blaxsun
10K Club member
As they say in combat - tactics may win battles, but logistics wins the war.
Something I semi-planned for with an adjacent room that could eventually be tied-in for my fish if needed.
One 8ft or two 4ft tanks?
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Something I semi-planned for with an adjacent room that could eventually be tied-in for my fish if needed.
Freddy0144
Active Member
Looks like the floor is tile, do you know what the sub flooring is? 96x30x30 is about 400 gallons which is 3200 pounds + just in water. So just something to think about if the subfloor is not concrete, and even if it is, I would check to see if a standard 4" slab will withstand that kind of weight, I know part of it will have the footer under it, but I would still look into that.
OP
OP
It's definitely slab/concrete under that section, but I will definitely look back at the engineering plans on my slab to check and do the math. Thanks for the heads up.
YOYOYOReefer
Valuable Member
having several 8 foot tanks, i would definatley get at least 8 foot, 10 or 12 if you can..
i would also suggest acrylic tank in this size is much easier to work with , and will your floors support it or do you need to beef up the floors is the next question,
i would also suggest acrylic tank in this size is much easier to work with , and will your floors support it or do you need to beef up the floors is the next question,
Devaji
5000 Club Member
hard choice for sure.
I like the idea of both!
if you go 2X smaller tanks you could have two completely different styles of tanks one SPS one something different like seahorses or something you have always wanted to do?
bit on the other hand a 10' tank would be amazing!! I have been looking and talking to joe from class cages about a 300+ tank for a few years now....maybe some day. there 10' 375 would fit the bill very nice.
are you gonna do a reef or fish only? either way i think I am leaning towards a 10 footer.
I like the idea of both!
if you go 2X smaller tanks you could have two completely different styles of tanks one SPS one something different like seahorses or something you have always wanted to do?
bit on the other hand a 10' tank would be amazing!! I have been looking and talking to joe from class cages about a 300+ tank for a few years now....maybe some day. there 10' 375 would fit the bill very nice.
are you gonna do a reef or fish only? either way i think I am leaning towards a 10 footer.
OP
OP
Oh, a single tank would definitely be a mixed reef like I'm currently doing in my 5ft.
It's still a very tough decision for me. On one hand, I love the idea of being able to have two separate displays where I can provide more specific conditions for specific species of coral and fish. Plus I think it would look absolutely amazing in the space that I have.
On the other hand, I I know I would absolutely love the ability for larger fish. Your question about whether it would be fish-only, triggered a great question in my mind: Just what species of fish would I want to get that would really appreciate a 8ft+ tank that are absolutely reef safe? I guess I haven't thought about that yet. I just immediately think -- i want bigger! At initial glance, it looks like the only reef-safe species that really need a ton more room are all Tangs?
I know a larger tank will also help with territorial aggression, but part of that could be solved with splitting the species.
Uggg! I hate when it's so hard to spend a bunch of money
OP
OP
I can never find anything with the R2R search function. Happen to know the user?
Devaji
5000 Club Member
1st world problems right!...haha but I totally understand I have been there many many times. wish i had the space $$ and time for 4-6 tanks ( I have 2 now) then i could have it allOh, a single tank would definitely be a mixed reef like I'm currently doing in my 5ft.
It's still a very tough decision for me. On one hand, I love the idea of being able to have two separate displays where I can provide more specific conditions for specific species of coral and fish. Plus I think it would look absolutely amazing in the space that I have.
On the other hand, I I know I would absolutely love the ability for larger fish. Your question about whether it would be fish-only, triggered a great question in my mind: Just what species of fish would I want to get that would really appreciate a 8ft+ tank that are absolutely reef safe? I guess I haven't thought about that yet. I just immediately think -- i want bigger! At initial glance, it looks like the only reef-safe species that really need a ton more room are all Tangs?
I know a larger tank will also help with territorial aggression, but part of that could be solved with splitting the species.
Uggg! I hate when it's so hard to spend a bunch of money
yeah you could have more of a tang gang OR if your risky some angels and butterflies.
