Long Shallow Preliminary Questions

[ainswokp]

Planning to acquire a custom long shallow "bookshelf" tank to upgrade from a 3 gallon pico we have been messing around with. While I have been in the hobby a long time, I am new to reefing. Was looking for help with some preliminary questions.

The built-ins the tank is going on are serving depth i.e. not cabinet depth so the surface area for the tank is only 16 3/4" out from the wall, and about 76" long. The tank will be 60" L 14" H, and either 12" W or 14" W. If I plumb the overflow from one of the ends, is there any reason not to leave only 2" wiggle between the wall and the tank, and therefore go to 14" wide? I figure for flow I can run a gyre on the non-drain end and maybe an additional in the middle if necessary. Are there any downsides to running the overflow on an end?

For lighting I was thinking 3 A360Xs as we're really only looking to go with softies given the newbie status. From what I am reading it seems like we will get enough par on a 60" length to make it work. I like the crane arm attached to the glass option as the space above the tank is going to have some artwork and I don't want cables running in front of it for a ceiling installation.

Lastly, I am looking at some of the Trigger sumps because they fit nicely in the cabinet. I am handy (furniture builder in former life), but with 3 kids under 4, time is of the essence, I'd rather buy a manufactured sump, also I like the look. My question here is if I go with a fleece roller is it possible to get by with only a fuge, no skimmer, assuming the roller is pulling most of the waste out of the water before it reaches the skimmer? Maybe this is a try it and see how your results look question, just wondering if that thinking is logical.

 

[Big G]

Bump

 

[JoshH]

Planning to acquire a custom long shallow "bookshelf" tank to upgrade from a 3 gallon pico we have been messing around with. While I have been in the hobby a long time, I am new to reefing. Was looking for help with some preliminary questions.

First off, welcome to the darker, more fun side of reefing, upgrading

The built-ins the tank is going on are serving depth i.e. not cabinet depth so the surface area for the tank is only 16 3/4" out from the wall, and about 76" long. The tank will be 60" L 14" H, and either 12" W or 14" W. If I plumb the overflow from one of the ends, is there any reason not to leave only 2" wiggle between the wall and the tank, and therefore go to 14" wide? I figure for flow I can run a gyre on the non-drain end and maybe an additional in the middle if necessary. Are there any downsides to running the overflow on an end?

No real downside to having your overflow at one end aside from looks.... although it can be made to look nice as well. Honestly I would try and look at going as big as physically possible within the space you have and even pushing 16" with some type of back splash to make salt creep a little easier to deal with. Gyre on one end and return on the other is a great option for flow but you will probably need more than that eventually when things fill in.

For lighting I was thinking 3 A360Xs as we're really only looking to go with softies given the newbie status. From what I am reading it seems like we will get enough par on a 60" length to make it work. I like the crane arm attached to the glass option as the space above the tank is going to have some artwork and I don't want cables running in front of it for a ceiling installation.

I wonder if you could use your cabinetry skills and come up with some type of slim canopy to match the built in and skip the arms all together. This would also give you more options if you wanted to try other lighting methods such as a 2-4 bulb T5 fixture, LED bars and so on. Given your just stepping into the hobby you also might want to save some money and grab something like an AI Prime HD. WI-FI controllable right out of the box, strong enough for all types of corals as long as you place them appropriately and more than half the price per light... you would still need 3 or 4 of them but much easier on the wallet for soft corals.

Lastly, I am looking at some of the Trigger sumps because they fit nicely in the cabinet. I am handy (furniture builder in former life), but with 3 kids under 4, time is of the essence, I'd rather buy a manufactured sump, also I like the look. My question here is if I go with a fleece roller is it possible to get by with only a fuge, no skimmer, assuming the roller is pulling most of the waste out of the water before it reaches the skimmer? Maybe this is a try it and see how your results look question, just wondering if that thinking is logical.

No one way to reef, especially when it comes to filtration. Nothing wrong with starting with no skimmer and seeing how that goes, lots of people run without them. Just make sure with your sump purchase you can add a skimmer if you want to down the road to save a replacement sump purchase. When looking at a sump, try and make sure it's as flexible as possible for future needs.