kylewest August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 I've had a 120G in the basement for about 3 years now and starting to consider building a bigger tank upstairs as part of a main level remodel. Because of the house, the length (6') and width (30") are set, the height I can do anything from 24" to 8'. Is there a sweet spot? What factors should I consider? It'll be a peninsula viewable on 2.5 sides. Something like this: Thanks, Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 The biggest concern is the length of your arms And the fact of how much weight the area can hold. My tank is 72x30x22 and its perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylewest August 7, 2014 Author Share August 7, 2014 I'm 6' 2" so have some pretty long arms I knew weight would be a concern. There is a steel beam that runs right under where the tank would sit but I have no idea what that translates to weight wise. I plan to have that figured out. Area directly underneath is unfinished so could be reinforced if needed. 30" wide or 30" deep? who built the tank? Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave w August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 My opinion is that the primary concern regarding the depth of your tank is ease of maintenance. If you need to reach the bottom or need to get inside the tank to clean the lower part of the glass, then you are limited by your arm length. If you really are going to put in a deep tank the consideration is "how are you going to clean the glass?". If you plan on having fish spawn, the deeper the tank the better. But fish breeders are only 2% of marine aquarium keepers so the odds are small that you are one of those. I'd guess that your steel beam will handle your tank just fine, but I don't know how many levels of the house bear on that beam. Most builders don't put a steel beam in the bottom floor unless there are two or more floors on top putting weight on it. For what it's worth, that's my two cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExoticReefCreations August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 (edited) Hey Kyle, I think 24"-27" is ideal for maximum height. I once owned a 30" tall tank and I vowed never to go with 30" ever again. Even on a ladder, the bottom few inches were a nightmare to get to. When you come up tomorrow we can discuss your options further and get you some pricing on one of our custom tanks if you are interested! A build out like the photo you posted would look very sharp! Edited August 7, 2014 by ExoticReefCreations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwweber August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 I like a shallow tank. 24 inch is the most i would ever do again. Easy to light and work on. I have a deep dimension 150 and love the tank, just hard to work on at times. Looking for a tank for my LR, want it to be 8 feet long 32 front to back and 24 high Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 I'm 6' 2" so have some pretty long arms I knew weight would be a concern. There is a steel beam that runs right under where the tank would sit but I have no idea what that translates to weight wise. I plan to have that figured out. Area directly underneath is unfinished so could be reinforced if needed. 30" wide or 30" deep? who built the tank? Kyle My tank is 30 deep and 22 high. I'm not 6'2" so I needed a shallower tank The tank is made by miracles in glass out of Canada. Your more then welcome to come down and take a look at it if you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epleeds August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 Another thing to consider is how you would want your rock work in the tank. I prefer the shallower tank. As for re-in forcing floors, when you total out the cost of a tank this size, the extra $200 for some bracing in the basement is well worth the cost of having some peace of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 My old tank was 27". I'm 6'0". I didn't think it was too deep to work in. The deeper the better imo. Then again, 30" or more and I would've had to dunk my head in the tank, so I suppose I'd probably stick with 27" in the future myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuffyGeos August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 I think the best thing to do is to mock up the tank. Set up either a 2 x 4 frame for "top of the tank" and a tape measure for the width. Then play around with what ever height you will be standing at, or on a stool and see what works. The wider the tank, the short it will have to be to reach the other side if you can only get at it from one side. If you have access from both sides then you may just need to be able to reach 3/4 of the way across the tank so it could be higher. Mine is 96" long x 30" wide x 24" deep and I can touch all points in the tank from one side at the height I will be working at. It will be different for you, I am 5'-10". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylewest August 7, 2014 Author Share August 7, 2014 Thanks for all the responses. Lots of good things to consider. I just measured my arm: 30" from armpit to fingertip. I would have guessed longer. Looks like we know the max height 24-27" seems like the winner. 8' would be awesome but no way I'm gonna SCUBA in my living room -- or in 30" width. Good idea on the mockup. I saw someone mockup a tank in PVC to make sure it would fit in the door. I think I'll do that once we get closer. If everything goes well project will start this winter. I'll be sure to keep you updated. Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 Just measure your arm length and don't go much beyond that for the hypotenuse (remember the pythagorean theorem a2+b2=c2?). Keep into account that your water level will be about 1-3" below the rim of the tank, that you will most likely be standing on something to reach in, and your back will get really sore as you work on the tank from above and have to angle yourself to reach in below the wall and around lights and anything else that is in the "canopy". My tank is 32" tall with 3 openings in the top (acrylic) and I am only 5'9"... my arms don't reach the opposite bottom corner unless I get really wet and this caused a lot of problems in the past with trying to grab things or do any sort of maintenance. It's awesome having a lot of height, but have a plan of attack for any added height. If you've got an 8' tall tank that would be pretty darn cool, but at the same time, crazy to clean especially given the width and length you are describing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylewest August 7, 2014 Author Share August 7, 2014 If you've got an 8' tall tank that would be pretty darn cool, but at the same time, crazy to clean especially given the width and length you are describing. Would certainly be awesome but not very practical. I forgot to take I to account at that height it'd have to sit on the floor and I'd have to cut a hole in the floor above to feed or access the tank. The good news is my 9-year-old sons room is directly above so I could just send him in. :-P More realistic height is 24-48". I'm thinking somewhere in the 27-30" range after reading all these comments. Is there a general rule of thumb about glass thickness forbthisbsize of tank? Kyle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuffyGeos August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 Thanks for all the responses. Lots of good things to consider. I just measured my arm: 30" from armpit to fingertip. I would have guessed longer. Looks like we know the max height 24-27" seems like the winner. 8' would be awesome but no way I'm gonna SCUBA in my living room -- or in 30" width. Good idea on the mockup. I saw someone mockup a tank in PVC to make sure it would fit in the door. I think I'll do that once we get closer. If everything goes well project will start this winter. I'll be sure to keep you updated. Kyle I built a mock up of my tank out of 2" x 4" 's to make sure it could fit down the stairs. I am glad I did it, I had to knock off some width or it would not have fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 You mention in your first post that there's an immovable wall. Is it really immovable? You're already remodeling; maybe you should have the wall taken out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy August 7, 2014 Share August 7, 2014 You mention in your first post that there's an immovable wall. Is it really immovable? You're already remodeling; maybe you should have the wall taken out.i like the way you think jon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylewest August 7, 2014 Author Share August 7, 2014 You mention in your first post that there's an immovable wall. Is it really immovable? You're already remodeling; maybe you should have the wall taken out. ha! anything is possible I suppose. I'm sure it could be but would entail moving just about every major appliance and all the utilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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