The Patio Reef Project

mr. lovestrong · May 7, 2019

So about a month ago I bought a 51"x 36"x 24" tank and I had literally no idea where I was going to put it. I thought about putting it in the living room but I felt like the 36" depth protruded into the room to much and putting it in the wall where it would look best, would have meant relocating a forced air unit, a gas line, some water lines, a water heater, and a support for our homes ridge beam. So I gave up on putting this tank in the living room.
So really my only other option was a wall on our partially covered back patio.

So I made a tape outline;

And I think I am really liking the idea of the tank being higher than usual, base of tank would sit at 48"

These photos are the tank before it was recently taken down. Loving the dimensions!

Big G · May 7, 2019

What's your outside climate like year round?

mr. lovestrong · May 7, 2019

The winters low average is 44 degrees and summer high average of 74. it is pretty temperate here.

Mastiffsrule · May 7, 2019

Big G said:
What's your outside climate like year round?

Good point.

Lots of factors to take into account. heaters and chillers to keep up with the temp fluctuations. Will it get direct or ambient light causing algae issues. Will you be worried about outside aerosol like bug spray, fertilizer, etc getting into the tank. Any punk kids in the neighborhood that would vandalize?will you enjoy it outside.

Try to think of the worst scenario that could happen to be sure you got it covered.

mr. lovestrong · May 7, 2019

Firstly, are my pictures posting?

Mastiffsrule said:
Good point.

Lots of factors to take into account. heaters and chillers to keep up with the temp fluctuations. Will it get direct or ambient light causing algae issues. Will you be worried about outside aerosol like bug spray, fertilizer, etc getting into the tank. Any punk kids in the neighborhood that would vandalize?will you enjoy it outside.

Try to think of the worst scenario that could happen to be sure you got it covered.

Definitely good points to consider, part of the extended plan for this house is to completely enclose the patio area and turn it into a sun room/ solarium.
The tank would back up to the middle of a west facing wall in a location that currently would let sunlight into the tank at approximately noon and is shaded again by 4 p.m.
I am planning to light the tank with led and power compacts and suppplement it with partial mid day sunlight. To the right of the viewing area I was going to elevate two 48" zoo-med low boy frag tanks and at the very end of this, a separate tank to act as a dedicated sunlit refugium that would not be shrouded by a wall and receive a full days worth of sunlight.