New tank

ahlebik

ahlebik

New member
Want to pick some brains.

72x24x12 tall - I really like the look of rimless. I am still in the ordering stage and comparing prices. The plan is to order the tank in Jan.

Being rimless and, if I understood correctly on the phone, I go taller I need more support around the top edge or cross supports. I think that 72x24x14.5 would be ideal. Any reasons to reconsider said 14.5 other than it may need more support?

Inside the tank I planned on running a 1" sand bed. Again this is a frag tank and should I throw out the idea of sand all together? Bare bottom can look clean and I would not have to worry about the flow kicking the sand around in a shallow. It is just hard to imagine a saltwater tank without sand. Also there are successful bare bottom tanks, but the theory behind sand is for its filtration esp when there will be no live rock in the frag area?

Overflow: on one end of the tank. A power head to push dead spots towards the overflow. If needed a second return line that enters halfway into the tank pointing towards the over flow.

Anyone see any issues with this theory?

Is there something I should consider that I may be overlooking?

Andy
 
good sale price, but lots of bulbs to have to replace later. for my shallow tank which wont happen now i was thinking more of a 60x24x18. then 48 inch halide fixture wouldnt be out of the question which sal said he had. going back to the frag tank situation.
 
I was really leaning towards the 72" tank because I have the room. the price jump is at 48" plus. 60 vs 72 is pretty much the same.

If there wasnt yet another price jump I would go 8ft..... but then Im getting into a upgraded tank for the living room.
 
If I am not mistaken you should be able to go to 18" high if you are using 1/2" glass. After that you will have to brace or increase glass thickness.
 
ahlebik said:
I was really leaning towards the 72" tank because I have the room. the price jump is at 48" plus. 60 vs 72 is pretty much the same.

If there wasnt yet another price jump I would go 8ft..... but then Im getting into a upgraded tank for the living room.
Click to expand...

Hey Andy, it was a pleasure finally meeting you yesterday. How was Algeria? :lol: I mean Allegria? Hope it was a great show. My wife and I for the longest time have wanted to see Cirque de Sole in Vegas.

Anyways, I have also wanted to start a coral propagation tank--frag tank. I would go bare bottom on the system and introduce some tangs and wrasses that help keep the algae and critters at bay. The sand can always be used in the sump or fuge for the frag tank as part of the filtration system. There, you can have a very deep sand bed (4"+) in the sump with mangroves or chaeto. In the sump, i would keep as much live rock as can be housed with the skimmer in the sump or outside. Again, the more the better for filtration. Also, an introduction of a calcium reactor might not be a bad idea to not only maintain CA and alk levels, but also growth.

As far as lighting is concerned, I would not go with MH system. I would go either T5 or LED. There is a lot of heat that will go through the system and with an MH light, you will not want the additional heat. Thus constituting a chiller to maintain temp.

If you do a lot of reading and research like I do (in which i know you do), here is a forum of a frag tank that I know you will enjoy. It is along the same path as what you want to accomplish. I am going to build the same thing as well, well when we move. I read the whole thing in 2 nights and was impressed with the system and its simplicity.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1215102
 
benjabba said:
If I am not mistaken you should be able to go to 18" high if you are using 1/2" glass. After that you will have to brace or increase glass thickness.
Click to expand...

It was my first call to glass cages. They asked what I wanted and they told me ways it could be done. No matter what it seemed like they wanted one support or a edge around the top. The call was for a quote so I know where I stand come jan.

leaning towards the 72x24x12.

I also want to talk to luis at aquarium concepts. He makes acrylic tanks and check his prices.
 
Andy I just came back from AC and Luis wasn't there but on the card he gave us is his Cell number.

Ive been doing research on acrylic tanks that long and it seems to be a must to have 3/4 inch acrylic. I just checked their tank and it looks to be 1/2 inch thick.
 
in response to acrylic:

If you are in a hurry, here's the short list of what to look for in your acrylic tank, assuming a 24 inch tall, 72 inch long tank.

* For 22-24 inches, at least half inch acrylic. One inch thick is better.
* Cut-outs under each Metal Halide bulb. Never place a MH bulb over acrylic. This is the main cause of tank failures.
* For a 72 inch tank, consider three main access panels, rather than the more standard two. This gives you two front to back struts. It also gives you cut-outs for three bulbs which is about right for this size tank. VHOs aren't a problem so don't worry about putting these over acrylic.
* Try to get at least a one inch radius on your corner-rounds. Two inch is better. Most cracks start at the corner round.
* Try not to have your top panel polished since this can cause crazing which can lead to failure. Instead, have the cut edges of the acrylic beveled rather than have the entire top panel polished.
* Make the front to back struts six inches wide. (The struts are the material between the cut-outs in the top panel.)
* Leave three inches around the rest of the top panel, beyond anything you need for return and surface skimmer cutouts.


Acrylic Thickness

Required thickness has nothing to do with length of the tank and everything to do vertical height of the tank. Water pressure is a function of height only, not of the horizontal cross-section of the water column. The taller tank the thicker acrylic you need.

Half inch acrylic is typical for a standard 22 to 24 inch tall tank but it is easy to find only 3/8 inch thick. I would recommend at least the half inch and see if you can spring for one inch.

Thicker acrylic means a stronger tank. With thicker panels you get much less bowing. Bowing is the outward warping of your tank due to water pressure. Bowing is not in and of itself dangerous but the less bowing you can observe the more margin you have in your tank and therefore the less risk of failure. On a 72" tank, sighting down the length of the tank you should notice just a little bowing, maybe an eighth of an inch with 1/2 inch acrylic and perhaps almost nothing noticeable with one inch acrylic. With 3/8 inch thick acrylic, you will see a frightening amount of bowing: your tank will look like it is ready to burst. And it might.
 
My biggest fear with acrylic is how easy it can scratch and failure do to faulty workmanship or manufacturing of the product itself. But being that you may go bare bottom, I would worry about the latter. I do like acrylic, it is much lighter then a glass tank of this size. But, because of the pressures exerted onto the acrylic, there is more room for failure not to mention that they don't have that long of a life span ie, uv rays, salt water, chemicals, etc that are introduced into and out of the system.

With glass, you get a tank that is going to last for years. Lets say even if the silicone in the glass breaks down, it can be easily fixed by applying new silicone. Also, from what i have seen, they keep their resale values in comparison to an acrylic tank. And because it is a frag tank, the glass does not have to be as thick as an acrylic because the compressive pressures can be stood greatly within a glass tank versus that of an acrylic. But the bad thing is the cost factor associated with a glass tank and the weight. You can probably go to a local glass wholesaler in EP and get quotes of how much sheet glass, cut to your dimensions will cost. Its another alternative.

Also, thank Steff for the link. He is the one that lead me too it. I read the whole thread and was floored how beautiful it was and simple. This goes to show that a frag of our size is very feasible to do.
 
Andy, like Hans said it was a pleasure meeting you and having the chance to talk with you one on one for a few minutes. If the 72" is the way you want to go and it is only going to be 12" tall. You could make up for the volume lost (Approx 44 gal) in the sump. What is your reason for wanting the 18" tall over the 12"?
 
It was the main reason to go taller. If people can keep things alive in those nano setups 100 gallons + sump should be plenty.

100 Wide (Rimless) 72 x 24 x 12 Tall from glasscages.com

Its what I wanted from the start.

The only thing thats going to be in the room is the tank. I have room to do pretty much anything with it.
 
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