FishChannel Forums / Saltwater Forums / A Place for Beginners / Tanksize question / Latest Posts

RE: Tanksize question

Conner — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:37:29 GMT

Maybe having powerheads angled down behind the rocks, which would then force water out through them? Or he could set up a pvc tube system with outlets that let water out at specific points in the rock piles.

I don't enough to really get into the sand bed/refugium issues. But a small sump/refugium would almost certainly help with gas exchange issues.

RE: Tanksize question

Hailey — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:26:08 GMT

The only problem I can see with that suggestion is getting good water flow through the rock to avoid dead spots. Normally it is in the corners of the tank that you place your powerheads, and they blow through the center of the rocks. If you could find a way to do it though, that is not a bad idea.

I did think of another issue with the tank shape though...gas exchange. A tank that tall but with such a small footprint could have CO2 build-up and low oxygen levels. Worse, if you had a deep sand bed or some other denitrifying set-up, you could end up with a toxic gas building up in the tank. A good-sized sump could alleviate both of these issues though...is that a possibility?

RE: Tanksize question

Conner — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:56:00 GMT

I don't have any experience with sw, but I'd think you could try stacking the rocks up either side of the tank, with sand in the middle, leaving the center column free for fish. This would make it kind of like a valley between two coral formations.

Again, that will leave very little space for fish, but if you go for just a couple very small ones, then it could probably work, and be a somewhat unique aquarium.

RE: Tanksize question

Nep2Ns PlumR — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:52:42 GMT

Yeh..........what she said!!! It would definately be dificult to maintain, no matter what you kept in it. But a cool idea none the less.

RE: Tanksize question

Hailey — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:38:27 GMT

The major issue with this would be that it is very difficult to stack live rock in a narrow, tall tank and still leave room for the fish to swim. You may be able to use some sort of DIY PVC structure, and drill the rocks to fit over it (I've seen a lot of similar ideas online that seem to work fairly well). But more likely you will be stuck with very little live rock, just spread out across the bottom, which looks boring, allows detritus to accumulate easily causing elevated nitrate, and doesn't give the fish many hiding places. Personally in a space such as that I would be more inclined to either go freshwater, pr try dwarf seahorses (if I felt up to it, which I don't...they're very hard to keep even for saltwater) because they like very little live rock, lots of vertical space, and seagrasses.

Tanksize question

Lennartik — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:24:56 GMT

I have a cabinet that has a space that seems perfect for a built-in aquarium. The size would be 36"w x 24"h x 7"d. Is the 7" dimension too narrow for the this?

Thanks,
Lennart