Tall reef tank Advice/experiences ???

[Cookiesreef26]

As the title says, I'm looking for some advice on keeping a tall reef tank - I'd love a 1000mm tall tank by 1000mm wide or a 750mm by 1000mm wide.

I understand the maintenance side of it will not be easy, but what about lighting the tank? From what I can find online, Kessil seem to be the preferred light for tall tanks, but no evidence/data to support this. What sort of par would I be looking at the bottom with a tank this tall using recommended lighting?

Apologies for how vague this post is, I am just at the initial research stage (Idea in my head at the minute) - Any information on the topic is welcome.

 

[PPBlimpy]

If I was to set a tank up that tall and foot print I would probably look at running 4 x 400w metal halides.

Back 20 years ago I ran 400s @ 14k over a 36" deep tank and grew just about anything I could throw in it.

I am not sure what LEDs would give the punch at 40"/1000mm deep so I cant help there

 

[Rocks reef]

You are looking at a 40 inch tall tank. The only Kessil I know that would be feasible would be the a500.

 

[Rocks reef]

If I was to set a tank up that tall and foot print I would probably look at running 4 x 400w metal halides.

Back 20 years ago I ran 400s @ 14k over a 36" deep tank and grew just about anything I could throw in it.

I am not sure what LEDs would give the punch at 40"/1000mm deep so I cant help there

I was going to mention metal halide, but he referenced Kessil. 400w halides would rock over that tank though!

 

[Catawba_Valley_Reef]

The Orphek Amazonas would work for a tank like that. Mine are mounted 21” above water line on a 30” tall tank.

 

[PPBlimpy]

The Orphek Amazonas would work for a tank like that. Mine are mounted 21” above water line on a 30” tall tank.

just looked these up. those are nuts!! love it

 

[TX_REEF]

unless you are planning to keep high light demand SPS corals lower in the tank, you probably don't need as powerful of lighting as you think. I use kessils because I love the fixture design, the shimmer they produce, and the color development they yield in corals. LED penetration into deeper water is more a function of fixture power and optics. Kessils do not give you the most power per $, but that's not my reason for choosing them.

Out of curiosity, what makes you want a tall tank? I am always partial to shallow tanks for increased footprint and easier maintenance, for example I enjoy my 48 inch long by 12 inch deep frag tank more than my 21 inch tall 45 inch long display tank.

 

[FishLvR]

You don't want a kessil unless you have money to burn. I'll die on this hill but I've never seen a long term tank with kessil only. All of them have to be supplimented. And an armpit soaker? Yeah I'd look into something better.

 

[Cookiesreef26]

Wow thanks for the quick responses everyone, much appreciated. I'll list responses below.

Metal halides - I know this may upset a few people but they are too costly to run IMO. I understand this hobby isn't cheap, but I prefer to try and running costs down as much as is possible.. which is a shame because halides look great.

Orphek Amazonia - I'll do some research on these and take a look thank you!

Kessil A500 - This was the light I was initially looking at. love the shimmer, but I cant help but wonder what impact using a small puck would have against using a panel light such as a Radion - As mentioned above, a lot of people seem to supplement kessils with other lighting... does this mean the Kessil isn't adequate enough on its own?

Why do I want a tall tank? - The space I have available for my next tank is realistically maximum 1200 x 600 (48" x 24") and whilst standard tanks such as the D-D 1200 and reefer 350 are nice, I personally don't like to see the side of the sand bed and the waterline in a tank. Id like to create a taller aquarium primarily to cover these without loosing viewing area (and obviously gaining viewing area if I were to have 1000mm tall) but also to increase water volume without increasing footprint (for water parameter stability). Also, it looks awesome.

 

[PPBlimpy]

Wow thanks for the quick responses everyone, much appreciated. I'll list responses below.

Metal halides - I know this may upset a few people but they are too costly to run IMO. I understand this hobby isn't cheap, but I prefer to try and running costs down as much as is possible.. which is a shame because halides look great.

Orphek Amazonia - I'll do some research on these and take a look thank you!

Kessil A500 - This was the light I was initially looking at. love the shimmer, but I cant help but wonder what impact using a small puck would have against using a panel light such as a Radion - As mentioned above, a lot of people seem to supplement kessils with other lighting... does this mean the Kessil isn't adequate enough on its own?

Why do I want a tall tank? - The space I have available for my next tank is realistically maximum 1200 x 600 (48" x 24") and whilst standard tanks such as the D-D 1200 and reefer 350 are nice, I personally don't like to see the side of the sand bed and the waterline in a tank. Id like to create a taller aquarium primarily to cover these without loosing viewing area (and obviously gaining viewing area if I were to have 1000mm tall) but also to increase water volume without increasing footprint (for water parameter stability). Also, it looks awesome.

No reason to be upset by the halides. When questions like this are asked I try to think about what I would personally do on a similar tank / build. Not what the hobby as a whole pushes.

I was rethinking this last night and actually think I would run a single 1000w halide and a good reflector, like 20" above the tank. should cover everything, could put together a light for $450 and replace bulb every years for $125. Would grow absolutely anything. electricity cost and home cooling are a different animal still.

That saving can go a long way to the same cost as a Orphek @ $1500+. That said the orphek looks like a monster of a light! could run that single halide for 8 years (if nothing goes wrong) for the initial cost of the orphek. That's about the length of time LED start to dim by what i see

I am new back into the hobby after 18 years away, still not set on LED.

The next big tank I do I want to run solar tubes and add supplemental LED bars for color. A single tube would be cool over a large cube. again, old school natural look, not radiating blue light like most people run their tanks these days

 

[Om84]

My tank is 45” deep. I’m FOWLR at the moment but I plan on doing a reef down the road. At that point I will be using Reefi Unos. Amazonas are an option but I dont have enough clearance to mount them high up. I spoke to Andrew at Polo Reef and he uses several Amazonas along with other lighting options and says he loves them. His tank is much deeper.

 

[Cookiesreef26]

No reason to be upset by the halides. When questions like this are asked I try to think about what I would personally do on a similar tank / build. Not what the hobby as a whole pushes.

I was rethinking this last night and actually think I would run a single 1000w halide and a good reflector, like 20" above the tank. should cover everything, could put together a light for $450 and replace bulb every years for $125. Would grow absolutely anything. electricity cost and home cooling are a different animal still.

That saving can go a long way to the same cost as a Orphek @ $1500+. That said the orphek looks like a monster of a light! could run that single halide for 8 years (if nothing goes wrong) for the initial cost of the orphek. That's about the length of time LED start to dim by what i see

I am new back into the hobby after 18 years away, still not set on LED.

The next big tank I do I want to run solar tubes and add supplemental LED bars for color. A single tube would be cool over a large cube. again, old school natural look, not radiating blue light like most people run their tanks these days

Yes I know what you mean, I've just seen comments such as 'if you're cornered about running costs then you shouldn't have an aquarium' on other threads so I assumed mixed opinions on the matter.

with regards to the initial purchasing costs with the halide compared with that of the Orphek, I couldn't agree more - however, with a wattage of 1000w against the Orphek at 320W, I imagine it would cost a considerable amount more to run...

I've been researching today and the amazonas look brilliant - I also came across the ReefBreeder Meridian series.. these seem like a great light and potentially ideal for deeper tanks... would be interesting to hear from someone that's used one..