View Full Version : Can i use this tank as a reef tank
reefer fresh
10/30/2012, 10:47 PM
hello guys, i happen to have an old tank with dimension of Length 61 inches x width 12 inches x height 18 inches.. i wanted to start a reef aquarium, can i use this tank with this dimension?
MARINECRITTERS
10/30/2012, 11:01 PM
Yup
gone fishin
10/30/2012, 11:06 PM
Just be aware that once you get some live rock in there that 12 inch width is going to get really small. I had a 55 that was 12 inches wide and hated it. I would use it for a sump.
College Fishman
10/30/2012, 11:39 PM
Holy hell! A 61" tank that's only 12" wide! Sounds crazyyyy
Arrivalanche
10/31/2012, 12:19 AM
As long as you don't need any open sand you're fine
Ryand63
10/31/2012, 06:39 AM
i have a 12 inch wide 55 gallon and it's difficult but defnitily doable.
yogoshio
10/31/2012, 07:02 AM
I would recommend having your back wall be utilized as your LR work.
Get it as wild and interesting as you want, with maybe a couple of islands on the sand, because a 12" wide tank you run out VERY quickly of usable sandbed, so the more you can keep it on the wall the better. Check out some of the foam rock walls on here and you'll see what I mean.
Doing a very rocky rubble reef with very small fish, gobies, blennies, gramma, etc, would give those kind of fish the hidey-holes they love, and give you an interesting tank to sit and watch. Go with corals like mushrooms and softies, which do not have a stringent light requirement and which are themselves living filters, will help keep it all clean---add in some bristleworms, your most efficient cleaner in that sort of environment, and you should be golden. With a softie tank you don't need a potent skimmer, and between moderate light and moderate skimmer and no need for a filter, you should be pretty good. Get about 20 lbs of really good live rock: lay down a lot of base rock, 2 lbs for every gallon, enough sand (dry), and then pile the good live rock atop the base rock and just let it run for about 8 weeks to seed everything, let it 'cycle,' then add some mushrooms and snails and hermit crabs, and start 2 fish in quarantine. It is NOT a bad thing to start corals first, when you're dealing with mushrooms. You can feed just a very little fishfood to keep nutrient up, and after 4 weeks of quarantine on the fish (trust me on this one: don't scant that!), you're good to go.
danil
10/31/2012, 12:04 PM
this tank is really awkward for reef purpose. You will miss the width a lot. Tanks are relatively cheap - get the one with at least 18inches width or even better - 24 inches. You rock structure will have appealing depth and would be enough space for sand in front.
You can always use this tank as a sump.
MrTuskfish
10/31/2012, 01:14 PM
Doing a very rocky rubble reef with very small fish, gobies, blennies, gramma, etc, would give those kind of fish the hidey-holes they love, and give you an interesting tank to sit and watch. Go with corals like mushrooms and softies, which do not have a stringent light requirement and which are themselves living filters, will help keep it all clean---add in some bristleworms, your most efficient cleaner in that sort of environment, and you should be golden. With a softie tank you don't need a potent skimmer, and between moderate light and moderate skimmer and no need for a filter, you should be pretty good. Get about 20 lbs of really good live rock: lay down a lot of base rock, 2 lbs for every gallon, enough sand (dry), and then pile the good live rock atop the base rock and just let it run for about 8 weeks to seed everything, let it 'cycle,' then add some mushrooms and snails and hermit crabs, and start 2 fish in quarantine. It is NOT a bad thing to start corals first, when you're dealing with mushrooms. You can feed just a very little fishfood to keep nutrient up, and after 4 weeks of quarantine on the fish (trust me on this one: don't scant that!), you're good to go.
Good info! You know the pros & cons. You have the tank, do what YOU want to. Certainly nothing to be afraid of, and there probably is something wrong with any tank.
ssick92
10/31/2012, 05:07 PM
I have a 30 gallon that is 12" wide and I can definitely see the positives of a wider tank. 12" just does not give a lot of play for LR. Luckily I had alot of long a skinny pieces that I just stood up against the back wall. It probably creates a detritus zone in the back but that is what my pistol shrimp is for, constantly mixes up the sand :D
merritt32
10/31/2012, 05:20 PM
ya i had a 55 and they suck i love 4ft tanks run a 75 there a good size 18'' depth works well
reefer fresh
11/01/2012, 11:47 PM
Thank you guys for the info i really appreciate it
To sk8r
Do you think i can add clowns and anemones when the tank is established? i really like those guys
Fizz71
11/02/2012, 09:00 AM
Just keep in mind that in "reef" terms for tanks under the 100g mark the tank is probably the cheapest yet most difficult thing to upgrade. IMO 12" front to back and 18" top to bottom screams sump...even as a sump 12" could be too narrow for larger skimmers. Also...you need to be sure this tank wasn't freshwater before and/or treated with something that will leach from the silicone.
IMO for reefs, wider and shallower are cheaper/easier/better to maintain than tall and narrow.
mr.badams
11/02/2012, 09:37 AM
You could always do a foam rock wall it would save u a ton of space amd there not hard to build. I have a 125g with 18" debth, after stacking it with 200 plus pounds of live rock it cot cramped
cjeck out my build http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2211483
reefer fresh
11/02/2012, 07:14 PM
@ mr. badams --Thanks for this very informative thread, now i have a wider idea on what to do to my tank
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