Would you put a 36" DD 150g cube on a 39" area?

[kmu]

Hi there,

I have a space on my office in between a wall and a book/desk furniture that measures almost 39" left to right, I got a little bit more space front to back.

I want to set up a cube in that area and would love to get a Marineland Deep Dimensions 36" cube but Im afraid its gonna be a very tight area.

Would you do it or having about 1-1/2" on the sides to clean the glass gonna be very tough?

[Shane Hoffman]

I would do it in a heart beat.......The space outside the tank doesnt affect how you clean the inside. I have a 6foot tank butted up to a wall. I have never cleaned the outside of the glass thats against the wall. I clean the inside of course. The tank looks great from all angles.

[joeychitwood]

Cleaning salt creep or splashed water spots could be a problem. If the tank is open at the top, removing a "jumper" from the floor on the sides or back of the tank could be difficult as well.

[kmu]

forgot to mention the tank would be 2 to 3" from the rear wall

[kmu]

Got more accurate measurements today with pictures included...

I got 40.5" of space sideways (left to right), got 76" of total height space and the bookshelf on the left side is 24" deep.

So with the 40.5" of space and a 36" cube tank I would have about 2" of free space behind the glass on both sides and the back glass.

Is 2" enough room or should I make a smaller cube like 34" to have 3" on each side or 32" to have 4" on each side?

here are some pictures

[joeychitwood]

I think it's do-able.

[Stroob]

If the tank isn't built yet and can be customized I would make the gaps on the sides big enough to fit your arm in. 2 inches wont let you reach very far, 3 might be enough depending on your arm size.

If you keep the 2 inches and can't reach in do you have something to be able to retrieve things in the gaps? Maybe even a jumper?

[Dino]

Keep in mind when you're thinking of the distance from the back/sides of the tank to the walls/bookcase to take into account how much room you'll need for any bulkheads and plumbing that'll stick out from the back/sides of the tank (as well if you plan on using any vortechs that have the motor on the outside of the glass). :) If it becomes a need to clean the outside glass on the sides you can just get a squeegee to reach back in there.

[mcoomer]

Only problem I see is that moving that fridge will mean a longer walk to get a frosty beverage. Just do it!

[kmu]

Here are the cons

No way I could fit a vortech in there.
Have to move the fridge far away.
Harder to clean the side and rear glass.
Behind me so I have to turn around to see it while working.
Will probably run warmer because its wont have enough space and back.

Pros
Will look awsome.
The only place I have for a DD tank, otherwise I have to go with a 24" deep (front to back) tank.

[newtank]

I had a tank in office and it hurt my productivity, because I would always space out looking at it, or take too many breaks to tweek things, etc..maybe you have more self dicipline. I'm considering that same tank, but I think it would look best where it could easily be viewed from 3 sides due to the depth, you may miss out with that much tank stuffed in that corner. Just my opinion...

[r-balljunkie]

dude,

move the filing cabinet <are you really using it.....betcha you could put it elsewhere> on the left side somewhere else, slide the hutch over....wala! plenty of room.

i would put the cube at a 45 degree angle, so you wont be blocking in the sides.

[RokleM]

Other option is to buy yourself a little more space and get one of the 93's by them (30x30x24).

[kmu]

Other option is to buy yourself a little more space and get one of the 93's by them (30x30x24).

I would but its not starphire on the front thats the problem with the 30" cube from marineland.

I got some quotes on order from an acrylic tank manufacturer and from Leemar with the front starphire for a 30x30x20 tank.

[kmu]

dude,

move the filing cabinet <are you really using it.....betcha you could put it elsewhere> on the left side somewhere else, slide the hutch over....wala! plenty of room.

i would put the cube at a 45 degree angle, so you wont be blocking in the sides.

I got 34" right now but if I move the filling cabinet all the way to the left I can get 40.5" of space over there.

[RokleM]

I would but its not starphire on the front thats the problem with the 30" cube from marineland.

I got some quotes on order from an acrylic tank manufacturer and from Leemar with the front starphire for a 30x30x20 tank.

Stock yes, but neither is the Deep Dimension series. You can however order either style tank with optional starfire on all sides, black silicone, stand or not, etc.

I had them build me one, but slightly taller, 4 side starfire. Working on it now.

http://mad-skillz.com/aquarium/05.16.2010-3.jpg

[mario8402]

save the money and fix your leaky roof and ceiling :D

[kmu]

PROBLEM SOLVED...

If I remove the filing cabinet on the left of the book cabinet I can get all the space I want where the cube is...

I have 35" right now, if I remove the file cabinet I can get an extra 25" , could probably move it just maybe 15" and I could get a total space of 50" now with the cube being 36" I would have around 7" to play on each side of the tank.

