Vote on The Right Tank Size for My Alcove

[clk112]

Posed a similar question over on the newbie board a few days back, but I figured I'd open it up to a poll in the main board.

I'm redoing a room that has has a floor-to-ceiling alcove that is drywall on all sides, flanked by two closets (I plan to dedicate at least one of the closets to tank gear and water). The cutout is 43" wide, 24" deep, and 80" tall.

Do I try to fill as much space as possible with something like a RedSea S400 Max or do I leave myself some room on each side with by going with a more typical 35.4" width?

The wildcard is the Innovative Marine 112, which I love the idea of, but would obviously stick out from the alcove by at least 12".

Thanks in advance for any input or ideas!

 

[CoralB]

Matter of personal preference . Go with what looks good to you!

 

[FishTruck]

It could look crowded and jammed in if you go wall to wall, but, with some clever built in, it could look really nice, and also protect the walls from spills etc.... If you pulled them out a little bit with some partial cabinets for a deeper tank (front to back distance deeper than alcove), then the tank sticking out won't look silly, and you could have partial access to the side panels for vortech pumps etc... - if that option helps.

 

[clk112]

It could look crowded and jammed in if you go wall to wall, but, with some clever built in, it could look really nice, and also protect the walls from spills etc.... If you pulled them out a little bit with some partial cabinets for a deeper tank (front to back distance deeper than alcove), then the tank sticking out won't look silly, and you could have partial access to the side panels for vortech pumps etc... - if that option helps.

The partial cabinets are a cool idea. That hadn't crossed my mind, but that could be a fun thing to play around with.

Thanks for the thoughts. That tank looks amazing btw.

 

[JCM]

I would want room on the sides for vortech dry sides. I also wouldn't want it sticking out much past the alcove. The cade could work but I'd lean towards the waterbox personally. (None of this is taking manufacturer quality into consideration, only what I think would fit the space best)

 

[clk112]

I would want room on the sides for vortech dry sides. I also wouldn't want it sticking out much past the alcove. The cade could work but I'd lean towards the waterbox personally. (None of this is taking manufacturer quality into consideration, only what I think would fit the space best)

The Vortechs have probably been the thing I’ve pondered the most in trying to make a decision. I could probably stick Neros in the space if I went with a wider option, but I’d definitely lose out on MP40s on the sides. I’ve talked to a couple reefers with the RedSea S400 and they said they were happy with their built-in flow, but I still wonder if it would be enough.

 

[ZombieEngineer]

A picture of the alcove might help

 

[Morpheosz]

The Vortechs have probably been the thing I’ve pondered the most in trying to make a decision. I could probably stick Neros in the space if I went with a wider option, but I’d definitely lose out on MP40s on the sides. I’ve talked to a couple reefers with the RedSea S400 and they said they were happy with their built-in flow, but I still wonder if it would be enough.

I'm not a vortech user but I do have a 36" 75g tank and I have a pair of Reef Octopus Octo-Pulse 2's and I have them turned down to 15% alternating pulses and it's still quite a bit of flow. I would imagine a couple of MP40's would create a whirlpool in a tank like mine. Also, you could look into these as I'm really happy, they are VERY quiet and you can aim them and the magnet on the outside is only about 1/4" thick.

 

[JCM]

The Vortechs have probably been the thing I’ve pondered the most in trying to make a decision. I could probably stick Neros in the space if I went with a wider option, but I’d definitely lose out on MP40s on the sides. I’ve talked to a couple reefers with the RedSea S400 and they said they were happy with their built-in flow, but I still wonder if it would be enough.

I'm a snob when it comes to cords in the tank, so Its vortechs for me. Lots of other great pumps if you're cool with the cords though.

I'm not a vortech user but I do have a 36" 75g tank and I have a pair of Reef Octopus Octo-Pulse 2's and I have them turned down to 15% alternating pulses and it's still quite a bit of flow. I would imagine a couple of MP40's would create a whirlpool in a tank like mine. Also, you could look into these as I'm really happy, they are VERY quiet and you can aim them and the magnet on the outside is only about 1/4" thick.

I think the mp40's turned down some would be fine. I run 2 mp10's in my 36" 65g turned up to 100%. I wouldn't mind more flow honestly.

 

[clk112]

I'm a snob when it comes to cords in the tank, so Its vortechs for me. Lots of other great pumps if you're cool with the cords though.



I think the mp40's turned down some would be fine. I run 2 mp10's in my 36" 65g turned up to 100%. I wouldn't mind more flow honestly.

I was wondering about the MP40's as opposed to MP10's on that tank size, so that's good to know. I figured the MP10's would be close, but maybe not quite satisfying enough at that 75g+ range display.

 

[Jedi1199]

IDK what your budget is, but I can assure you that partial cabinets will be a custom build. At today's prices, this=$$$.

Perhaps a small table on each side will give you the flow in the room that you want while allowing you the option to have a tank deeper than the alcove (and save you a LOT of money).

IDK from Vortech wave makers. To me it seems a low priority item. I use a pair of these Jaebo Ow wave maker in my 55g. They are powerful and reliable. They are not (as far as I know) able to connect to a controller like Apex or any of those system controllers. They each have their own controller, and must be individually set.

At $70 each, I feel the price and effectiveness outweighs the ability to link a system control. But, that is my own opinion.