ReeferMan July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 Check out this link to see what I mean. Right now I drywalled it but havent plastered the front because I haven't decided what to do. Help me decide. And After I posted I realized I forgot the "Y" in Drywall so no wise comments please. http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?act=...w_album&album=7
rsaavedra July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 Check out this link to see what I mean. Right now I drywalled it but havent plastered the front because I haven't decided what to do. Help me decide. And After I posted I realized I forgot the "Y" in Drywall so no wise comments please. http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?act=...w_album&album=7 That link sent to the main forums page. A door will give you quick front access for feeding but since it is inwall wasn't the idea to do maintenance from the back?
ReeferMan July 14, 2006 Author July 14, 2006 That was the idea but it harder to do in a small space expectally when its viewable from 3 sides http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?act=...w_album&album=7
rsaavedra July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 That was the idea but it harder to do in a small space expectally when its viewable from 3 sides http://www.wamas.org/forums/index.php?act=...w_album&album=7 I see it now, I'll do 1 large door that opens up in the front to the top and 1 small door on the sides that opens the lenght of the lank so it gives you the most work area possible.
cbashaw July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 trust me you will want a way to access the tank from the front. I don't have a way to access my tank from the front right now and I am planning on putting a door on the front soon. You won't realize how much you need it until you don't have it. cleaning the glass and moving corals around is difficult when you can't see. I have to walk around to the front of the tank and see where I want to put something then I have to go to the back and hope I can find that spot on the first try.
ReeferMan July 14, 2006 Author July 14, 2006 I feel you on this already. It a big pain not to have front access
davelin315 July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 I didn't respond to the poll yet, but that's because my answer depends on the size of your tank. It looks like it's a small tank, 29 gallon? However, since I can't be sure from the pictures, and I could be way off, that will make a difference. The smaller the tank, the less you need a door in the front. If it's a bigger tank, not making the door is a mistake in my opinion. You won't be able to reach the front without a lot of struggles.
ReeferMan July 14, 2006 Author July 14, 2006 Its a 75g tank 36x24x18 i recall. The stand is 4 foot tall so i need a small step latter to reach in it.
rsaavedra July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 Its a 75g tank 36x24x18 i recall. The stand is 4 foot tall so i need a small step latter to reach in it. those dims gave me 68G, 20" height gave me 75G, 22" height gave me 82G and 24" height gave me 90G, is it glass? where you got it from? I am looking for a glass 36X24X20, 36X24X22 or 36X24X24. If anyone knows of glass those dime let me know where to get it from. Not from GlassCages that's for sure and not custom it will be too much $$$. Sorry for hijacking the tread... :( Raf
ReeferMan July 14, 2006 Author July 14, 2006 ok then its 20inches tall I couldn't remeber but knew it was a 75g. It is glass and was bought from a wamas member who bought it from glass cages. It very heavy and has a custom eurobracing on it but the silicone is a little sloppy. And its a custom size so good luck finding one reasonably priced. i think they sell it for $250 plus $50 local shipping and then drilled cost $30 i believe.
dchild July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 Why not make the wall itself your door? Maybe the drywall will get beat up over time, but MDF paints very well. Put hinges on the inside at the top, then you can swing that whole section up. Ghazanfar Ghori uses a similar approach.
YBeNormal July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 trust me you will want a way to access the tank from the front. I don't have a way to access my tank from the front right now and I am planning on putting a door on the front soon. You won't realize how much you need it until you don't have it. cleaning the glass and moving corals around is difficult when you can't see. I have to walk around to the front of the tank and see where I want to put something then I have to go to the back and hope I can find that spot on the first try. I agree. I have a 29 reef and a 55 FO in-wall in my basement with no front access. Refraction and blind spots make it very difficult to arrange things the way you want to. Move the coral, run around to the front to see how it looks, run to the back and move it again... I will definitely be cutting front access doors in the near future.
ReeferMan July 14, 2006 Author July 14, 2006 I was thinking about doing the whole front but thought about the drywall getting beat up but thought about one more thing. How about I do the whole canopy with wood and have the whole front open. What wood could I use to paint and make it look like the drywall would?
davelin315 July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 OK, so my sizing was off quite a bit. With those dimensions, the top back side is 30" away from the front bottom. On me, and I think you were a bit taller than me, 30" is beyond the length of my arm. That means that you'd most likely have to go for a bit of a swim in your tank. My 300 is 30Dx32Hx7W. That means that when you take into account the bracing, it's a 37" reach from the back corner to the front corner. Even in the front, I'm looking at 32" to the bottom of the tank. I'm going to combat this with a 6-8" deep sand bed, maybe more, and that'll help me out at least a little bit with keeping distances reasonable. So, unless you're one of those guys who NBA analysts would refer to as "very long", I'd say it's a very bad idea to go without front access.
dchild July 14, 2006 July 14, 2006 What wood could I use to paint and make it look like the drywall would? I say MDF. Depending on your drywall thickness you may have issues getting the thickness right (I think MDF comes in 1/2" and 3/4", the latter is the only one I've ever used. It should paint exactly like drywall.
dchild July 15, 2006 July 15, 2006 I was at HD today and saw they have 2x4 MDF "handypanels" for 5-6 bucks. They come in 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4, so you should be able to match it up to your drywall thickness.
Prunfarm July 16, 2006 July 16, 2006 Beauty of a set-up, I like how the tank is 'showcased.' Having a currently cycling in-wal 75 w/o front access, I will try to help out. B/c I only have one viewable side, and can get to the others from the back w/ no issue, I would recommend front access in your set-up. It is a PIA the way I have things (looks good tho!!), and I think your's would be worse (for cleaning, 'scaping, etc.) When I saw Howard's old tank, I was impressed how he had front panels that were simply attached by using cabinet magnets. I think this might be the way to go w/ a thin laminate or paneling. This way, you could simply pull off the front panel, and go right to work. Eduardo
HowardofNOVA July 17, 2006 July 17, 2006 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! But when daily maintenance is involved and to make life easier on yourself, I would go with some type of front access panel without a doubt!
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now