What's it like aquascaping / working in a deep tank?

[beatle]

I had a standard 90g reef for a couple years before selling it. It was pretty simple to work in and maintain dry clothes. I could reach most areas of the tank without issue, though I did use a small step stool to reach down into the tank since the stand was taller than normal.

I also had a 150g (72x18x27) African cichlid tank that was more challenging to reach the bottom. My arms were just not long enough, and my sleeves often got wet if I attempted to reach the bottom of the tank with my shirt on.

I'm in the early planning stages of what I believe would be my dream tank, a standard 180g (72x24x24). This would be deeper front to back for more aquascaping options, but not too tall that it would be difficult to work in. Some of the deep dimension tanks and cubes, however, have me also interested. Depending on how we finish our basement, they may fit better as well.

I have to ask, however, how are they to work in? If I went with a deep dimension tank, I'd likely aim for 48x30x24 (150g) or 48x36x24 (180g). Any personal opinions on this?

 

[wakeboardgeek]

I too have wonder this. Or people with in wall tanks, how do you keep the front of the tank clean?

 

[cshutchinson]

My tank is a 280 in wall. Anything extensive that has to be done in the tank requires that the shirt come off, or it is going to be wet. A very small step ladder is handy, and the light rack slides back out of the way on my tank. Overall, it is not bad.

The front of the tank is the easiest to clean with a hammerhead magnet cleaner. The front is the quickest part and not really a concern.

The real trick is cleaning the sides of the tank that are recessed in the wall. The inside is easy, but you have to clean the outside periodically too. Since I can't get my hand in the wall, beside the tank, I roll up paper towels on the stick end of my scraper. First wet towels, and then dry. I am anal about spots on the tank so this takes a while.

What really sucks is removing all the vortechs every time you clean.

 

[beatle]

How do you go about reaching some of the center / back areas of the tank? I imagine with the tank being in-wall that this is mitigated somewhat from being able to get around to both sides.

 

[cshutchinson]

Yes, the back is the easiest side for me to clean, since I can walk right up to it. Here is a picture that might help:

 

[tgreene]

This is how I had to aquascape mine, and what I have to do to clean it...

 

[beatle]

How tall is it? How about accessing the center portions of the tank? When I had my 150 it was annoying to get to the bottom. Cleaning wasn't really a problem as I left a bit of room on the side nearest the wall.