Shallow reef tank Club

[zojro]

After many months of work finally got mine in the house.
Acrylic 96"x30"x14" water level at 12" until I tweak the overflows.
Lighting:
All T5HO. Left side not lit at the moment but will be soon.
Circulation:
2 2" Drains
CL on Sequence Dart with 3 split returns on locline drilled through back.
Mag 9.5 Return through back of tank and split to 2 returns on opposite sides of the tank.
Filtration:
65 Gallon Sump
Bubble Master 250 Skimmer
26 Gallon Capacity Fuge with flow on ball valve from main drains.
Fish:
1 Purple Tang
1 False Percula
2 Mollies

Still have much aquascaping to do and will probably remove more rock. My fish and I are loving the open sand.
Tank is cloudy in the pick as it was taken the day after I moved livestock and rock in.

The doors are sagging. I will correct that soon also. Doors are 3 feet long, made from wood, and the hinges were not quite sturdy enough for the weight apparently.

I plan on filling it with softies and some LPS.

 

[cmashman]

Ok, so I am venturing back in after about a 5yr hiatus from the hobby and this thread has me sold on shallow. I was thinking of 48x24x16, but my wife is pushing for a 72x18x16 acrylic. Been spending hours pouring over threads to find out the latest setups. I've seen beananimal's coast 2 coast overflow thread and think that, if we do the 72" version, it would be invaluable for surface skimming. Couple of questions if someone has the time to chime in:
1. Leave a 3-4" gap on either side of the overflow for returns?
2. How do you know what dimensions to provide the tank builder for the overflow? (besides the length of course)
3. External overflow or internal?

Any other thoughts you might have if you were starting a build like this would be great.

 

[zojro]

Ok, so I am venturing back in after about a 5yr hiatus from the hobby and this thread has me sold on shallow. I was thinking of 48x24x16, but my wife is pushing for a 72x18x16 acrylic. Been spending hours pouring over threads to find out the latest setups. I've seen beananimal's coast 2 coast overflow thread and think that, if we do the 72" version, it would be invaluable for surface skimming. Couple of questions if someone has the time to chime in:
1. Leave a 3-4" gap on either side of the overflow for returns?
2. How do you know what dimensions to provide the tank builder for the overflow? (besides the length of course)
3. External overflow or internal?

Any other thoughts you might have if you were starting a build like this would be great.

Just my 2 cents but for a shallow tank going for more depth i.e. the 24" may look better due to the proportions of a shallow tank. Tall and skinny tanks have height in their favor. For a shallow tank that lacks height I feel that it is the depth that really makes the impact when looked at from the front. 24" will also open up more aquascaping possibilities.

As far as overflow I would recommend external. External just flat out looks better imho even though they cannot go as close to the wall. I wish an external overflow had fit into the budget for my new one. I opted for more width and now have to tolerate the ugly drains (for now). Give and take I guess.

Congrats on your possible upgrade!

 

[cmashman]

Good thoughts on the width, it would open up more room for aquascaping horizontally. My last tank was a 46 bowfront and was way to tall for my liking. On the overflow, I've read quite a few posts that have internal that wish they had gone external. One thing that I've decided, is that I want to do it right this time around. Not that I won't make mistakes, but put together a quality DT, not just slap a box up so I can get the water in it.

 

[GSMguy]

No way, Sang is back again? 3 re-entries, glad to have you back Sang

he told me he is still on the Fence but guys who are on the fence dont study pictures of overflows.


Welcome Back SANG!

 

[GSMguy]

I moved in october and this is my tanks rebirth as well.

 

[GSMguy]

Nick, can you give me the dimensions of your overflow chamber and the size of your drain and return bulkheads?

my return is a single 3/4" and the drain is 1.5" i use an eheim 1250, i tried hooking up a flowstar 1500 but it was allot more flow than i needed so im back to the 1250.

 

[GSMguy]

I moved in october and this is my tanks rebirth as well.

Excuse the cyano, the sandbed is only a week old, but i cooked my rocks this go round and the cyano is staying under control because of the rock cooking.

 

[FranktheTankTx]

Cyano? What cyano? Looks great!!

 

[Maximus]

he told me he is still on the Fence but guys who are on the fence dont study pictures of overflows.


Welcome Back SANG!

:celeb1:

 

[Maximus]

my return is a single 3/4" and the drain is 1.5" i use an eheim 1250, i tried hooking up a flowstar 1500 but it was allot more flow than i needed so im back to the 1250.

That's exactly what I am doing! I'm going with a 1.5" bulkhead and a single 3/4" return. The only difference is I am going to use a Tunze Silence pump for the return.

 

[nj_evoIXgsr]

I should be joining the club at the end of the month! 48 x 18 x 12 50 long from Glass Cages.

Can't wait for the new setup/build!

i haven't seen much responses on type of lighting but is a tek 6 bulb light going to be to strong with this low depth? I'm probably going to raise it higher than normal.

 

[FranktheTankTx]

I should be joining the club at the end of the month! 48 x 18 x 12 50 long from Glass Cages.

Can't wait for the new setup/build!

i haven't seen much responses on type of lighting but is a tek 6 bulb light going to be to strong with this low depth? I'm probably going to raise it higher than normal.

Dude, I would go 24" wide if I were you, it were me, you were me. IMO, shallow tanks only good when the width dimensions are deep. Otherwise, they look long, skinny, & short.

 

[nj_evoIXgsr]

thanks for the advice frank but dealing with stand dimensions which should be arriving today. so i'm stuck with the 18width. the price helps with deciding on upgrading in the future. i was satisfied in the past with the 18width so it shouldn't limit me. i'm going with the minimal rock work and the rest in my sump. so it shouldn't be an issue.

 

[tonyespinoza]

nice to see you back, nick!

 

[kevinlo]

Hi Nick,

Your PM isn't working. Just want to see if I could grab the dwyer meter and kill-a-watt meter back from you.

Kevin

 

[Cldormer]

Working on getting back into a full size tank- I had a 6ft. 120 Long.

Had a daughter and I've been keeping a AquaPod 12 for 3 years.

Now I'm working on getting a 72 x 36 x 15. I've always loved the long, shallow look.

 

[GSMguy]

Hi Nick,

Your PM isn't working. Just want to see if I could grab the dwyer meter and kill-a-watt meter back from you.

Kevin

Email me your address at nggrant@mac.com and I will ship them right out, I had to move and without my pms I couldent get ahold of you.

 

[hul kogan]

Hey Shallow Reef clubbers! I'll soon be joining the ranks with a 72x24x17 and I'm trying to figure out some good options for lighting. I could use some help/opinions from anyone that has experience with shallow reefs.

You can find my thread, here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1807235

 

[vangogh121]