[firefighter22]

New Tank 96x60x26 any advice??

I'm about to order my new 700 and just wonder if anyone has any advice.

Heres what i'm thinking:

Tank - 96x60x26, viewable 3 sides, Starphire 3 sides, external overflow box on 1 long side, 2 closed loops, refugium, sump, proptank. This will be in an enclosed room in the basement. A room divider.

Some questions....

Would you change the tank dimensions at all??

Lighting for a tank that size? I want to keep a variety of everything....how many? what spectrum? 250 HQI??

Closed loop...how many GPH? what pump?

Sump- How big?

Refuge- How big?

Prop tank- How big?

Humidifier? Air return? Vents? Any experience here????

thank you!

[Ninong]

firefighter22,

You might want to contact Nanook, one of the moderators at Reef Central for advice: http://reefcentral.com/gallery/showg...r=2963&thumb=1

He had a 300-gal tank and then he got the bug to expand. He ordered two tanks from Inter-American (Bow Valley Aquarium) in Calgary. One was 470 gallons and the other was 370 gallons. Oh, and he added a 300-gal refugium at the same time. I know the two new tanks are in his basement, not sure where the first tank is. One of his new tanks is 60" x 60" (square) with just perimeter bracing. There is a picture of that one in his gallery.

The reason you should contact him is to ask him about his 60" x 60" tank. In particular, you would want to know what he thinks about access to a tank of that size now that he has it up and running. At least, I think it's up and running. Unless you have some unusual access from above the tank, the 60" width is going to be a challenge.

Have you already discussed your proposed Starphire tank dimensions with the builder? Are you getting this from Aquarium Obsessed in Toronto or from Inter-American in Calgary? You can find lots of feedback on both vendors in the Vendors Feedback at Reef Central. You will find that both of them have had a mixed bag of customer feedback.

As I am sure you are already aware, the maximum current thickness of Starphire glass is 12mm (1/2"). It comes in sheets 130" x 108". It is manufacturered by PPG Industries. In order to make really large tanks it is necessary to laminate two panes together making a pane 24mm thick. For really big tanks they can even laminate three panes together. You may want to discuss your plans with your builder to find out in advance the largest size possible without lamination as laminated tanks really jack up the price.

Don't forget to determine with the builder exactly how the top of the tank will be braced. My personal preference would be for perimeter bracing but I don't know if it is possible for a tank of your dimensions. Nanook's 60" x 60" has just perimeter bracing but it's not Starphire, it's 19mm regular soda-lime glass. There is another member on Reef Central who posted pictures of a 500-gal tank he ordered from Inter-American that has just perimeter bracing. It's 96" x 40" x 30" and made of 24mm Starphire with perimeter bracing made of tempered regular glass. It looks really nice without any cross bracing over that huge expanse of open water.

Your sump and your refugium can be as large as you like, but there is really no need to go overboard on the size of the sump if you are going to have a closed loop and a separate refugium. Your tank (96" x 60" x 26" = 648 gallons) will hold no more than 560 gallons of water without taking into consideration the displacement of the sand bed (if any) or the live rock or allowing for your long overflow. That's just allowing for the thickness of the glass all around, the bottom and the space at the top. The sump only needs to be big enough to hold any equipment that you might want to place inside it and accomodate the flow of water that you intend moving through it, plus accept overflow from the main tank in the event of a power outage. I don't think you need anything larger than 100-135 gallons. Your refugium, however, should be as big as you can accomodate -- 200-300 gallons would be great! Or you could get by with 100 gallons if that's all you have space for.

I have no experience at all with tanks of that size but I am familiar with several very large tank setups from reading the descriptions posted online by their owners. Tanks in the basement present their own peculiar challenges when it comes to humidity. You have to be able to vent all of the humidity out of the building. In one very famous instance, the owner built a 4000-gal reef tank into the basement of his new house only to have to demolish the entire thing within a couple of years when the humidity started threatening to demolish his entire house. People that I know of in my area who have very large tanks have separate air-conditioning units installed in the equipment room behind the tank to handle the heat and humidity issues. They have central A/C in their homes but they add a separate window type unit in the equipment room to handle the extra humidity and heat there.

Good luck!




P.S. -- There are several people on Reef Central who have recently installed very large tanks. Two that come to mind are Twize and SteveWeast. Ted's new tank is 120" x 36" x 48" (897 gallons or, if you prefer, 770 gallons, which is the way Tenecor describes it). Steve's new tank is approximately 850 gallons. Both of them have threads on Reef Central with tons of pictures. Both threads would be very helpful to you in planning your new tank.

[firefighter22]

awesome advice thanks!!

any others would be great!

[acropora]

Originally Posted by firefighter22

New Tank 96x60x26 any advice??

I'm about to order my new 700 and just wonder if anyone has any advice.

Heres what i'm thinking:

Tank - 96x60x26, viewable 3 sides, Starphire 3 sides, external overflow box on 1 long side, 2 closed loops, refugium, sump, proptank. This will be in an enclosed room in the basement. A room divider.

Some questions....


Would you change the tank dimensions at all??This would be a personal preference.I would not want a tank wider then 48" due to lighting constrants and ability to access livestock.I think 48" is plenty of room for aquascaping and works well for 8 MH fixtures on your proposed 96" long tank.

Lighting for a tank that size? I want to keep a variety of everything....how many? what spectrum? 250 HQI?? At 26" tank height you can use 250 HQI bulbs which would not be as hot as 400 watt M.H.'s.The HQi would be nice with a mix of 10000K and 20000K bulbs,IMO.

Closed loop...how many GPH? what pump?Two closed loops with two pumps like the Sequence stingray would provide plenty of circulation for an SPS tank,along with a pump for the return from your sump.

Sump- How big? I think a 100 gallon sump or larger would do well to help alleviate bubbles from entering back into your system.
.wouldRefuge- How big? As big as you can fit in your fish room,keeping the humidity factor in mind.i would also use a DSB in the Fuge.

Prop tank- How big? Your personal choice.Your fuge if large enough,can also be used for this.

Humidifier? Air return? Vents? Any experience here????
This is an important area to consider.I would consider buying a large turbine type fan,set on a De-Humistat switch to vent humid air out of your fish room. I personally do not like to use de-humidifiers since they add heat to the room and use a good amount of electricity.A/C is a good way to go,to help remove humidity and keep the veiwing area cool. Some people have A/C units for their fish room also.In some situations with large tanks,the humidity is also high in the winter months.Then an air exchanger is used to remove humid air and return heated air.This is not often the case,since usually the extra humidity is welcome in a dry heated house.

thank you!

Good luck with all.

[firefighter22]

excellent points...keep them coming gang!!

[golfish]

If it were me I'd use 400 watt SE bulbs over the 250 watt HQI DE bulbs. You'll probably have to use 10 or more of the DE bulbs to cover that size tank. With the 400 watt SE in a good pendant or reflector you'll have good coverage with 8 bulbs. You might be able to get by with just 6 bulbs.

Your going to want as much flow as you can. I'd use 2" bulkheads and look at the large Sequence pumps. Your going to want at least 10,000 gph...hec, I'm doing 4000 on my 120.

Sump, fuge,Prop should be as big as you can make em. 200 gal sump, 100 gal fuge, 100 gal prop would be a good start.

I bet Steve would be able to help you more then anybody.

[acropora]

Golfish brought up a good point about B.H. size. I have 2" B.H.'s,one in each overflow on my 450 tank.If you have two closed loops for circulation, a monster pump for a return,IMO, will not be necesary.