hahnmeister
In Memoriam
well, with a 6x6 or larger square tank, you get to view four long sides!!!
what size tank is ' best'
- Thread starter hurtback
- Start date
Angel*Fish
cats and large squashes
With that size you'd need one of those things the father rigged up in 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids' to search the grass without stepping on it - lol
But it does sound like my dream tank
Angel*Fish
cats and large squashes
Yes and you you don't know w-h-a-t is going on back there, either! -lol - My 100g has mostly mostly free standing rock without touching the back glass. I have two gobies w/shrimp who live back there that I only see once every couple of months
It's always a shock because I forget they're in the tank
Untamed12
New member
Love your idea of 8 feet long...but you absolutely have to ensure it is as wide as possible.
If you build it with solid acrylic, you will be able to maintain the tank from directly above by crawling around on top of it. That allows you to go as wide as you want. Mine is 6' x 4' and if I had known this fact, I would have made it 6' x 6'.
If you build it with solid acrylic, you will be able to maintain the tank from directly above by crawling around on top of it. That allows you to go as wide as you want. Mine is 6' x 4' and if I had known this fact, I would have made it 6' x 6'.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
I like 8'x2'x2' or 8'x3'x2'... those are cool tank sizes as well.
L98-Z
New member
I agree with those saying start smaller. I started with a 180, and I'm still using it. It's surprised me what all was involved, the extra "surprises" that cost more money. Planning and then replanning to make it work correctly.
In fact, I would rather start out with something like a 55 gallon.
In fact, I would rather start out with something like a 55 gallon.
nyvp
Active member
actually my goal tank thats in the works is 120x60x48 using 6 21" solar tubes . I love deep tanks. I personally hate the look of long tanks with short view panels like the 2 foot talls. To me the tanks look squaty. As i said earlier my old tank was 120x36x30. The great thing about the hobby is you pay for it ....you decide what you want....its all you. I don't mind getting wet and using tongs.
dzhuo
Active member
can't agree more. i have never seen a single tank (other than untamed's tank) in RC that fish actually swim above the rockscape.
My tank is 48"x48"x24", 240 gallons.
do you have a build thread? that's the exact dimension i am after. btw nice tank in the video but i would get rid of 70% of the rock for an open sandbed (0.5"), open rockscrape
ReefingBuddha
New member
I like the cube look myself as well and it will be my next tank. I went for 60"x60"x30". Before I decided on a size and shape I built a few different sized and proportioned tanks out of wood to get a feeling for the size, it helped a lot.
I personally thought that the size I choose fit best for the space I was trying to fill. I also wanted 4 sides viewable but really didn't like the idea of the visual pollution you get from a central overflow. So I decided on 3 1/2 sides viewable with a overflow on 1/2 of one side. This gives you room for one large canyon in the middle that you can see straight through from the right angle. I just thought that was much more visually appealing and it fit well in the space I was designing it for. It also makes the best "dramatic" use of the 5' space from panel to panel IMHO.
To light it I'm considering 4x21" solartubes right now with actinic for blue supplementation. That is because I live in Florida and we get good light intensity for most of the year.
There is some very good advice floating around but it all comes down to personal preference.
I personally thought that the size I choose fit best for the space I was trying to fill. I also wanted 4 sides viewable but really didn't like the idea of the visual pollution you get from a central overflow. So I decided on 3 1/2 sides viewable with a overflow on 1/2 of one side. This gives you room for one large canyon in the middle that you can see straight through from the right angle. I just thought that was much more visually appealing and it fit well in the space I was designing it for. It also makes the best "dramatic" use of the 5' space from panel to panel IMHO.
To light it I'm considering 4x21" solartubes right now with actinic for blue supplementation. That is because I live in Florida and we get good light intensity for most of the year.
There is some very good advice floating around but it all comes down to personal preference.
I think it breaks down 2 ways. The right dimension for a tank not inwall with no fishroom, and the right dimension for a tank inwall (or sticking mostly or completely out of wall with the "hood" tied into the fishroom for venting).
Out of wall: I wouldn't want to go bigger than 120 or maybe 180. Its a complete pain larger than that. I had a 90 out of wall with everything under the stand it thing were a chore even with that size.
In wall the optimum tank is one that fits the space its built into AND is small enough that you don't mind doing maintenance on it. As mentioned above if its acrylic you can crawl around on top of it so with isn't an issue if you don't mind being spider man on top of the tank. Make SURE YOU WEAR A SHIRT! Mine gives my horribly acrylic burn
A tank when it gets this big is all about preference and your DIY skills. The space I wanted to fill and the size that I considered maintainable was 120x36x30. I'm taller so the 30" height isn't that much of an issue considering I'm going to have a few inches of sand, and I knew I'd be on top of the tank for any major work anyways. I picked 120" because thats the size that fit the space. I could have went another 2 feet but it started getting a bit unwieldy for access from the fishroom and I have a long and short viewable, and the shot side started getting a bit cramped. I went 36" deep because I personally don't want to maintain a tank deeper than that. Some people are ok with 4 or 6 feet, its just too much work for me.
One thing I did want to mention is on a mega tank with a fishroom IMHO you are nuts if you don't go with external overflows. It uncomplicates the inside of the tank. Mine come out another 8 inches so the tank is close to 4 feet wide dimension wise. With external overflows you dont have to make them the total height of your tank, they can be shorter. This greatly simplifies plumbing as you have more vertical space to work with and lets you have your sump out from under the tank, which leads to the next point:
If you have a fishroom, you'd be nuts to have the sump under the tank, if you have the room. Its so much easier to work on everything without being stooped over under a stand. Makes maintence more enjoyable.
I could go on and on, but my main point is, dimensions for a tank with and without a fishroom are two different things completely.
Out of wall: I wouldn't want to go bigger than 120 or maybe 180. Its a complete pain larger than that. I had a 90 out of wall with everything under the stand it thing were a chore even with that size.
In wall the optimum tank is one that fits the space its built into AND is small enough that you don't mind doing maintenance on it. As mentioned above if its acrylic you can crawl around on top of it so with isn't an issue if you don't mind being spider man on top of the tank. Make SURE YOU WEAR A SHIRT! Mine gives my horribly acrylic burn
A tank when it gets this big is all about preference and your DIY skills. The space I wanted to fill and the size that I considered maintainable was 120x36x30. I'm taller so the 30" height isn't that much of an issue considering I'm going to have a few inches of sand, and I knew I'd be on top of the tank for any major work anyways. I picked 120" because thats the size that fit the space. I could have went another 2 feet but it started getting a bit unwieldy for access from the fishroom and I have a long and short viewable, and the shot side started getting a bit cramped. I went 36" deep because I personally don't want to maintain a tank deeper than that. Some people are ok with 4 or 6 feet, its just too much work for me.
One thing I did want to mention is on a mega tank with a fishroom IMHO you are nuts if you don't go with external overflows. It uncomplicates the inside of the tank. Mine come out another 8 inches so the tank is close to 4 feet wide dimension wise. With external overflows you dont have to make them the total height of your tank, they can be shorter. This greatly simplifies plumbing as you have more vertical space to work with and lets you have your sump out from under the tank, which leads to the next point:
If you have a fishroom, you'd be nuts to have the sump under the tank, if you have the room. Its so much easier to work on everything without being stooped over under a stand. Makes maintence more enjoyable.
I could go on and on, but my main point is, dimensions for a tank with and without a fishroom are two different things completely.
