Would You Rather? - Reefkeeping Edition for 150G Reef

[Clive Bixby]

I am currently planning a 150-180 gallon reef tank build and could use some input. As always, there are a number of design choices I am making that involve trade-offs.

To break the log-jam in my design process, I would love to get some input. I thought it would be fun and informative to play an old-fashioned game of "Would you Rather?" - reefkeeping style.

So for those that want to play along, answer these questions by telling me which option you would rather have on your tank (and why). Thanks in advance!

Would you rather. . . .

• Have the display tank in a highly visible part of the home for maximum viewing pleasure, but without easy access to RO water and higher damage potential if there are water leaks OR...
  
• Have the tank in a basement where you won't see it as much, but there is easier access to a sink/RO water, and water spills won't ruin hardwood floors.

Would you rather. . .

• Have all the equipment under the tank in the stand (so space is limited but at least it's all together) OR...
  
• Have the sump in a basement below the tank where there is more room and access to essentials, but you would be running up and down stairs during tank maintenance

Would you rather...

• Have a 48L x 36W x 24H tank dimension (shorter & deep) OR
• Have a 60 x 30W x 24H tank dimension (longer but slightly less deep)

That's it for now. Would love to hear some thoughts.

 

[cmcoker]

Is it possible to run the drains through the floor and have your sump in the basement? Them you could have tank in high viewing area, and do sump work in the basement..

I'd go longer and slightly less width. Even at 30 inches I don't think I could reach the sandbed in the rear of most the tank and found this to be a pain on my 24 inch width tank.. I'm short lol

 

[Mallard]

I'd much rather put the tank in a highly visible spot, so long as the structure is in place to hold such a tank (get an engineer to check if you're unsure). My buddy has spent countless weeks, even months planning, building and setting up his tank. But because it's in the basement, he hardly goes downstairs to enjoy it. Keeping it in a highly visible spot helps keep you motivated to maintain it and guests will also enjoy it more. I'm actually in the same boat, I could put my tank downstairs, but I wouldn't be able to enjoy it as often, or be aware if visual starts to take place (diseases, die offs, etc). Having it in my office upstairs cuts me off from direct access to the sink or RO water. Instead, I'll be setting up my mixing station downstairs and use a pump and tubing to push RO and Saltwater to the tank. I also have a closet nearby where I'll be keeping water close. I can then run it in reverse for draining.

If you can get the sump below the tank, do it. It'll keep the overall noise down and give you the room to swap equipment out and work comfortably. The amount of time you'd spend going downstairs probably isn't as much as you'd think. If it's under your tank, you'll be on your knees and cursing as you wish you had more room. In this situation, you'll be able to setup a system to do the water changes for you, even automatic ones. That leaves you with scraping and doing spot maintenance in the tank. Win/win

As for tank size, I'd without question go with a deeper tank. I had a custom built 48x30x20 done and love the dimensions. The depth gives you a ton of flexibility with your aquascape. It'll be tough getting into the hard to reach places, but if you plan for it, it shouldn't be too bad. Now, if you're going custom, you could reduce the tank from 24in high to 20 or 18 and put that into the length.

 

[justingraham]

Easy tank upstairs sump in the basement.
I'm a firm believer in out of sight out of mind if ur tank is in the basement it will not get the same attention as if u had to look at it every day

 

[Clive Bixby]

I'm actually in the same boat, I could put my tank downstairs, but I wouldn't be able to enjoy it as often, or be aware if visual starts to take place (diseases, die offs, etc). Having it in my office upstairs cuts me off from direct access to the sink or RO water.
.

Thanks for the perspective. This is my exact situation - put tank in office with closet next to it or in basement. Seems like the overwhelming feedback is to put sump in basement and tank in highly visible area.

Regarding a 30" deep tank, have you ever felt restricted by that? I'm debating 30 vs 36 deep at 4 ft length like yours.

 

[Clive Bixby]

Easy tank upstairs sump in the basement.
I'm a firm believer in out of sight out of mind if ur tank is in the basement it will not get the same attention as if u had to look at it every day

That seems to be the consensus and good point about human nature. I wish I could rise above the 'outta sight, outta mind' cliche, but I'm sure I wouldn't.

 

[Clive Bixby]

I'd go longer and slightly less width. Even at 30 inches I don't think I could reach the sandbed in the rear of most the tank and found this to be a pain on my 24 inch width tank.. I'm short lol

Thanks for the input! While I'm 6'2 and can reach many a long stretch, my biggest concern is the ability to clean the center back part of the tank. Making the tank 20" high could help, I suppose.

 

[justingraham]

Yea well I just moved and my tank is in the garage well let's say I lost half my sps it's silly but true.
As for depth if u can go wider rather then higher it makes everything more easy

 

[ahiggins]

Would you rather. . . .

• Have the display tank in a highly visible part of the home for maximum viewing pleasure, but without easy access to RO water and higher damage potential if there are water leaks OR...
  
• Have the tank in a basement where you won't see it as much, but there is easier access to a sink/RO water, and water spills won't ruin hardwood floors.

Would you rather. . .

• Have all the equipment under the tank in the stand (so space is limited but at least it's all together) OR...
  
• Have the sump in a basement below the tank where there is more room and access to essentials, but you would be running up and down stairs during tank maintenance

Would you rather...

