Custom tank questions

[hvacman250]

I am having a custom acrylic made. Still getting quotes, but...

42 L x 24 W x ?

One place that quoted me doesnt care if it is 15 high or 24 high b/c the material comes in 24" sheets. Should I go the full 24" since it doesnt cost more, or stay around 18 to 20"

Common sense says less deflection or bowing with a shorter tank, and easier to service, and lighting is easier to reach a shallower bottom.

Taller gives me more water, etc.

Also, are there any custom acrylic builders that will give me a quote on this?

[evermann]

need more details.
What are u planning to keep in the tank?
What kind of lighting are you planning to use?

[hvacman250]

Honestly, I dont know yet. Ive been keeping fish for 15 years. Had a successful 55 gal reef for about 5 yrs. Sold it when I got married 8 years ago. Sold the 55 fresh when we moved a year ago.

Now we have space, and I have money, so I would plan on me going all out. But a quick run down is this:

Custom stand is being stained as we speak.
Custom acrylic 42 L x 24 W x ? high (70 ish gallons) Dual overflows in tank.
Building 30-40 gal sump as we speak and undetermined size refugium is being built. I have a sheet of 3/8 extruded for those 2 projects.
Parts are in a shopping cart at an online store: Iwaki pump, protein skimmer, blah blah.

Long story short, I will keep corals, but only easy ones like in the past. FWIW, I DONT plan on using metal halide lights, a chiller, etc. Some corals/inverts, but mainly fish.

[Reefman29]

T5's would be okay for the 15 inch depth, but metal halides would probably be best for the 24 inch depth. That of course will depend on specific corals and where you want them to be placed in the tank.

[D-Nak]

Are you limited to a 42" length? At 48" length you have tons of choices that don't require your tank to be custom built.

[mcrist]

I good T5 fixture with individual reflectors will not have a problem with a 24 inch tank.

[solitude127]

I went with a 20" tall tank. I didn't like my old 24" tall acrylic tank because I had a hard time reaching the bottom. Also with acrylic, the bracing will be much wider, so it'll be a little harder to reach in.

[eums]

I would go 24" tall, you will have a harder time reaching things on the bottom and at the back of the tank but the height allows for more growth.

You may want to look into going with a thicker material and going rimless if thats an option, supper happy that I went that route as it makes getting in the tank easy.

[aleonn]

For a frag tank, I'd get shorter. For your purposes I'd go 24" tall. More room for the fishies :)

I use a step ladder to reach at the bottom of my 24", in case that's a concern.