Thinking about a new tank....

[magnetar68]

My 125G acrylic is showing its age (scratches and crazing). I want to move to a glass rimless tank. I am going to move it to the living room.

Here is what I am thinking, but I am curious what others will say:

• 60"x18"x24" 112G Glass Rimless, low iron front (maybe the right side), black back.
  • I think my 24" deep tank is too bulky, so I want skinnier.
  • Am I going to think 18" is too skinny? (e.g., makes rock work difficult?)
• Synergy reef 21" ghost overflow
  • Keeps a low profile behind the tank (2.5")
  • 1500GPH (I want min 10x turnover because I plan to do a Triton Method )
  • (https://www.reefsavvy.com/product/21-ghost-overflow-2to3-week-lead-time)
• TS-44 Sump
  • Damn this is expensive at $800. Seems like a simpler custom would be cheaper
  • (https://synergyreef.com/product/ts-44-triton-style-refugium-sump-4/)

Who is a good glass tank maker in the Bay Area?
Who is a good custom acrylic sump maker?

 

[Oakland Evan]

I just bought this and am happy with the quality. It doesn't have the external overflow but they do make tanks that are drilled for synergy overflows. It also has a slim eurobrace instead of rimless.

http://www.scaquariums.com/SCA-112-Gallon-Starfire-Tank-p/sca-112g.htm

As I understand it, ReefSavvy is so backed up that they only make the ghost overflow for tanks that are purchased from them.

 

[xcaret]

Ask MARS for Keith Grandt contact info; maybe @bee505 can give you that info?
I think 24” front to back is great

 

[Vhuang168]

If you really want 10x turnover, I would think about return plumbing being larger that 1”. Max flowrate for 1” is 2200gph with minimum loss.




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[Coral reefer]

Or dual return pumps...

 

[magnetar68]

That tank looks great, especially for the price. Thanks for the link!

Seems like (112+40) x10 = 1,152 Gph. Which is about 50% of the 2,220 maximum flow rate for a 1" pipe. Anecdotally, that seems like enough of a cushion that a 1" plumbing would be fine for 10x turnover.

Another possibility would be to see if they can widen the center and add two more holes. That give two 1" returns and three holes for a bean animal.

 

[cdhappy]

+1 on the dual return pumps. I'm running two Sicce 3.0 return pumps on my 105 and it's great, not sure why I didn't do it a long time ago.

 

[Vhuang168]

That tank looks great, especially for the price. Thanks for the link!

Seems like (112+40) x10 = 1,152 Gph. Which is about 50% of the 2,220 maximum flow rate for a 1" pipe. Anecdotally, that seems like enough of a cushion that a 1" plumbing would be fine for 10x turnover.

Another possibility would be to see if they can widen the center and add two more holes. That give two 1" returns and three holes for a bean animal.

You will not get over 1000gph without minimal head pressure. Lots of people run 1” plumbing with a 2000+ gph pump and see less than 1000gph.


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[Julius Chen]

I would not go with 18” depth. With refraction of water, your tank will look even narrower when viewed from front. Of course less room for rock work is also a concern.

I got CDA 150g, 60”x24”x24”, euro braced top and bottom.

My sump is TS-44, identical to the picture in the link you sent.

Regarding high flow for Triton, does it count if u add a powerhead inthe fuge? Or flow has to be from the tank through the entire sump?

I live in Fremont, near Frys, if you want to swing by to take a look.

 

[rygh]

+1 on 18" not looking good.
I would even say 18" water depth x 24" front-back would be better.

You might consider Eurobrace instead of rimless.
Thinner glass, plus less water spill over the edge during maintenance.

 

[magnetar68]

Hmm...

I am probably ok with the Euro brace. I agree the reduced water sloshing thing is a big advantage. My current tank has a euro brace and I like being able to clean the glass without worrying about spilling. I also got a quote for a custom glass rimless and it was very pricey.

I need to see the 18” deep tank to know for sure. I have a 48”x24”x24” tank and it looks great. It is just such monstrosity in the room.

I am zoning in on the Trigger Systems Triton44 because it will fit under the cabinet of the 60x18 stand (it is 44x16x15). And it is cheaper.




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[magnetar68]

What about a stand? WHo is a good vendor to get a stand from? I want something like he one below. I can reach out to these guys, but always prefer to work with someone local if I can afford to).

(from here: https://www.midwestcustomaquariums.com/cabinetry/wood-aquarium-cabinetry/ )

 

[rygh]

Hmm...

I am probably ok with the Euro brace. I agree the reduced water sloshing thing is a big advantage. My current tank has a euro brace and I like being able to clean the glass without worrying about spilling. I also got a quote for a custom glass rimless and it was very pricey.

