Dream build need help

[cali_reef]

What do you plan to keep in this tank?

 

[clownlover]

reef tank w fish. mostly lps and softies but some monti's. im leaning towards something like this drawing. 2 corner islands sloping from low in front to high in the back. the reason is i want to keep stuff like anemones and xenia and zoas on one side and lps on the other. the softies wont cross the sand in my experience

 

[juiceguy]

IMO C2C overflows look good when a tank is behind a wall because it takes a lot of space if the tank is up against a wall. are you doing a closed loop or standard returns?

 

[clownlover]

thinkin of standard returns then 4 tunzes or eco 40's for in tank flow

 

[clownlover]

IMO C2C overflows look good when a tank is behind a wall because it takes a lot of space if the tank is up against a wall. are you doing a closed loop or standard returns?

i agree thats why im thinking of corners or corner and center

 

[juiceguy]

dual 1.5" overflows are more than enough. i am switching over from vortechs to Tunzes.

 

[clownlover]

dual 1.5" overflows are more than enough. i am switching over from vortechs to Tunzes.

can i ask why, i was for tunze at first but then i saw some vortechs and they lookd good and were so low profile.

 

[cali_reef]

reef tank w fish. mostly lps and softies but some monti's. im leaning towards something like this drawing. 2 corner islands sloping from low in front to high in the back. the reason is i want to keep stuff like anemones and xenia and zoas on one side and lps on the other. the softies wont cross the sand in my experience

Anemones will walk and kill things around it, zoas included... I tried the hardest to keep four RBTA on a separate structure and two have become three in the sump, banished from the main tank.

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

Some people have had some bad experiences with anemones. However, in the 4 years that I have had anemones I have always done the following and have had great success.

1) they enjoy light and need a decent amount of it. Mine are getting anywhere from 150-200 par. (5hrs of Mh, 7hrs VHO)
2) They like ledges and crevices to reside in and place their foot.
3) They like to be fed. I feed mine large Hikari pelets...I used to feed weekly but have cut back to twice a month.
4) They like good water quality(like just about everything else we keep)
5) They dont like to much flow and will walk away from it.

In addition to the above I like to give anemones there own rock island for them which is not leaning against any tank wall(front, side, back) or other structure that can let them walk off this "Anemone Island".
I started with 1 rose buble tip, 1 quad color, 1 green....I now have over two dozen of them on this "island" They have never roamed off the island and the only time they did move was when I turned up my pump a little to high and they moved farther away from the pump(but still on the island)
Now If you absolutely can not make an area for them well this is a little dangerous but can still work until they start to get big or split/clone themsleves. Just put them in first and let them find a place that they are happy with.....but like i said before they do grow pretty quickly and will split so that is when you might and will probably have an issue. Try as I said before to dedicate an area for them. You will have the most success this way and not have to worry when they clone/split.
The symbiotic relationship between clowns and host anemones is an amazing thing to watch. These animals are long lived and are quite amazing to watch
Remember If an anemone is happy it does not roam. On a final note if you do need to ever move an anemone turn the flow up a little and use an ice cube and place near the foot of the animal....works like a charm.

Thane

 

[clownlover]

what do u guys think about solatubes??

 

[tomtoothdoc]

so im closing in on a custom tank- 96 x 24 x 30. what overflow woul dyou recommend for a tank this size?? i wa shoping to get away with corners instead of corners and center overflows.

i'm assuming the 30" is the height. i have a 48x36x27 (27" height) and it's a pain to reach inside. my arms aren't long enough to reach the bottom(nor the back half) of the tank (comfortably without getting my whole shoulder submerged). you may want to take that into consideration.
i really like the 36" deep dimension design....it gives depth to the whole look(obviously). non of the rocks touches any side nor back glass.
i went with the center overflow since i want to view the tank from 3 sides..... 3 different viewing angles ....like having 3 tanks in one. and of course 3 sided starphire glass.
the only thing i wish i had done was the external overflow to save real estate inside the tank. i don't know if that would work for you since you mentioned of 23" depth.

 

[tomtoothdoc]

what do u guys think about solatubes??

i remember reading a thread on rc about the totally solartubes-lit tank....but i think it was in florida or california where they have more sun than we do. also what would you do during the winter when there is less sun or what if the snow covers the roof end of the tube?????

