High Tide Aquatics

Uh oh... just had an idea pop in my head!

Vhuang168

Vhuang168

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Which sometimes is not a good thing.

So there I was sitting in front of the tank, watching the various fish and the coral. And as always, wishing I had a bigger tank (who doesn't!?! :) ) when this idea popped into my head!

The current tank is an all in one. But it is sitting on a nice sturdy stand. I like the current dimensions length wise (33") but wish for more depth back/front. The total current measurement is 26" but actual tank use is 18". The rest is partitioned off for the rear chambers. Height is 16".

My thought is to have a custom tank built using the dimensions of the current stand. So 33"X26" but the height is what my problem is. Ideally I would love a 24"-26" deep tank. But the stand is tall @ 40". A 26" tank would make it almost as tall as I am. BUT 26" would allow me to have a 90+ gallon tank! 24" would make it just at 90g but with the overflow it would be slightly less.

Argh.. decisions decisions. Gonna check around on pricing now. Thinking of going with a coast to coast bean animal overflow to allow for maximum tank volume as well as maximum surface skimming.
 
Hahaha! I know the feeling man. Whenever I start contemplating reef stuff all i see is $$$ slowly leaving my wallet ethereal like. I love my 30" deep tank and will always get it at least that depth if i ever upgrade. Height wise mine is 20" and i thought i didnt like it at first but it makes it alot easier with arranging stuff and picking up stuff off the barebottom tank. Look foward to seeing what you get. My tank was bought used, but if i were to build my own i would go coast 2 coast bean animal too. I think it looks alot better and way more efficient.
 
tank height is certainly a personal preference thing, some people like their tanks deeper some will avoid deep tanks like it's the plague. So simply based on personal preference I think 33x26x20 would be awesome which is only 75 gallons in volume but that is still almost double your current 40 gallons... absolutely nothing wrong with 33x26x26 it just goes back to personal preference. Overlow I would go with ghost overflow, only takes up 1.25"x16" from the interior of the tank displacing about half a gallon of display water ;)
 
You might want to price out new a standard tank + new standard stand as well.
The combination may be cheaper than a custom tank alone, because it is standard.
And with a larger stand, you also get more room underneath, which could be an issue
if you have a 90+ gallon tank on that stand.
PS: I prefer the look of a tall tank, but would never put up with the hassle.
 
Vhuang168 said:
My thought is to have a custom tank built using the dimensions of the current stand. So 33"X26" but the height is what my problem is. Ideally I would love a 24"-26" deep tank. But the stand is tall @ 40". A 26" tank would make it almost as tall as I am. BUT 26" would allow me to have a 90+ gallon tank! 24" would make it just at 90g but with the overflow it would be slightly less.
Click to expand...

I have a 90 gal (36"x24"x24") tank on a 40" stand if you want to check it out. I love the way it looks and the height it sits at, but man getting down to the substrate is a PAIN. I got this size because it was the most tank I could fit in a 36" space, but I would go for a shallower dimension like the DSA 105 (48"x21"x24") if I were doing it over again (and had more room).

However, I do love the height/size of the display tank as it fits in our living room and puts the reef at eye level.

Anyway, if you're thinking of doing a similar size tank to our 90gal, you're welcome to come check our tank out.
 
Nothing wrong with going taller, but do note that while yes you are getting more gallons, those tend to be "less useful" gallons. What I mean is a fish that's swimming in an 18" tall tank (with similar dimensions) isn't going to feel too different in one that's 8" taller. Now if you could take advantage of that vertical space (building taller rock structures, etc) then sure, but if it's just a pure swap of what you have, then you might find it a bit "off"

Of course it ultimately depends on what you want the tank for.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Now if you could take advantage of that vertical space (building taller rock structures, etc) then sure, but if it's just a pure swap of what you have, then you might find it a bit "off"

Of course it ultimately depends on what you want the tank for.
Click to expand...

What I don't like about my current tank is lack of depth front to back @18" n actually lack of depth top to bottom.

With my Hydra 52s at 16" awl running at 70%, some of my zoas are bleaching while sitting in the front corners which is as far away from the light as it can get.

So with a deeper tank, I can get more of a difference in light levels throughout the tank.

Depth fore/aft is something I've always wanted n 26" is actually what I gravitate towards when I see other tanks so that kind works out.
 
Lol I was just in talking to Steve about the tank. He gave me some very rough ideas about what it will cost.

I'm a few months away still but now I know what to expect.
 
Sounds cool. Yeah I dont like super deep tanks. I wish my tank was about 5 inches taller because I feel my kessils are too intense for my 40G

But it can be done.

Get a step stool.
Use a magnetic glass cleaner.
Aqua scaping will be slightly slower because of its depth but doable
 
Sooo.... new twist in the plot!

Theoretically, I can put a 3/4" - 1" hardwood ply top on top of my current 33" solid ply top and make the top 36". That opens the door to many more standard sizes.

Including the Lee Mar 97g Neptune has in there right now!

It's perfect and what got me thinking in the 1st place.

36"/26"/24"

The crystal dynamic standard size is 36"/24"/30" making it 112g. It's much cheaper and also a very attractive option being larger.

Ah decisions decisions!
 
just make sure your stand can hold the increased weight :) very exciting! my 48lx26wx22h is coming from neptune at the end of this month. it'll be on a 40 inch stand.
 
I am planning on beefing up the stand and having that section of the space leveled by pouring concrete.

You tank is gonna be nice! Stand @ 40" + 22" will put you at 62". My potiential setup will put me @ 40"+30"=70"!

That's taller than me!
 
Vhuang168 said:
I am planning on beefing up the stand and having that section of the space leveled by pouring concrete.

You tank is gonna be nice! Stand @ 40" + 22" will put you at 62". My potiential setup will put me @ 40"+30"=70"!

That's taller than me!
Click to expand...
we also wanted to make sure getting to the bottom wouldn't be a pain in the ass.
 
Vhuang168 said:
I am planning on beefing up the stand and having that section of the space leveled by pouring concrete.

You tank is gonna be nice! Stand @ 40" + 22" will put you at 62". My potiential setup will put me @ 40"+30"=70"!

That's taller than me!
Click to expand...
Fun!
And rather nice when you are standing right next to the tank. I tire of bending over at times.
On the other hand, if you have a couch nearby, you will be staring up at the bottom of corals and irritating lights.
 
Bigger is always better. My 37g all in one is getting SO cramped. Same deal; only about 16" of front to back usable space and the rest is filtration. I'm actually quite happy with this tank being 21" tall (my last big tank was a 140g and it was 24" tall). I've got stubby arms and it was annoying to have to dip my armpits in the water to reach things.
 
rygh said:
Fun!
And rather nice when you are standing right next to the tank. I tire of bending over at times.
On the other hand, if you have a couch nearby, you will be staring up at the bottom of corals and irritating lights.
Click to expand...
Just gotta go old school and have a canopy
 
Not a fan of canopies unfortunately.

On another note, I may have found my tank.

LeeMar 125g 48x30x20! No stand though so need to find out about these now. Possibly a steel framed stand. Any leads on who can make a custom steel stand?
 
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