Getting back into the hobby for my daughter's room and need advice.

ana474 · Feb 5, 2024

I posted a few months ago about buying a used tank, decided after months that I'll purchase new. Last time I had a saltwater tank was in the early 2000's. I have some considerations that I haven't been able to find answers for. First, I've been looking at some all in one options from IM and waterbox. The issues I keep pondering is the tank stands being too tall. Love the sleek look of the white stands and it seems IM stands are amazing, BUT my daughter has cp and is not fully moble. She spends a ton of time, while in her room sitting on a cushy mat on the floor and the stands seem too high. Second issue is lighting. If she is spending time on the floor or in a platform height bed the hanging lights will be directly in her eyes, so she'll not be able to enjoy the tank.

Outside of doing a custom stand situation, how can I resolve the stand height situation and the lights being directly in her eyes? I'm not too keen on a top for the tank to cover the lights since I think the entire thing in a big boxy encased tank would overpower the entire room. Any suggestions as I begin planning out this tank build????

Widdlyscudds · Feb 5, 2024

There are cowls you can get for most led lights these days that will prevent the majority of light spill into the rest of the room, You will need to do some research on what lights you want and if cowls/covers are readily available for that particular brand/model. If you have a 3d printer or know someone who does you can print off custom cowls.

I built a custom floating hood out of old floor panels. The stand was built cheaply out of 2x4's and sits just over 2 feet tall so it lines up at the exact height of my bed. I'm not sure of anyway to adjust stand height without just building something custom or having something made like a custom T slot aluminum stand.

parclife · Feb 5, 2024

Radion do a light defuser which greatly reduces the glare as you look up at the lights. They do two sizes of lights depending on your tank choice and needs, but aren’t cheap. Good luck on your build

ana474 · Feb 5, 2024

Widdlyscudds said:
There are cowls you can get for most led lights these days that will prevent the majority of light spill into the rest of the room, You will need to do some research on what lights you want and if cowls/covers are readily available for that particular brand/model. If you have a 3d printer or know someone who does you can print off custom cowls.

I built a custom floating hood out of old floor panels. The stand was built cheaply out of 2x4's and sits just over 2 feet tall so it lines up at the exact height of my bed. I'm not sure of anyway to adjust stand height without just building something custom or having something made like a custom T slot aluminum stand.

Thanks. So it's perfectly OK that I bring that light cover all the way down to near the top of the tank so if she's looking up at the tank she catches none of the LED lights in her eyes? The biggest issue is that her pupils no longer contract due to her physical issues. This would be horribly painful for her to have led lights in her eyes. Back when I had my tank LED lights were not a big thing and a full cover was what I had for the entire cabinet. All of the tanks I see now are open tanks, which look better, but creates a problem in this situation. As I figure out a build this is one of my top considerations.

ana474 · Feb 5, 2024

parclife said:
Radion do a light defuser which greatly reduces the glare as you look up at the lights. They do two sizes of lights depending on your tank choice and needs, but aren’t cheap. Good luck on your build

Thanks. I need to block all harsh light from her when looking up. A diffuser, I'm not sure that's enough. I'll look into it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Mikeltee · Feb 5, 2024

I am sorry for your daughter's misfortunes. I think this will really help to brighten her day. You didn't mention a budget. This is the most important question. I spend $40 on a 40b for my office tank and I have over 20k in my 130g main display. You can get used equipment for pennies on the dollar here. With a tank, I'd be more skeptical as I have had a leak, but they are really easy to reseal. If I was to get a questionable used tank, I'd reseal it out of the gate.

The next question is sump or non-sump. My main has a sump and my 40b had a canister filter for mechanical filtration and a HOB skimmer. A bigger tank and sump is going to be more forgiving. Small tanks are usually recommended to those that are already seasoned veterans in the hobby as things can make a turn for the worst overnight. You can also have a lot more fish to choose from in a 48"x24x24 tank than you would something smaller.

If it was me, id go with an innovative marine EXT with sump and buy everything else on here over the next few months while I studied and let my rock cure.

This isn't going to happen overnight. If it does, you are destined for failure and I don't want to see that happen to you.

Widdlyscudds · Feb 5, 2024

ana474 said:
Thanks. So it's perfectly OK that I bring that light cover all the way down to near the top of the tank so if she's looking up at the tank she catches none of the LED lights in her eyes? The biggest issue is that her pupils no longer contract due to her physical issues. This would be horribly painful for her to have led lights in her eyes. Back when I had my tank LED lights were not a big thing and a full cover was what I had for the entire cabinet. All of the tanks I see now are open tanks, which look better, but creates a problem in this situation. As I figure out a build this is one of my top considerations.

Yup it's totally fine, you can angle or lower it however you need to ensure the light only touches whats in the tank and doesn't spill out into the room. the biggest thing is making sure there is no direct visual path to the bulbs themselves from sitting level.

TangerineSpeedo · Feb 5, 2024

As far as the stands go with IM you can cut down the height by cutting the four outside post down to the height you want. You can actually do this with a chop saw. The stand is made from aluminum and you can cut it with a wood blade. The trick is getting all for cuts exactly the same length. you can do this by clamping all four risers together and cutting them at the same time.
With the LED's you can build a canopy for the tank, build supports inside for the lighting. But leave the top open to let the heat escape. that would also facilitate you feeding the fish. The size of the tank would determine whether or not the canopy just sits on the tank for easy removal for maintenance, or is on some sort of lift system.

Katrina71 · Feb 5, 2024

Why not get a Biocube? Hooded, all in one, and the stand would be an excellent height for viewing.

Mikedawg · Feb 5, 2024

Katrina71 said:
Why not get a Biocube? Hooded, all in one, and the stand would be an excellent height for viewing.

Exactly! Keep it simple and easy.

BubblesandSqueak · Feb 5, 2024

you didn't mention what size tank. one person brought in a 48". just stands are too tall. if you are considering a small tank, night stands to side tables are shorter. if you are considering a large tank to make it lower, I'd custom make it but you need to be mindful of sump height. which the AIO in back of a smaller size would help. As for light shields, if it's a 48" tank, you could look at billiard shades and get some decoration out of it. just need to modify the guts to hang appropriate lights inside.