Now what worries me is that I have 76" of height available and the tank&stand combo is around 56" high so I have 20" of space above the tank to play with a Metal halide pendant like the LumenMax or Lumenbright.

What do you guys think?

[kmu]

save the money and fix your leaky roof and ceiling :D

solved 2 years ago, need to repaint it... jajajjaa

[RokleM]

The other thing in regards to height to think about is the tank size and stand. The stock stand is absolutely terrible in my opinion, and I would never buy one (I've owned the 48x36x27 200g DD and this new ~100g 30x30x27). I'm not talking about the build quality, but the height. In order to get it through a normal door, at least one dimension had to be no greater than 30". In this case it's the height. Compound that with the fact you have 30-36" front to back, even a short person pretty much HAS to bend all the way over or sit down (possibly even sit and crouch) to see the tank. There is no standing to see a deep dimension tank on the stock stand, unless you're 10-20 feet away. Bust out your tape measure and you might be somewhat shocked on how big that tank is, and how low it sits.

Now my point was the fact I was going to recommend you build or have someone build you a taller stand. I build mine 35-40", which allows you to sit or slightly hunch over (at 6'4") to see it. That however is a major issue for you if you have that space limitation. That's further compounded by the fact the lumenmax elite (yes I know you just said lumenmax) and lumenbrights are very direct down spotlight fixtures. If you're just installing one, in order to cover a good portion of that 36" wide/deep tank, it's going to have to be mounted WAY high.

I don't know what you're keeping, or what you're set on size wise, but that kind of brings me back to the 30x30x24 (93) or 30x30x18 (70). The shorter height and less width/deep would make it easier to cover if you have ceiling height issues.

Just a few things to think about.

[joeychitwood]

I think the extra room resulting from the file cabinet move is a great idea. I have a Giesemann pendant over my 54 corner, and I like the versatility. I can easily raise or lower the fixture depending on the season and water temps. I don't have to worry about too much heat building up under a canopy.

[kmu]

The other thing in regards to height to think about is the tank size and stand. The stock stand is absolutely terrible in my opinion, and I would never buy one (I've owned the 48x36x27 200g DD and this new ~100g 30x30x27). I'm not talking about the build quality, but the height. In order to get it through a normal door, at least one dimension had to be no greater than 30". In this case it's the height. Compound that with the fact you have 30-36" front to back, even a short person pretty much HAS to bend all the way over or sit down (possibly even sit and crouch) to see the tank. There is no standing to see a deep dimension tank on the stock stand, unless you're 10-20 feet away. Bust out your tape measure and you might be somewhat shocked on how big that tank is, and how low it sits.

Now my point was the fact I was going to recommend you build or have someone build you a taller stand. I build mine 35-40", which allows you to sit or slightly hunch over (at 6'4") to see it. That however is a major issue for you if you have that space limitation. That's further compounded by the fact the lumenmax elite (yes I know you just said lumenmax) and lumenbrights are very direct down spotlight fixtures. If you're just installing one, in order to cover a good portion of that 36" wide/deep tank, it's going to have to be mounted WAY high.

I don't know what you're keeping, or what you're set on size wise, but that kind of brings me back to the 30x30x24 (93) or 30x30x18 (70). The shorter height and less width/deep would make it easier to cover if you have ceiling height issues.

Just a few things to think about.


THX for the heads up, your are right on each and every comment you made.

Im gonna get the quote today from Leemar for the 30x30x20 cube with starphire, if the price is right on it I will jump on it, build my own stand for it and hang a nice fixture with metal halide & T5s...

[maroun.c]

If you don't make the changes and only have 4 inches from left to right aroudn the tank why not push it against the wall from one side which will give you 4 inches from the other side to place a vortech and any external tubing you need?

[r-balljunkie]

PROBLEM SOLVED...

If I remove the filing cabinet on the left of the book cabinet I can get all the space I want where the cube is...

I have 35" right now, if I remove the file cabinet I can get an extra 25" , could probably move it just maybe 15" and I could get a total space of 50" now with the cube being 36" I would have around 7" to play on each side of the tank.

Now what worries me is that I have 76" of height available and the tank&stand combo is around 56" high so I have 20" of space above the tank to play with a Metal halide pendant like the LumenMax or Lumenbright.

What do you guys think?


friggin awesome idea. why didnt i think about that?:lmao:

your gonna need some serious vertical with a LB wide.
my tank is 36" cubed

the lighholder top is about 83.5" to the floor. i built my stand a bit lower than some like, at 31"....so i could some day sit on my couch and enjoy it at eyelevel.

GL

C

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