• Have a 48L x 36W x 24H tank dimension (shorter & deep) OR
• Have a 60 x 30W x 24H tank dimension (longer but slightly less deep)

Red for what I would do :)
The idea of a sump in the basement sounds cool but really wouldnt be all that practical IMO. Granted, the biggest tank I have is a 40 so.....

 

[MaiReef]

60 x 30W x 24H tank as I think 30 is wide enough to make a great aquascape and the long tank to separate different species better

Have all the equipment under the tank in the stand (so space is limited but at least it's all together) , get the right equipment for the space and try disassembly in a dry run.

Have the display tank in a highly visible part of the home for maximum viewing pleasure, but without easy access to RO water and higher damage potential if there are water leaks, and plumb up RO and drain system.

 

[Mallard]

I haven't started aquascaping my tank yet, but if it were me, I'd go deeper. The depth just gives you a lot of flexibility. However, depth beyond 30" gets tough from a lighting standpoint. If it's in a hood, no problem. If it's rimless, you may have to double up fixtures as most only do 24" or so. I have a Giesemann Spectra for mine, which would be good option to look at for deep tanks.

If this is going in your office, get some painters tape and put the various dimensions on the floor. See how it'll look and interact with the flow of the space. I did this multiple times and 30" worked perfectly for my office.

 

[saltyhog]

I'm going to be the only contrary opinion I guess. I just went through this decision making in our new house. My choices were a smaller tank upstairs or a much larger tank downstairs. We (my wife and I ) chose down stairs. That choice was predicated on making down stairs our primary living area. We spend all of our together time down stairs where the tank is. I got a big screen TV and a small refrigerator to make it more convenient for us. My tank will always be where I spend my time. If you and your family can't spend time in the basement....go with the other guys and put it up stairs.

As for size....longer and wider(front to back) is better. My tank is in the size range you're looking at. It's 72X24X21 with 21 being the height. If you have room and can go custom I strongly recommend these dimensions. When I bought mine it was a stock dimension of the Deep Sea Aquatics company. Unfortunately, they don't exist any more.

 

[justingraham]

Best system I had the sump was in the basement so much room u didn't have to worry about the equipment fitting u could make the sump chest level so u don't have to bend down
Easy reef keeping equals better tanks
I have to now bend over and claw to the back to get my skimmer cup before I could lift it up sump it put it back on just saying I would love to have ur problems

 

[azbigjohn]

Well, I don't have a basement, but if I did, the sump in the basement sounds like it would cut down on some noise, but increase the needed size and power for the return pumps.

I don;t know how far you would be from your RODI / Water mixing setup, but I just made a "hose" out of clear 3/4" tubing from Lowes and put a plastic hose end on it, and keep it coiled in the mixing station area on the wall. It is 30' long, and comes out to help move water to the tank or ATO.

I personally like wider tanks. My tank is 21" deep, and I still struggle to get to the middle back wall.

 

[Clive Bixby]

Best system I had the sump was in the basement so much room u didn't have to worry about the equipment fitting u could make the sump chest level so u don't have to bend down
Easy reef keeping equals better tanks
I have to now bend over and claw to the back to get my skimmer cup before I could lift it up sump it put it back on just saying I would love to have ur problems

I am definitely leaning towards a basement sump. . . I just am a little leary of drilling a hole through the floor. It's not the first time I've defiled my house in the name of better reefkeeping though. I also have to find how to access the crawlspace. We think the previous owners drywalled over the entry ways. The joys of home ownership! Thanks for the two cents!

 

[Clive Bixby]

I'm going to be the only contrary opinion I guess. I just went through this decision making in our new house. My choices were a smaller tank upstairs or a much larger tank downstairs. We (my wife and I ) chose down stairs. That choice was predicated on making down stairs our primary living area. We spend all of our together time down stairs where the tank is. I got a big screen TV and a small refrigerator to make it more convenient for us. My tank will always be where I spend my time. If you and your family can't spend time in the basement....go with the other guys and put it up stairs.

Thanks for the contrary viewpoint. Our basement is pretty dingy though - not the awesome man cave you described. We're re-doing it, but I think still it won't be a place people naturally congregate.

 

[Clive Bixby]

I haven't started aquascaping my tank yet, but if it were me, I'd go deeper. The depth just gives you a lot of flexibility. However, depth beyond 30" gets tough from a lighting standpoint. If it's in a hood, no problem. If it's rimless, you may have to double up fixtures as most only do 24" or so. I have a Giesemann Spectra for mine, which would be good option to look at for deep tanks.

Great point on the lighting! I was hoping to go the fixture route for simplicity (ATI LED-T5 Combo (8 Lights)), but I think for a 36" tank I would have to add more lighting (not ideal).

 

[Clive Bixby]

60 x 30W x 24H tank as I think 30 is wide enough to make a great aquascape and the long tank to separate different species better

Another great consideration about separation. Thanks! For example, I would like to have a purple and a yellow tang. I'm sure the extra length would help the cause.

 

[Mallard]

Yeah, the ATI powermodule would another great option. Just plan the aquascape accordingly. You could do led, but you'd likely have to use two for each section. Doable and can be done really well. Just plan ahead for it. If you have the room, it's a good but expensive problem to have [emoji3]

 

[Luna]

60lx30wx24h would be a nice tank to have. 30"w is pretty deep & gives fish more swim space length wise. Basement sump would be nice cause then you could go any size sump[emoji225]