Biocube and custom 80 gal buildish build, Evo no more. There is some reef related content, sometimes.

rmorris_14 · Jan 17, 2023

Projects with Sam said:
I just spent way too long doing a rip-clean for my GHA issue and at this point I am wishing the 120 was shallower.
If you do go bigger, stay shallow because it eases maintenance. Also, it may not be as much of a difference going from 2 tanks to one bigger tank.

Lost in the Sauce said:
A 4x2x2 with center overflow is a great reef sized tank for most. I could see if folk were a bit short in the poot, it may make it harder.

I dropped my 300 lower by 2 inch and gained an inch of height on the tank so it's an inch lower. The height of the stand is more important I think for maintenance than depth of the tank.

Stang67 said:
I did 6x2x2 stand at 36-38. I like the height of the stand for viewing from the couch and like the depth for scape purposes. Just wish I was taller and had longer arms. I do have to use a step ladder any time I need in the tank. One thing I wish I would have done differently ia the mounting for the lights. I wanted some thing where I could swing them out ou the way like TV wall mounts, but they didn't give me the reach over the tank I needed. Planning and triple guessing everything is not a bad thing when your planning a big build.

fishguy242 said:
40" is perfect even w a 24" tall, use a 4' step ladder ,or 2 step stool ,and i'm 5'4 short
and you can get 3 33" pieces out of a 10" board,3 40" from 10' board.
and it's nice to have headroom under stand.
edit: 240 from 1994- 2018 ,unfortunately only pic i have rt now... photo's still packed from move...

Mschmidt said:
I'd prefer a lower stand for viewing, but I've had a sump for a week, so I don't fully understand the pains of under-tank maintenance. but what this conversation could use is @OrchidMiss with her tank maintenance pic.

Thanks for all the helpful input.. you all rock...I agree that planning is going to be really important. I think no matter which way I cut it. I will be using some sort of step stool for maintenance. Im only 5'4". You should see me try to get frags from the bottoms of FISHYS frag tank. The arms just wont make it. lol. However, I am leaning rtward a more shallow tank for a few reasons. 24" deep would be MAX.
I did run into a bit of a snag yesterday. I realized the amount of weight we were talking about with a bigger tank. The location I want to put it is on the main floor of my house with a finished basement underneath. The tank location runs parallel to the floor joists (no bueno). Adding a support underneath isnt really an option because of where in the finished basement that would land (the middle of my rec room). So I might need to rethink the location.... unless you guys have some other kind of idea.

Mschmidt · Jan 17, 2023

Initial thought is you could (if you want to open up the ceiling briefly) you could sister the joists the tank hits and then tie them to the neighboring ones with x supports (I forget what they are properly called). If someone more savvy disagrees, do what they say.

Stang67 · Jan 17, 2023

Uh oh I am picking up basement fish room vibes with basement sump access.
How finished is "finished"?
Floor Jack's are your friend.

rmorris_14 · Jan 17, 2023

Stang67 said:
Uh oh I am picking up basement fish room vibes with basement sump access.
How finished is "finished"?
Floor Jack's are your friend.

so your thread is actually what got me thinking.

it is finished finished. Drywalled and carpet, trim ect. I would be inclined to to the floor jacks if it were on a side wall out of the way even with it being finished... however. the posts would be sitting out in the middle of the rec room and I know that isnt gonna fly with the hubs and I don't think I would like it either.

Stang67 · Jan 17, 2023

rmorris_14 said:
so your thread is actually what got me thinking. it is finished finished. Drywalled and carpet, trim ect. I would be inclined to to the floor jacks if it were on a side wall out of the way even with it being finished... however. the posts would be sitting out in the middle of the rec room and I know that isnt gonna fly with the hubs and I don't think I would like it either.

Ohhh no. Don't blame me for you thinking. That will not end well. Best bet then I'd rethink location upstairs. Preferably with proper joist orientation. Otherwise put tank in said recroom?

rmorris_14 · Jan 17, 2023

Stang67 said:
Ohhh no. Don't blame me for you thinking. That will not end well. Best bet then I'd rethink location upstairs. Preferably with proper joist orientation. Otherwise put tank in said recroom?

HAHAHA better to look at your thread for ideas than having the tank crashing through the floor. I've been considering a basement tank as well.... The rec room is currently more of a play room until my boys get older and we dont spend a ton of time down there. Ideally id like the tank to be on the main level where we are the most so I can enjoy it without having to walk away to do so.

Lost in the Sauce · Jan 17, 2023

Mschmidt said:
I'd prefer a lower stand for viewing, but I've had a sump for a week, so I don't fully understand the pains of under-tank maintenance. but what this conversation could use is @OrchidMiss with her tank maintenance pic.

I think she is actually smurf sized and that's a MCT pico.

fishguy242 · Jan 17, 2023

3/4" plywood doubled under stand ,flush w stand , would distribute weight by square foot equally,
hence stop deflection of joists...
@Lost in the Sauce @Eagle_Steve ,agree ??

Mschmidt · Jan 17, 2023

Lost in the Sauce said:
I think she is actually smurf sized and that's a MCT pico.

I think you're right.

Lost in the Sauce · Jan 17, 2023

fishguy242 said:
3/4" plywood doubled under stand ,flush w stand , would distribute weight by square foot equally,
hence stop deflection of joists...
@Lost in the Sauce @Eagle_Steve ,agree ??

Kind of .. the spread is still running laterally which is the issue. Spreading the length of the joist isn't as effective as spreading over multiple joints which is why you want them running perpendicular to the tank.

fishguy242 · Jan 17, 2023

Lost in the Sauce said:
Kind of .. the spread is still running laterally which is the issue. Spreading the length of the joist isn't as effective as spreading over multiple joints which is why you want them running perpendicular to the tank.

also under assumption must be riding on two,and 125-150 gal system max
edit :also if house is sitting on exterior rim and only single full run support loadbeam ,or several basement load bearing walls supports