I need to see the 18” deep tank to know for sure. I have a 48”x24”x24” tank and it looks great. It is just such monstrosity in the room.

I am zoning in on the Trigger Systems Triton44 because it will fit under the cabinet of the 60x18 stand (it is 44x16x15). And it is cheaper.

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To clarify: You need to see 18" with water in it. (You probably got that, but wanted to double check)
It is workable, don't get us wrong. Just looks rather flat.

A 60" long tank will be huge in the room, so it will diminish the issue of sticking out 24" compared with 48" long.
Set it up with some cardboard boxes.

Can you go into the wall?
You could also consider what they call a "flat back hexagon" tank.
The corners blend in at the ends, making it visually a bit smaller.

 

[magnetar68]

To clarify: You need to see 18" with water in it. (You probably got that, but wanted to double check)
It is workable, don't get us wrong. Just looks rather flat.

A 60" long tank will be huge in the room, so it will diminish the issue of sticking out 24" compared with 48" long.
Set it up with some cardboard boxes.

Can you go into the wall?
You could also consider what they call a "flat back hexagon" tank.
The corners blend in at the ends, making it visually a bit smaller.

Yeah, I got that. I just don't have a sense for how flat it will look. That is certainly the kind of thing that would suck finding out if I don't like it after thousands of dollars in a tank and a stand.

I was thinking the opposite. The fact it was so long would accentuate the skinny. But you made an interesting point: a 60"x24" won't seem as bulbous as a 48"x24".

No, I cannot go into the wall. Well, I could, but the divorce would be very expensive.

Actually, the hex is not a bad idea. I don't think I will go into that direction, but I will look into that.

 

[Oakland Evan]

You can stop by to see the 60x18x24 tank if you are in Oakland, but no idea how long it will be until it has water in it. I got a pretty nice used stand that someone got from Neptune in SJ for it.

 

[Coral reefer]

Flat back hex is a no go in my opinion. The bends look bad, and are hard to clean.

 

[bee505]

Keith Grandt makes really nice tanks. Feel free to come by and check it out. I'm not sure if he is still building tanks, but I have his contact if you need it. @xcaret built my stand, thing is a beast.

 

[magnetar68]

You can stop by to see the 60x18x24 tank if you are in Oakland, but no idea how long it will be until it has water in it. I got a pretty nice used stand that someone got from Neptune in SJ for it.

It will be a while before I fund this thing, so let me know when it gets wet. I live next to Oakland (actually there right now having dinner!).

 

[magnetar68]

What about a stand? WHo is a good vendor to get a stand from? I want something like he one below. I can reach out to these guys, but always prefer to work with someone local if I can afford to).

(from here: https://www.midwestcustomaquariums.com/cabinetry/wood-aquarium-cabinetry/ )

They quoted $1250+Shipping for this tank for a 60x18 footprint tank. Is that about right?

 

[jccaclimber]

I'm late to the party and mainlybreinfircing what was said above but here goes:
1) Yes, 24" really is that much easier to 'scape than 18", and turns out that much better.
2) If you want to cut down on how it looks in the room drop the tank height 6" before you give up depth, and consider dropping the stand height an inch or two (mind your skimmer height). Not having a canopy also cuts down on the visual bulk. IMHO this look usually does better with rimless setups than eurobrace. That said most of my tanks are eurobrace, and I love the little shelf around the edge when I'm working in them. The non splashing is also nice, although a rimless tank is easier to razor blade than a euro raced tank. I also tend to set my tanks at a height to view them standing, so I don't look at the braces from above. That one is a personal call.
3) If you're going with custom or at least build to order get everything drilled for 1.5" PVC, drains (3x) and returns (2x). People always note how small pipes restrict draining, but fail to consider that the return pump has to deal with the same.
4) Regardless of flow 2x return pumps is always a good idea if budget allows, even if only for redundancy. Not like you're going to overheat a rimless tank in this climate.
5) Trigger is pretty well regarded in Dallas even though they are the home team. My sump is an older model and it's been thrown around a bit, but I think it does show where they fall on the workmanship scale feel free to take as look at it if you're in SF sometime. I set a friend up with one of their smaller Triton line sumps in December and he's happy with it.
6) I like smoothly curved bow fronts, but I'm not a fan of tanks with the front corners cut at a large 45* angle. I haven't seen one done with bends, but I've seen some done with a seam and don't like the obstruction.
7) Edit: one more note on plumbing. If you're pushing a lot of flow, also consider how long a weir you're going to want if its smooth, or how much you are willing to let the water level drop in a power loss situation if its slotted. May be a non issue, but worth checking before finalizing the design.