Wide custom tank... a couple of questions

[memito]

Good evening.

I have a couple of questions regarding a potential custom tank I am thinking about ordering. While I am still planning to use either a standard 120 or 180 for a planted tank, I want to get a wider aquarium for a reef tank.

Here are the two options:

180 gallon tank 48Lx36Wx24H

or

270 gallon tank 72Lx36Wx24H

Both of these tanks would give me 3 ft of depth to work with? which leads me to my questions:

1) Acrylic versus glass

Given that the tank is extra wide, would this extra space reduce the chance for scratching? (Which seems to be the main criticism of acrylic versus glass.) I am imagining that I would keep the live rock in the center of the tank and probably at least 6 inches from the edges of the tank.

(Please correct me if I am misunderstanding how scratching in acrylic tanks takes place.)

2) Peninsula layout versus against wall

I would like to layout the tank so it is visible from sides. While this isn?t an absolute need, it would be nice. So, along those lines?

3) Corner overflows versus ?Island? or center overflows

I figure that a center or island overflow would allow me to have three visible sides. But I have heard that island overflows can be a nightmare to manage. This might be especially true given that the tank would be so wide.

Thanks for your help and perspective!

Good night.

Bill

 

[House of Laughter]

Bill,

Glass is going to be heavy, but durable - acrylic is going to be lighter, hold temp better and can scratch - I think this is a tolerance level you'll have to define on what pro's you think are worth it and what con's you're willing to live with.

Same with the overflows, only that will depend on where you equipment may be AND where your rock work will end up. With a tank that large and deep, you can make 2 different types of rock work creating a biotope within a biotope - ledge/shelf island etc.

House

 

[loismustdie]

Acrylic is also scratched by people cleaning algae off. Even acrylic safe cleaning scrapers/magnets can pick up debris and scratch your tank. Coralline, snail eggs, stationary snails all will grow on the acrylic increasing odds of scratching. I was considering an acrylic tank but I was told that acrylic would eventually yellow under intense lighting.
My tank can be viewed from 3 sides and my overflows are in the corners. It really doesn't bother me too much since there is some interesting stuff in my overflows. They are like refugiums. Putting an over flow in the back corners will also give you more flow options to minimize drilling into the main tank itself. Rockscaping is your call. There is so much you can do, but you never know what it will look like until you are setting in the rock.

 

[drunktank]

depends on how big you wanna go. personally a 150g AGA tank is way to heavy to move took 3-4 guys to move - the bigger u go the more i'd suggest acrylic. My store has a 1000g acrylic tank, which took 6 guys to move, could u imagine if it were glass :X

 

[memito]

House,

Thanks for your response.

I have done some reading about the whole “glass versus acrylic” debate. It seems as if glass is the preferred material mainly b/c of the ease of scratching acrylic.

I guess this might be a stupid question, but I am assuming that the scratching comes from moving live rock and sand. (Or are there other ways of scratching one’s tank?) If I were to keep the live rock formations away from the tank’s walls, I figure I could avoid the scratches – but I am afraid I don’t know what I am talking about. (smile)

Anyway, I am also a little reluctant to go with a heavy glass tank if I can get the same general results from a lighter acrylic set up. Additionally, I have heard that acrylic tank failure rates are lower than glass tanks – and this is somewhat important given I am talking about getting a rather large tank.

Ok, I better get some sleep… Thanks again for your post… I liked your idea about creating a biotope within a biotope… which is a whole other story…

Night…

 

[memito]

Chris and Drunktank,

Thanks for your posts.

The weight of a glass tank has been a thought... I had to go to war to move my 120 glass AGA... I don't know what it would be like to move a glass tank that was about twice that size...

I completely forgot about ready about dealing with snails and scratches. I assume that if I were willing to be very careful and dedicated to upkeep of an acrylic tank, it could be doable...

Night.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Whatever you do you gotta post lots of pics

 

[loismustdie]

Bill, anything is doable. You can do so much with either one. I just figured I'd post pros and cons that I have personally seen. Whatever you decide, I'm sure it will be a great tank. Whatever you go with, there are always guys close by who can help you move it. I carried my 180 with me on one side and my brother in law and another friend on the other. Thought I was gonna break my back. I'm curious to see what you come up with for overflows. Keep us posted with this.

 

[elosusa]

This will sound self serving because we only make glass tanks but this is from my experience as a hobbyist and nothing to do with selling tanks.
The weight issue is only a problem when you move it. A good pair of suction cups will make quick work of most tanks. I moved a 180 gallon with a friend and 2 sets of suction cups with no problems.
The idea that acrylic holds temps better is a strange one to me. Although it is true that they insulate better, I don't see this as an advantage because most of us are fighting to keep our tanks cooler.
Acrylic is soft and glass is hard. In reef tanks we are pushing a ton of flow and with that flow carries with it a ton of little particles that will haze up acrylic and have very little effect on glass. The hazing and the fine scrathes are the ones that will drive you crazy. Everyone will say they can be removed but who wants to add this to their schedule. Next time you go into a store take a look at a used acrylic tank sitting around.
The other problem is the big scratches that are a problem. You can't use a razor, you need to put a soft pad on your magnets, you can't leave your magnets in the water because calcerous snails will rest in the pad and scratch the acrylic, a rock will fall etc, etc, etc. On top of the problem with acrylic being much softer than glass, it is a lot more sticky. I have an acrylic overflow in one of my tanks and the coralline grows on it 10x as fast as the glass, if not more.
Now on to the self serving part:lol_large Living in California, earthquakes are an issue and I believe it when people say that glass tanks are more prone to failure than acrylic. That is why you need to buy a quality built glass tank and I have not seen to many. Seams need to be perfect, stands need to be square and designs need to be sound. The other thing that is sometimes left out is making sure the location you put the tank is stable and level. OK that is all I have. See you guys at the swap.

 

[memito]

Chris, Elosusa and everyone else,

Your posts are greatly appreciated! Muito obrigado! (I lived a bit down in Brazil…)

To be honest (and as has been notable in my past posts), my greatest nightmare is a tank leaking or exploding… that has been the draw (along with the easier move weight of the actual tank) for me to acrylic.

But… otherwise, from what I have read, acrylic can be a daily nightmare of scratches…

So my gut says that glass is will be the better way to go… yet the New York pre-war apartment question comes back into focus…

While the new place I am moving into has very solid wooden floors (I mean, there is NO give in them whatsoever…), I am pretty certain that there are wooden beams between the floors, not concrete. That is where I am a little concerned with the weight issue… 180 gallons is on the edge of my “personal” weight limit (given that lots of 180s are out there and you don’t read about tons of them exploding). But I am thinking that the ideal tank is 6ft long x3ft wide x 2ft high – which would work about to about 270 gallons. Now that is a lot of weight…

I know I sound like a broken record, but this is what has me thinking acrylic – given its extra strength…

Ok. Thanks for listening. Any coping advice is welcome.

Evening.