Tank Construction..

[Staaan]

Hey all..

So I've been discussing with my dad about building our own tank. If it makes sense financially.

The dimensions we were thinking of was 50" x 8" x 30" (LxWxH)

The tank calc. on here calculated 52 gallons for such dimensions.

We were going for a type of.. picture frameish look, a wider tank but not a great amount of depth, because we're scared of the weight of the water.

Would these dimensions be acceptable to run a reef?
And we figured like a 20gallon sump underneath.

(Everyone's right.. you start off with a small tank, and you start wanting to get bigger and bigger really quick hahaah :lol2

The type of build I wanted was one that doesn't require water changes... as I've spoken to quite a few people on here, using a large protein skimmer, and denitrifier.. and other things.

Changing water on a huge tank.. is probably one of the most annoying things. When you got a small little 6g or 24g.. it isn't too bad.. and its manageable.


So basically.. would these dimensions make sense.. in terms of keeping some smaller scale reef safe fish (clowns, royal grammas, gobys, etc.)
and financially - material cost.

*If any one knows of a good cheap place to get plexiglass or acrylic (which I think is the same thing.. not totally sure, gotta get some more research done on that.

Any advice, suggestions, thought, comments .. basically ANYTHING you have to offer haha, are all greatly appreciated!

Thanks much in advance!


-Stanley

 

[Staaan]

*Oh and we aren't planning on keeping any SPS, just Soft and LPS.
*Also forgot to ask about my Lighting Options.. (of course on the cheaper side if possible)

 

[Keith P]

It's kind of opposite of what most people want. Usually people want shallow and deep (meaning front to back) tanks.

30" means you need tools to get to the bottom (longer than the distance from your fingers to your arm pit).

You will also need strong lighting to reach the bottom.

This proportion doesn't seem as appealing to me as a standard size tank.

How about a nice 65G tank? 48 x 18 x 17
Or a 75G tall. 48 x 18 x 21

 

[tosiek]

IMO, i wouldn't bother with acrylic unless you know what your getting into as far as scratches and all the other things associated with acrylic. Plexi is just a brand name of a acrylic manufacturer.

Since this is going to be a custom tank and you guys are going to spend alot of time working on it, which you will, i would recommend working up to something larger if it fits and your serious about the hobby. The cost for materials between a 50g and a 75 or 90g is maybe 100-200$ more and your not going to limit yourself with a smaller footprint and livestock it can hold. But its all about preference and what you guys want.

IMO, the cost of a custom tank and the cost of the nice AGA starfire tank kits in the 50-75g range are very comparable in price and save you the trouble of building it all ontop of setting everything up. And if you guys want to build something i would say go get a ~50g tank from AGA RR and make a stand for it. The footprints are optimal for reefing and its all glued up and has a warranty.

 

[Staaan]

Thanks so much for the info!

Going to look into buying a tank first. Seems to be some decent deals on the marketplace here and on CL.

So I guess we'll see. Just thought the price of building our own would save a decent amount of cash...

 

[TimberTDI]

Glass or acrylic, how would you even begin to silicone or glue the sides to the bottom? 8" doesn't offer much room to get to the bottom. The narrower and taller the tank, the more downward & outward pressure will be put on the bottom seams

Also trying to light a tank that narrow and deep maybe problematic.

Steven

 

[albano]

The dimensions we were thinking of was 50" x 8" x 30" (LxWxH)

Would these dimensions be acceptable to run a reef?

30" is too tall... that height would require thicker acrylic, and the pressure at that height means you better 'weld' the seams, perfectly!
8" front to back, will NOT allow you to stack any rock work, EXCEPT straight up...no real space to place any corals, plus if you have any kind of 'eurobrace' around the top rim, it will leave less than 5" for you to access the tank!

 

[duke62]

your saying it will be 54 gallons.i bought my 50 gallon for 118 dollars and drilled the tank myself.a standard 55 gallon i believe is cheaper.plus if your worried about tank price which i believe is the cheapest part of the hobby you are going to be in for a real treat when trying to stock it.you can buy 2 to 3 corals on the low end and it will cost more then the tank.plus the equipment to run the tank.may want to think of a freshwater setup

 

[Staaan]

Lol.. well I was planning on buying all my stuff at GC Reef.

$7 frags.. I'm not planning on buying any colonies unless they're reasonably priced. I've been shopping around, scouting out prices..

As long as GC is open, and when my frags grow big enough to frag again so I can trade.. I think it won't be thaaaat expensive.

I'm cheap.. I know, but I don't think there is anything wrong with that. I know what you pay for is what you get in most cases, but I am an avid believer of good deals haha.

However I looked into getting a denitrifier.. or nitrate reactor... w/e its exactly called..

That thing is expensive!

Building the tank was just a thought.
Posted up the idea and thought process up here, so I could get some advice from some well established reefers like your selves

I'll be shopping around for a tank..even more specifically a whole set up. I'm just looking for the simplest way to have a 50+ gallon tank. Hopefully something will pop up eventually. Theres no rush..

I am pretty content with my little 6gallon and 24gallon cubes for now. And still have a while to go till all my frags grow out, and I'll actually be proud to post up some pictures, and hopefully receive some compliments haha.

Its just that practically everyone I speak to says "oh bigger is better, bigger is better, its so much easier to take care of"

And after visiting a few people's houses, seeing pics of all these beautiful tanks majority of the MR members have, I got kind of sucked in.. as I assume most people do haha.

Anyway.. thanks so much for all the advice. It is greatly appreciated!

I still have a lot to learn.. and I'll be doing so with my 6g and 24g for now.

Thanks!

-Stan