Tall aquariums/reef tanks

[johnnycamp5]

Why not? They don’t seem very popular. What are the problems?
I assume cleaning/accessing the bottom? General problems with reaching (or diving) in to arrange rock and/or coral? What else?
Maybe light reaching mid to bottom?

I’ve got eyes on one (acrylic) roughly 52”tall x 44” wide x 38” front to back…approx. 400 gallons
With the stand approx66” tall.

Ive got a corner (concrete floor) screaming for this type of aquarium

Always thought it would be cool to have something like this, (and possibly take up less floor space…)

Can some of you please express plenty of negatives and impracticalities of owning and maintaining something like this? Please talk me out of even considering such a foolish endeavor!!

 

[Dom]

Why not? They don’t seem very popular. What are the problems?
I assume cleaning/accessing the bottom? General problems with reaching (or diving) in to arrange rock and/or coral? What else?
Maybe light reaching mid to bottom?

I’ve got eyes on one (acrylic) roughly 52”tall x 44” wide x 38” front to back…approx. 400 gallons
With the stand approx66” tall.

Ive got a corner (concrete floor) screaming for this type of aquarium

Always thought it would be cool to have something like this, (and possibly take up less floor space…)

Can some of you please express plenty of negatives and impracticalities of owning and maintaining something like this? Please talk me out of even considering such a foolish endeavor!!

Difficult to provide adequate lighting to the bottom of a tall tank.

 

[UncommonSense]

The hardest part about tall tanks is our old nemesis; water pressure… — .433PSI per-foot of vertical water column!

Tall tanks typically need obscenely thick material, for starters! And even then, many tanks are constructed to minimum possible material spec to save $… this can lead to some scary failures!

The things you’ve mentioned, such as the extreme resistance of water to light penetration also make taller tanks a lot more power hungry on lighting to achieve the same results!

 

[johnnycamp5]

@UncommonSense
yes, I have read about those hydraulic pressures
The thickness of the acrylic on this particular aquarium is 1-1/4 inches

I don’t know if that is adequate or not

 

[UncommonSense]

@UncommonSense
yes, I have read about those hydraulic pressures
The thickness of the acrylic on this particular aquarium is 1-1/4 inches

I don’t know if that is adequate or not

Rimmed? Eurobraced?

 

[johnnycamp5]

It’s uerobraced at the top
I have not seen it in person yet

 

[johnnycamp5]

Owner says it’s all 1-1/4 inch thickness

 

[UncommonSense]

Owner says it’s all 1-1/4 inch thickness

Here’s what the calculator for glass thickness spits out; acrylic thickness calculators are a bit more challenging to get working/agreeing with one-another in my experience…

 

[johnnycamp5]

Thank you

According to that chart it looks like the sides are thick enough (or more) but the bottom is inadequate …

 

[UncommonSense]

Thank you

According to that chart it looks like the sides are thick enough (or more) but the bottom is inadequate …

Keep in mind; this calculator assumes a totally open box with no rims, euro bracing, center bracing, or reinforcement of any kind! (Also ignores tempering)

Acrylic is a different animal than glass though; perhaps some of the acrylic experts can weigh in?

@Joe Glass Cages
@Troylee

 

[Troylee]

Who built the tank? Any pictures of the tank? Material size is okay if it’s built properly lol.. the down falls of that tank? Lighting is the biggest one and flow.. if it’s a fish only or Fowlr then sure why not.. if it’s a reef tank that’s a challenge but not impossible. Check all the seams for any bubbles or cloudy areas before purchasing it or you’ll regret it later!

 

[johnnycamp5]

@Troylee thanks. I’ll check for bubbles or cloudy areas if/when I go see it.
I expect it’s also reasonable to request it be filled with water and left for a few days.

 

[Uncle99]

I think you should get what you like.
Sounds like a big project.
If you have the space and the budget, go for it.

 

[Troylee]

@Troylee thanks. I’ll check for bubbles or cloudy areas if/when I go see it.
I expect it’s also reasonable to request it be filled with water and left for a few days.

Nah.. if the seams look crystal clear it’s gonna hold water.. granted it’s used? If it’s new then maybe not a bad idea lol..

 

[johnnycamp5]

Nah.. if the seams look crystal clear it’s gonna hold water.. granted it’s used? If it’s new then maybe not a bad idea lol..

its used

 

[Pat's Reef]

Why not? They don’t seem very popular. What are the problems?
I assume cleaning/accessing the bottom? General problems with reaching (or diving) in to arrange rock and/or coral? What else?
Maybe light reaching mid to bottom?

I’ve got eyes on one (acrylic) roughly 52”tall x 44” wide x 38” front to back…approx. 400 gallons
With the stand approx66” tall.

Ive got a corner (concrete floor) screaming for this type of aquarium

Always thought it would be cool to have something like this, (and possibly take up less floor space…)

Can some of you please express plenty of negatives and impracticalities of owning and maintaining something like this? Please talk me out of even considering such a foolish endeavor!!

Number one reason is that it gets consistently harder and harder to get light down deep. From the surface to a 20 inch deep bottom you can literally go from 1000 par to 100 par. And light drops by the inverse square law, so to double the depth to 4 feet with 100 par on the bottom, you need 4000par on the surface, putting 1000 around 4 feet, and 100 par or less in the bottom corners and center. But basically, lighting for deep tanks is insanely expensive to maintain.

 

[Dr B]

its used

I have a three foot deep tank. The height gives it a very majestic and beautiful appearance. However, it is a challenge to maintain. Keep reaching tools handy. Make sure you have full access from above, I do not and wish I did

 

[JumboShrimp]

Go FOWLR, and send me a picture of your Emperor Angel or Blue Face Angel, roaming the tank! Lighting will not be a problem. LOL. Build one tall rock structure straight up the middle/center of the tank and let your fish swim a 360 path.

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

Keep in mind; this calculator assumes a totally open box with no rims, euro bracing, center bracing, or reinforcement of any kind! (Also ignores tempering)

Acrylic is a different animal than glass though; perhaps some of the acrylic experts can weigh in?

@Joe Glass Cages
@Troylee

thanks so much @UncommonSense

@Troylee is spot on!

Just checked the acrylic thickness suggested by the calculation tool (link below)

got 1.315". We always round up and not down. If we were commissioned to build this tank, we would use 1.5" thick walls and 1" thick bottom and euro-bracing top.

also with tall tanks, remember it will need maintenance. the tall the tougher.

Hope this helps.

https://www.acrylite.co/resources/calculators/aquarium-calculator

 

[UncommonSense]

roughly 52”tall x 44” wide x 38” front to back

yes, I have read about those hydraulic pressures

Just for fun, and to help you compare and contrast traditional shallow tank shapes vs. tall ones; I calculated how much hydraulic force the front and back panes each have on them for a tank this tall…

52” tall
-1.25” bottom thickness
-2.75” operating water height
=48” water column

44” wide
-2.5” sidewall thickness
= 41.5” wide

=1,992in2 — per-long pane

.433PSI X 4ft = 1.732PSI — max tank pressure

1.732/2=.866PSI — nominal tank pressure

1,992in2 X .866PSI = 1725lbs of hydraulic force!



For context, a 8’L x 3’W x 2’T 360G has just under 1,000lbs of hydraulic force per long pane!