new tank ideas

[lawchan77]

not sure if this is the correct folder to post. apologise first if this ain't.

I am using hubby's account to enquire on the new tank we have been thinking about. after reefing for a year, we are toying with the idea of upgrading.

our current tank is a 4ft X 2.5ft X 2.5ft. was previously filled with many corals and reef safe fishes till hubby got bored and decided to convert angel fishes and butterfly. while my interest are mainly corals, i started my own tank and bought a red sea max.

instead of having 2 separate tanks, we would like to join both tanks into 1 and have the best of both worlds.. he has his angels and reef-unsafe fishes while I can still buy corals I fancy.

we are now thinking of doing a new tank of 8ft (length) X 2.5ft (width) x 2ft (height) with 1 end (about 2ft) conjoined to accomodate reefsafe fishes and corals while the balance (6ft) will be for FOWLR. maybe hubby is planning on keeping sps.. cant confirm that.

for equipment and other stuff to support this system, we can discuss later. structurally will be nice?

has anyone done a similar tank? or any suggestion we should take note of?

the diagram is a rough drawing of how the tank should look like.

your criticism welcome.

Thanks!

[comycus]

Structurally, HDB will not allow you to build 8ft tank. If staying in landed or condo, also should check if your floor is able to take the heavy weight load.

8 footer is definitely gonna be beautiful! I hope you are prepared for the additional electricity costs in chiller, lights, pumps etc. Monthly utility bills will definitely shoot up.

Anyway if you ask me, it would look quite weird if you have a partition to seperate btw the fowlr and reef tank. Why not do 2 seperate tanks and connect them together so they share the same sump? lots of opportunities to be explored here.

Ray: I know tt tank! that was exactly what I had in mind

[raydiative]

Hi,

There is a reefer whom did something similar before. However rather then using a partition in the tank, why not use 2 tanks that share the same sump?

check out the picture below... HTH!

[Guest]

Prehapes you can also check out vt_snowman member tank thread which he link up his own 2ft tank with his dad tank with a common sump similar to what you have in mind ?

You will need alot of planing in term of equipment, flow, corals to keep , power supply ect that need alot of research and reading ..

Welcome to the " Big tank " club.

[lawchan77]

i'm so glad we're not the only ones with this weird idea.

we stay in a landed, the intended tank is to be in our living room at first level. not sure how to check the maximum load though.. as long as the tiles dont crack i suppose?

the idea is to share the same sump, chiller and equipment. we are running on 2 different chillers currently and the interior is always humid and the bills are super high already. we plan to run on compressor chiller and LED lighting to at least maintain the PUB bill. if can lower is a bonus.

there will be alot of planning. we want to do it right. we're also on the look out for good condition 2nd hand. that will save alot of cost.

will definitely check out vt_snowman's thread. thanks for the tip!

please do post pics of done up tank for reference here!

[comycus]

Will definitely be looking forward to your build

You are right, to reduce the heat indoors, you can hook up a drop in coil into your sump and hook up to an external compressor outside the house. I believe it's more efficient and the heat generated will not be felt in the house.

Choice of efficient lights, pumps, skimmers, wavemakers will drastically reduce the wattage and heat generated in your tank, and hopefully lower your utility bills. LEDs are a good investment. Red dragon pumps are known for their efficiency, skimmers can check out the new Deltec series. Wavemakers can look at Vortec. Just throwing out some ideas. (I know you actually said equipment later )

[FuEl]

Drop-in coils are definitely more efficient and cheaper to run than the normal chiller.

For budget pumps that are energy efficient, check out Sequence pumps.

[lawchan77]

I see many reefers going for 'low profile tank'. what does that mean?

what are the pros and cons of a 'low profile tank'?

wats sequence pump? where can i check it out?

lets talk about equipment... the vital part of system.

my aim is energy efficient, value for money and able to support a 8footer (priority in that manner)

we are looking for long term.. it will be our last project.. dont think we can go any bigger than this already.

please give me your recommendation

eg:

lights -

pumps -

skimmer -

calcium reactor -

need to get a cost estimate.