I want an 8+ footer for an angel butterfly and tang FOWLR dont get me wrong I love my reefs but have always wanted a large fish only.
OK here is an idea...keep the 5fooer ( unless it's about to bust a seam )
get a large tank 8-10' and do a fish only for a year or two then rehome the non reef safe fish the turn it over to a reef. IDK just tring t make it harder on you man...haha J/K
let me look.
here you go:
Build Thread - I Just Ordered Two (2) 150-Gallon Tanks From "Glass Cages" To Double The Fun! (Back-Story And New-Build Journey Here) ...
For the past two years or so my 'practice tank' was this second-hand, very old-school, Glass Cages frag tank which I modified for use as a shallow FOWLR. {See photos ;)} And when I say "shallow," I mean it. The way the overflow sits in the 12" tank, the water level is only 10" high for the...
www.reef2reef.com
Two 4 foot tanks in no way equal an 8 foot tank.
You will have the best conference call background ever.
YOYOYOReefer
Valuable Member
go for the 8 footer and the 2 4 footers , get a smaller desk
OP
OP
That would be tough to slide by the wife.Well, the latest internal debate I started to have with myself is: "why isn't it the same?" With the assumption that I would have a single 8ft sump shared by both tanks and I'm not finding a ton of fish species that really demand the space. Not disagreeing with you at all @WVNed, just making sure I don't ignore the obvious as I battle myself. ;-)
Chiefhm
New Member
10ft tank. It'll give you 1 foot on each side to bring a chair and enjoy the side views. It'll also give you space for maintenance.I'm planning a new build to replace my current 5ft 100gallon display and would love some advice. The back wall in the picture below is where I would like to put my new display(s). It's a 12ft wall with a 4ft window in the middle. I've already designed a system that would have two 4ft tanks on each side of the window with a single 8ft sump/fuge that could fit under the window and be shared by both tanks. This, however, doesn't solve my desire to keep larger fish that need more swimming room than a 4ft or 5ft can accommodate.
So....I'm debating putting a single 8ft or 9ft tank in front of the window that you see on the back wall. The window doesn't open and is covered with shutters, so I'm not too worried about light leaking in. Plus, the back of the tank will be black. I'm just concerned how it will look in front of the window. Any experience or pictures that anyone can share?
Well I had a 4 foot and a 8 foot tank.
Well, the latest internal debate I started to have with myself is: "why isn't it the same?" With the assumption that I would have a single 8ft sump shared by both tanks and I'm not finding a ton of fish species that really demand the space. Not disagreeing with you at all @WVNed, just making sure I don't ignore the obvious as I battle myself. ;-)
But now I have a 6 and 8 foot tank.
Fish in bigger tanks seem to act differently. I don't have a lot of the aggression issues people post on here about. I am in it for the fish and there are many you cant keep long term in 4 foot tanks. I started with an 8 gallon cube but this is where I ended up.
Devaji
5000 Club Member
A few more pics to get the creative juices flowing.
if/when you do decide to get the 8' or better yet the 10'er turn your desk around so you can enjoy it. other wise all the people in the chairs will be spacing out watching the tank and not paying attention....or is that the plan?
hey gotta close those deals any way you can right? lol
IDK man that tank you have is looking mighty good. i'll take thosr corals off your hands so you can enjoy the process of growing new one out.
OP
OP
So, after lots of deep thought, I think I'm going to go with 130x30x24 (11ft x 2.5ft x 2ft). I'll have about 11" on each side of the tank left over on the back wall, so I'm thinking of just blacking-out the back and both sides since the only viewing angle will be from the front. I'll be able to use the left over space for any external equipment and can hide it with wood panels.
So, one of the final pieces is width: I've seen tons of debate on R2R regarding width where most people say wider is always better for aquascaping, but are there any folks out there that run a 30" wide tank that has no access to the back or sides that could share their experience in being able to maintain the tank and coral?
So, one of the final pieces is width: I've seen tons of debate on R2R regarding width where most people say wider is always better for aquascaping, but are there any folks out there that run a 30" wide tank that has no access to the back or sides that could share their experience in being able to maintain the tank and coral?
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