New in wall tank, need HEIGHT suggestions!!!
- Thread starter kmu
- Start date
jjk_reef00
New member
36x36 will be amazing, any reason on going 6' instead of 8' or 10'?
kmu
New member
The room inside the tank is 85" wide and if I go with anything over 72" Im gonna start having trouble running powerheads (MP40 or MP60). Also the less space I have on the sides the harder it will be to clean the side panels with the magnet.
I like having my reef tank walls clean of calcium algae...
theReefKing
New member
Looks to me like you have the PERFECT opportunity to go 96" inches, make 36X36 viewing panels on each side wall and have the tank viewable from three sides and multiple rooms! THREE BUILT IN TANKS IN ONE!
And you would have easy access to the tank from ALL SIDES and all GLASS!
That opportunity would be something I would NEVER be able to pass up!
Argg, now you have me wanting to reframe my whole house!
And you would have easy access to the tank from ALL SIDES and all GLASS!
That opportunity would be something I would NEVER be able to pass up!
Argg, now you have me wanting to reframe my whole house!
Osteoclast
New member
I have stated this before so excuse me if you have seen a previous response. My feeling is that the show room height should dictate the tank height predominately. If you are placing it in a great room with 23' ceilings then yes you need 48" in height. If in a basement with 10' ceilings go long and wide. Think proportions and esthetics. Finally if you build in wall think resale which is the most important factor in many minds.
kmu
New member
I can go 84"x36"x36" my only problem is that it would be a very tight fit, I would only have 1" of clearance on the side tank wall to concrete wall.
The downside of going 84" long is that I wont be able to clean the side walls with a magnet and there wont be any clearance for side pumps!!!
kmu
New member
The ceiling height is around 20'+ here is a pic of the model home, but instead of the tiny aluminum lamp Im having a custom built 150 Mule Deer antler chandelier (72"x72") with sand blasted white antlers, all shed pick ups from this season.
theReefKing
New member
What I was trying to say was cut out the side walls so that you have three viewing sides. And the tank would be flush with the front wall, and the side walls.
Then you would have both a larger tank (awesome) a larger viewing area (awesome) and better access to the tank from all sides (awesome)
That is a lot of awesome!!!!
Then you would have both a larger tank (awesome) a larger viewing area (awesome) and better access to the tank from all sides (awesome)
That is a lot of awesome!!!!
kmu
New member
The only problem is that the walls are concrete walls and 8" thick, I want the tank flushed to the surface and if I wanted the tank to be viewable from the three sides I would need to move the tank inside the fishroom because the 2 corners next to the tank are load baring walls.
Im gonna remodel my office late this year or early next year, I might transfer my cube or maybe have an inwall set up that divides my office and the meeting room, maybe a 10'x24"x24"
kmu
New member
Now if I go 84x36x36 It could look like this. It would have a small 34" long x 36" tall window from the kitchen side and also on the dinning room side.
To be able to have the 3 side viewable I would need to redo all the wiring for all the electrical switches on both window sides...
To be able to have the 3 side viewable I would need to redo all the wiring for all the electrical switches on both window sides...
Don't know if you purchased your tank, but I will give you my two cents. I had a 72x30x36 acrylic tank with a center overflow that was in the middle of the room as a room divider. It was such a pain to clean. Everything including the snails would leave scratches. If sand got caught in the cleaner there would be scratches. Because of the depth I had to stand on the ladder to clean the lower portion. The acrylic scrapers were not great. I was so happy to rid myself of that tank. My next/current tank is glass 72x30x30. I love the glass, and since it is easy to clean I wish that I would have stayed with the 36. I was just nervous because of my problems with cleaning and maintaining the acrylic. I now am going to upgrade because I want taller. My plan is glass 94x36x36 with 3 external scupper boxes for overflows or one trapezoid in the center. My advice go glass and go tall.
Like stated go as big as you can......
I went 120x30x30 and yes.... Its a pita to reach the bottom of the tank when I need to..... Its also a pita cleaning the 10ft long piece of acrylic but so worth it. Going to get a magnet vs a hand held scraper one of these days. The way I see it any tank looses 3-4 inches when you consider where the base trim covers up (I like it covering up the gravel/sand) as well as how far down the lid goes (I prefer covering up the waterline). So my 30in tall tank actually only has a 26-27in window. A 24in tall tank would only have a 20-21in window.....
I priced a 12ft tank which was 3 times the price of my 10ft tank. I wanted to go 120x36x36 or 120x36x30. If I could do it over I would probably go 120x36x36.... Or 120x36x30
For you tank I would not do a 24 in deep front to back tank. Really limits the room inside the tank especially with aqua scraping. The extra 6in does a lot for making room in there..... Fish willbe much much happier!
I went 120x30x30 and yes.... Its a pita to reach the bottom of the tank when I need to..... Its also a pita cleaning the 10ft long piece of acrylic but so worth it. Going to get a magnet vs a hand held scraper one of these days. The way I see it any tank looses 3-4 inches when you consider where the base trim covers up (I like it covering up the gravel/sand) as well as how far down the lid goes (I prefer covering up the waterline). So my 30in tall tank actually only has a 26-27in window. A 24in tall tank would only have a 20-21in window.....
I priced a 12ft tank which was 3 times the price of my 10ft tank. I wanted to go 120x36x36 or 120x36x30. If I could do it over I would probably go 120x36x36.... Or 120x36x30
For you tank I would not do a 24 in deep front to back tank. Really limits the room inside the tank especially with aqua scraping. The extra 6in does a lot for making room in there..... Fish willbe much much happier!
theReefKing
New member
Load baring!!! DRATS!
What are the chances of knocking the house down and starting over?
What are the chances of knocking the house down and starting over?
pjwperth
Member
It is more important to have length and width of the tank rather than height. The simple reason is you get a greater surface area to water volume ration which inturn gives you a better rate of oxygen transfer through the waters surface. Simple water chemistry the more oxygen the better. I would not think of house resale value as an important part of choosing a tanks size as you then have to factor in the limited market you would be selling to, remember not all people love tanks as much as us and not everyone wants the hassel of looking after a tank.
kmu
New member
Ive had an acrylic cube for more than 3 years with 3/4" thick acrylic and its almost scratch free and the walls are perfectly clear of algae with minimal scratches.
Ever since I added an algae scrapper to my magnets mad cleaning the acrylic panels is very easy, only takes about 2 minutes 2 times a week.
Will you be taking the cube down or keeping it up? I am using it somewhat as a basis for my build!
Corey
Im keeping it unless I decide to upgrade it in my office.
Im seriously considering going 40" to 42" front to back
THX for the comment, will let her know!!! She is gonna look much better on the mermaid pic (of course she will not know its gonna be posted on RC)
Yes oxygen transfer is important, on my 48" cube it really helps even with keeping the temps stable also.
The resale value of the house will not be limited because it will take me no more than $300 (parts and labor) to cover all the holes in the walls. It will be a kitchen pantry for the next owner...