[Ketchup]

Hi Lawchan77

Actually what you are planning is very similar to something i have in mind if i stay in a landed property.

For the max load, i think if you have the floor plan, it may indicate. I know for sure, floor plan for commercial properties will indicate the max load.

For the 8 ft tank idea, if you like corals and your husband likes butterfly and angels which are not reef-safe, i would say, it's best to build something like what Ray has linked. This way, you can share the sump and equipments but would need separate returns, separate lighting (which may be good since if your hubby is a FOWLR tank, photoperiod can be shorter with less expensive lighting).

If max load is not a factor, i think it may be possible for you to even have a divider in the 8 feet tank (to prevent the non reef-safe fishes from swimming across), this way the water parameter will be the same, design wise it will be different also, in particularly the return and overflows.

What i suggest is to sit down with your hubby and think through what livestocks/corals you guys wanted. Then see if it's better to split into 2 tanks or 1 mega tank.

[Ketchup]

Just to add on, i think to build an 8 ft tank with good quality equipment, fully stock will easily costs you 30k. having a 8 ft tank will double the cost of just building the tank as the glass need to be thicker, esp if you choose low iron glass.

Excited to see you guys plan for this tank... Can consider Mega-tank for SRC liaoz!

[lawchan77]

we are more inclined to have 1 tank and section the reef only part with a glass / acrylic or something transparent with holes for water flow. the idea is to have the transparent (glass / acrylic) as discreet as possible so the view will not be obstructed by the partition.

3 sided view (front, left and right) can view from left side to the right end and vice versa. U guys know what I'm trying to describe?

what is the recommended thickness for such a tank?

[Ketchup]

I know what you mean... Having a 8 ft tank means at least 15mm thick glass if i am not wrong. I did a quick calculation, if your tank size is 8 (L) X 4 (W) X 2.5 (H), using the recommended safe factor of 3.8, you will need 18mm glass should be safe. So, to be on the safe side, i will probably opt for 20mm glass if i am you.

Glass thickness:

http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium

Useful conversion calculator :

http://www.fishlore.com/ConversionCalculator.htm

If you using only 1 tank, and being 8 ft in length, you probably will need some waveboxes/wavemakers on both side. Based on your 3 sided view, the logical location of your external overflow will likely be behind (if you opt for external overflow).

You can probably have a acrylic divider to separate the two tanks and have either holes or some sort of cut outs to allow for the flow and water exchange. The holes will probably determine the smallest size livestock you wish to keep on the non-reef safe size of the tank.

[FuEl]

PMed you my friend's contact. He has an 8ft so he should be able to advise you.

[cdckjn]

I thought that having a big 8ft tank with a central partition made of glass with several open area (covered with a netting mesh) so that water can flow thru, but not the fishes. Perhaps the partition can be covered with live rocks on both sides so that it appears that the live rocks becomes the partition area. this can be very interesting in terms of the aquascaping.

Good Luck!

[Ketchup]

yup, the partition can be hidden by liverocks..

[lawchan77]

I have some queries. please help to clarify.

1) what is a wavebox? how issit different from a wavemaker?

2) what is a low profile tank? what are the pros and cons?

3) what does it mean to have internal or external overflow box? pros and cons?

thanks!

[Solo77]

wavebox create water displacement. Generally good for LPS which create wavy effect....coral likes torch will swing left to right and right to left. For wave maker, it is to create current beneath the water level. LPS like torch, etc will not be able to take the direct blow.

For low profile tank, minimum colour distortion when viewing your corals or fishes. For clam lover, seems to be a must. More expensive. Heard it scratches easily but need verification and confirmation.

For overflow box, just think as a temporary holding area for water before it goes to the sump. Internal, it will take up your tank space. For example, if your tank is a 2ft cube and by having that in your tank, your tank space is not full 2 ft cube. For external, risk of leak. However, if planning was done properly, can be done internally without sacrificing your tank space.

Interesting setup, will follow. If really want to have fowlr and mixed corals tank, can consider using egg crate and rock to create 2 segments. Just an idea but need further thinking. Good luck and enjoy.