 

[clownlover]

i'm assuming the 30" is the height. i have a 48x36x27 (27" height) and it's a pain to reach inside. my arms aren't long enough to reach the bottom(nor the back half) of the tank (comfortably without getting my whole shoulder submerged). you may want to take that into consideration.
i really like the 36" deep dimension design....it gives depth to the whole look(obviously). non of the rocks touches any side nor back glass.
i went with the center overflow since i want to view the tank from 3 sides..... 3 different viewing angles ....like having 3 tanks in one. and of course 3 sided starphire glass.
the only thing i wish i had done was the external overflow to save real estate inside the tank. i don't know if that would work for you since you mentioned of 23" depth.

well the tank will only be viewed from the front. i wanted external overflows on the sides of the tank but people told me its more susceptable to breaking during th tank bowing.

 

[clownlover]

i remember reading a thread on rc about the totally solartubes-lit tank....but i think it was in florida or california where they have more sun than we do. also what would you do during the winter when there is less sun or what if the snow covers the roof end of the tube?????

i got off the phone with the distributor and he said that the dome concentrates light so summer winter doest make much of a difference other then when the sun rises /sets. also i would supplement some actinic and daylight t5's to make up the difference. he also said snow doesnt really affect the dome bc it doesnt build up on the dome ( i must say i dont understand how) he said it sits a foot above the roof and u dont really see that kindof buildup on the roof but if you were worried about that u could extend it off the roof even further

 

[tomtoothdoc]

well the tank will only be viewed from the front. i wanted external overflows on the sides of the tank but people told me its more susceptable to breaking during th tank bowing.

not sure if i agree with that.....if the tank bows, it would be the long panes which are the front and/or the back pane. if the side panes are only 23-24 inches, i don't see them being the vulnerable ones. if i'm not mistaken, isn't the reason for having the cross brace or the eurobrace is to prevent bowing?

 

[tomtoothdoc]

i got off the phone with the distributor and he said that the dome concentrates light so summer winter doest make much of a difference other then when the sun rises /sets. also i would supplement some actinic and daylight t5's to make up the difference. he also said snow doesnt really affect the dome bc it doesnt build up on the dome ( i must say i dont understand how) he said it sits a foot above the roof and u dont really see that kindof buildup on the roof but if you were worried about that u could extend it off the roof even further

i don't know if it's the same idea but my skylight has a dome shape acrylic cover but it still gets buried under the snow. the last couple of snow storms block the skylight for may be two weeks?
how much are we talking about for the total cost of the solartubes installed? (and how many tubes would you need?)

 

[Salty Dog]

This tank will weigh about 2700lbs. thats like having a 15ppl in your living room. if you would throw a house party, you have nothing to worry about. Just put it perpendicular to the floor beams. you'll be fine. my dad has a buddy who has a glass shop. i can ask him if he makes tanks. Pm me later on tonight

dude you gotta change your avaitor

 

[Awibrandy]

Wishing you all the best on this build!!!!

I know you all stopped talking about the weight & support of this tank a while back, but I am still concerned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What if anything did you decide to do about the support? Did you have an engineer come, and take a look?
I only have a 155 gallon on my first floor, and the floor is even less level then before the install of the tank. The tank is on a load bearing wall spanning 4 beams with an adjustable lolicolumn under it, and still it is off level. Now I live with the daily fear that one day that side panel is going to blow off.;(

 

[tomtoothdoc]

Wishing you all the best on this build!!!!

I know you all stopped talking about the weight & support of this tank a while back, but I am still concerned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What if anything did you decide to do about the support? Did you have an engineer come, and take a look?
I only have a 155 gallon on my first floor, and the floor is even less level then before the install of the tank. The tank is on a load bearing wall spanning 4 beams with an adjustable lolicolumn under it, and still it is off level. Now I live with the daily fear that one day that side panel is going to blow off.;(

that's no way to live awi....:Yikes:
the "less level than before the install of the tank", could that be the settling/compression of the wood itself or perhaps the subfloor? is the water level in the tank really lopsided? is it possible to re-shim the tank?

 

[Awibrandy]

that's no way to live awi....:Yikes:
the "less level than before the install of the tank", could that be the settling/compression of the wood itself or perhaps the subfloor? is the water level in the tank really lopsided? is it possible to re-shim the tank?

Tell me about it!:irked:
Not really sure if it is different from when it was installed. It's the whole house. The house is built on sandy soil, (we are 3 blocks from the beach)and it is going on 100 years of age. I haven't found any cracks in the foundation. It's close to an inch off.:Yikes:
In order to shim the stand the tank has to be emptied.:screama:

Sorry clownlover! Didn't mean to take over your thread. Back to topic guys...