Feedback needed on a tank design, drawing in the thread.

[fcmatt]

Hi all. I hope this is the correct forum for this post.

Here is the drawing and I will explain what I am trying to do below.

The pic is a svg file type. Made in inkscape. please tell me if you have trouble seeing it. It may also not show up on this forum if it does not
allow svg? just cut and paste the URL below into your web browser please!

Basically the tank would be approx 23" L x 18" W x 18" H.

I want the sump to be included in the tank as a back wall approx 6-7 inches from the back.
I will be moving to an apartment shortly and want to keep the tank simple.
I currently do not own any fish tanks but have owned the more normal setup
of a display and sump before.

The tank would be lit by a T5 lighting system with either 4 or 6 bulbs.
I wish to have mostly SPS coral which will appreciate the light and good coverage that T5 offers.

The first compartment would have the overflow and contain a Tunze skimmer.
Probably model 9005. It has the dimensions of 5" x 5" and seems like a good choice.

From there it would go through baffles to the refugium which would be lit by a small clamp
on LED lamp or what not. Maybe I would mount the light on the back of the tank
and keep lit 24 hours a day. A person mentioned to me that often plant pieces can break
away and plug return pumps so I thought a carbon impregnated filter
or a finely screen basket that plants sit in would solve that issue.

The third compartment would contain two return pumps that feed two returns each.
They would be on a timer which would turn on one pump.. and then the other.
The returns are mounted at different levels marked by L for low, M for midway, and H for high.
I want good flow and think tank would be bare bottom.

This area would also contain the heater, ATO, any probes, and misc gear.

The last compartment would be my fresh water reservoir which the ATO would use.
I really do not want any chance of the tank over flowing and figured it the ATO screwed up and
pumped all its water into the tank it would simply fill back into the fresh water compartment and
endlessly cycle until I found the problem and fixed it. The salinity would be messed up but not
terribly so (I hope).

I am looking for feedback on this design and imagine it resembles other ALL-IN-ONE tanks on the market.

I will be editing this thread to clarify anything or fix typos. This is my real first rough
draft of what I was thinking and I am open to any suggestions or criticisms!
Nothing has been bought yet for this tank.

Thank you for your time.

fcmatt

 

[Anonymous]

I worry that there will not be enough room to aqua scape if you make a partition wide enough to work in.

If you consider that even if you give yourself 1 extra inch to fit the skimmer, that leaves you a foot for display.

Then consider you want a few inches in front of the rock work so that you have adequate room to clean the glass...

Have you considered a tank with more width (front to back)? Possibly something in the cube family?

I don't know how I feel about the FW compartment either. Seems like a lot of work for an area that would have a pretty small volume. It also requires you to make sure that all your joints/seals are good. Again a very difficult thing in such a small space?

Have you considered if you would even be able to get your hand and a tube of silicon to the bottom of one of the chambers to seal it up?


Hope this helps! Keep brainstorming.

 

[fcmatt]

I worry that there will not be enough room to aqua scape if you make a partition wide enough to work in.

If you consider that even if you give yourself 1 extra inch to fit the skimmer, that leaves you a foot for display.

Then consider you want a few inches in front of the rock work so that you have adequate room to clean the glass...

Have you considered a tank with more width (front to back)? Possibly something in the cube family?

I don't know how I feel about the FW compartment either. Seems like a lot of work for an area that would have a pretty small volume. It also requires you to make sure that all your joints/seals are good. Again a very difficult thing in such a small space?

Have you considered if you would even be able to get your hand and a tube of silicon to the bottom of one of the chambers to seal it up?


Hope this helps! Keep brainstorming.

You have made some excellent points and now I am rethinking my plan
based on your comments.

Some new choices in tank size are (since i do not want a custom build tank, only the inside I will do):
24 x 24 x 16 Tall (40 gallon)
24 x 24 x 24 Tall (60 gallon)
36 x 24 x 16 Tall (65 gallon)

These tanks are being sold on fishtankshop.com and I have not shopped
around yet. I am just trying to nail things down. Acrylic of course and are
rimless. I would also probably go with black silicon on the vertical seams
because I think that looks neat. I had it on my last cube.

I also never thought how hard it would be to get my hands in there to do
the silicone job. Thanks for bringing that up. I will have to make sure any
compartment I design has room enough for that.

I also wanted a fresh water compartment for simple convenience, no water
jugs sitting around, and the ability to design a tank with no possible water
leaks unless the whole thing busts (i pray that never happens).

Time to rethink everything with some new dimensions. That 40 gallon looks
pretty good while the 60 seems too large for what I want in an apt but is
a possibility.

 

[Ben1]

Acrylic of course and are
rimless. I would also probably go with black silicon on the vertical seams
because I think that looks neat.

With Acrylic they dont use silicon, they use a product called weld-on to provide a chemicle bond. Anyhow if I was planing an all in one, I would go with widest possibel width so allow that maximum sump area behind the panel. Have you considered just buying a premade All in one? There are so many out there right now. Just consider if you are really saving money making your own, not sure how much it would really end up being.

I have a few all in ones, one is my 9 gal nano, the other is my sons JBJ 29 gal HQI tank which comes with a free stand. I added a small chiller to my sons tank and he uses 2 part and is good to go.

Maybe your more handy then me, but when I generally try to DIY I spend close to the same money as I would have and end up with a DIY looking job.

 

[fcmatt]

Acrylic of course and are
rimless. I would also probably go with black silicon on the vertical seams
because I think that looks neat.

With Acrylic they dont use silicon, they use a product called weld-on to provide a chemicle bond. Anyhow if I was planing an all in one, I would go with widest possibel width so allow that maximum sump area behind the panel. Have you considered just buying a premade All in one? There are so many out there right now. Just consider if you are really saving money making your own, not sure how much it would really end up being.

I have a few all in ones, one is my 9 gal nano, the other is my sons JBJ 29 gal HQI tank which comes with a free stand. I added a small chiller to my sons tank and he uses 2 part and is good to go.

Maybe your more handy then me, but when I generally try to DIY I spend close to the same money as I would have and end up with a DIY looking job.

It appears you are right about the acrylic with black seams. I was confusing
myself on the website. They have it setup for either getting glass or acrylic but
in the text blurb say glass is no longer available. So that is out.

As for the width factor... i am tending to agree with you. 24 x 24 would be
pretty cool if I slice off 6-8 inches on the back leaving me a width of 16+
inches.

Now those all in ones you mention.. i really do not care for them due to a few
reasons. One is the enclosed top when I want quite a bit of light over the tank.
That leads us to a customized all in one which are available from nano-tuners.
But then you have the heat issue with 150ish watts enclosed over a 25ish
gallon tank
which would lead to a chiller which I am trying to avoid.
Also the designs of each all in one(s) have downfalls. I reviewed each one
and compared them and pretty much decided they were not for me. I forget
the reasons but a few fellows and I on IRC debated them for a while. For
example I want more flow, thus the 4 returns on a wavemaker/timer. I also
want T5 lighting this time around for the better coverage, selection of bulbs, and
less heat due to not being an enclosed hood.



You have a very good point on the cost. I have tried to find a tank that has
a full back wall sump and failed. Cadlight setups were very close though
for example and I am still considering them. I am writing down every thing
I discover with this research and will try to make the best decision.

I think I am capable of cutting a rectangle pieces of acrylic, drilling holes in it,
and otherwise glue down. I would of course practice on other small pieces
before going and doing it.

Thanks for taking the time to post. I appreciate it.