how euro-bracing would work over in internal overflow. Any pics/drawings?

Teeth on an overflow are optional, with some folks here who are dead set against them. Plastic gutter guard for eaves troughs can be used to keep beasties out. Going without teeth requires some form of added surface turbulence, however.

Dave.M

 

[acrohead500ppm]

I would go with 400 watt halides, just me though I guess

 

[Hal]

Will the cabinet/stand have an enlarged lip to cover the DSB in the tank?
One thing I hate about my current tank is that I can see the side of the sand bed and it doesnt look pretty over time.
Also would you consider black silicon?...clear silicon turns green over the years and never looks as good as it did when the tank was new..

Good point on the lip. I added it to my spec. I'm thinking some form of wood molding/trim tacked onto the top of the stand. This will necessitate sliding the tank into the stand from the back, and then sliding the tank and stand into it's final position, but that should be do-able.

I'm not a huge fan of black silicon. If I had a modern style room I would consider it, but the decor is primarily prairie style, so I think black silicon would be incongruous. The silicon on my current tank is almost 10 years old and I don't notice any discoloration.

 

[Hal]

How high is your stand,I am only 5'7'' and I made my stand 42'' tall for my 240.I am like you I hate bending over looking at my tank.From the bottom of stand and top of my canopy is 80''.Your plans look good.

I was thinking 36" since the tank itself is 30 inches. If I go much higher than that I can't stick my hand in the tank without a ladder. I need to measure my current stand (32" I think) and then add a few inches.

 

[Hal]

I'm not sure I understand how euro-bracing would work over in internal overflow. Any pics/drawings?

Teeth on an overflow are optional, with some folks here who are dead set against them. Plastic gutter guard for eaves troughs can be used to keep beasties out. Going without teeth requires some form of added surface turbulence, however.

Dave.M

For the euro-bracing I'd just have them extend into the overflow by 2-3 inches. It would interfere with access to the overflow in part, but there ought to be enough room elsewhere to get into the overflow if need be, and hopefully I'll never need to do so.

I don't want the surface to be too turbulent. I know without teeth you get better skimming of the oil that rides on the surface of the water, but I'm too worried about fish getting into the overflow. The gutter-guard type material strikes me as a little too un-refined visually, but I should probably see what that looks like.

 

[Hal]

I would go with 400 watt halides, just me though I guess

Well, I already have the 250W ballasts for my current tank (which is also 30" tall), so I think I'll stick with them.