Problems associated with very tall showtanks?

[Rare Cichlids]

I'm wanting to build an 800g show tank this winter. In order to make viewing the tank an even more pleasurable experiance, I want to make the tank extra tall. Unless I can think of some real serious problems I would like to go with a 5' tall tank. The length might be around 8' and the width around 32".

I know there will be problems associated with such a tall aquarium. But how bad will it really be? I know that tanks of this height are in private collections, but don't know of anyone that actually has one.

Can anybody offer advice, or warnings on possible problems.

Thanks

[yashinfan]

The only problems I can think of is cleaning it and moving it. But I'm sure you have thought of these things (I HOPE!) so it shouldn't be a problem. And also, you would have to make sure there is enough surface agitation to oxidize the whole tank. That's about it, I'm sure you won't run into much trouble.

[ChilDawg]

Ease of cleaning would be my main concern along with possible stratification of water (anerobic vs. aerobic -- think Lake Victoria, post-Nile Perch)...I'd have some airstones or something of that nature running behind a stone backdrop and bubbling over it...

[Rare Cichlids]

I'll be sure to have some powerheads and airstones running. How well will a 5' syphon tube work :confused: I do weekly 50% water changes on all my tanks, and this one will be no different.

[Raithan Ellis]

To be honest, I wouldn't be concerned about much of anything... except for:

a) having plenty of surface disruption and good water movement, possibly airation as well dependant upon stocking density.

b) how you'd go about cleaning/reaching the substrate and decor.


As far as the 5' siphon idea... just make sure that it is rigid from above the water surface to the substrate. If it's flexible, you're not going to be vaccuming where you want to be, easily anyways.

Cheers and Best Wishes!

Regards,
Raithan O. Ellis

[demon_surfer]

I have read a lot of articles on DIY tanks...cause im cheap :D

anyway, what you have to know is that the deeper the water is the higher the water pressure becomes. This means that a tall tank needs much much thicker glass than a short, long tank.

here is an excellent article on the subject - dubious DIY tank article (http://www.duboisi.com/diy/BNdiytank/bndiytank.htm)

if you do go ahead and build it please post pictures and a description of how you did it! :)

[CordyRoy]

I would be concerned about lighting if you want live plants. It seems that the lights would have to be super strong. But I've never even SEEN a tank that big, except for in aquariums. I'm sure it would be quite stunning! Good luck!

[125gJoe]

Here's someone with a really tall tank getting ready to clean the substrate! :D

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/assets/aa/houdini/aa_houdini_magic_2_e.jpg

[Matt W]

Originally posted by Rare Cichlids
How well will a 5' syphon tube work :confused: I do weekly 50% water changes on all my tanks, and this one will be no different.

I wouldn't do a 5 foot syphon. I would just use a normal gravel vac, but attach the vac portion to a clean broom stick or something similar.

[Rare Cichlids]

Thanks for all the replies. Especially to Joe for clearing up my confusion as to how to clean the tank :D

This aquarium is destined to be a show tank that will house a colony of Midas cichlids along with several other large cichlids. So plants are already out of the question.

Thats a good idea, Matt. I'll work on the design for that tonight.

Demon, thanks for the article. I was planning on building a plywood tank with an acrylic front panel. But depending on the cost, I may decide to make an all acrylic aquarium. But I'll definantly be practicing with a smaller tank first.

How thick of acrylic is required for an 8' long, 3' wide aquarium?

[Glenstorm]

Out of curiosity where is this tank going to be installed? I assume the basement do to weight issues . . .

If so make sure you can actually fit an 8' X 5' piece of acrylic through your entrance to your basement. . .

[demon_surfer]

the best place to find out lengths and widths and all the other measurements for building a tank is
garf.org! (it stands for something but i cant remeber) (http://www.garf.org/)

go to the part for DIY tanks on the left hand menu and it will put up a little screen where you select the materials and the sizes and it will give you a design schematic and the thickness you need

[demon_surfer]

They dont suggest building with plywood over 30 inchs but blah to them !!

huge shark tank this guy made (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_1700g_tank_1.php)

but this is a very advanced project....go for it rare ;)

[JSchmidt]

There are a number of aquarium glass thickness calculators around -- try Googling it and you'll be surprised -- but many of the better ones seem to use the same formulae. Here's one that is in Excel spreadsheet form: http://members.shaw.ca/minireef/calculators.htm . When plugging in the length of the tank (8') and the depth (5'), it calculated that you'd need glass 1.53" thick. I haven't tried any of the other calculators, but it might be interesting to compare.

HTH,
Jim

[RTR]

I'd hire a consulting engineer first.

[D_Man]

**** strait, RTR. I dunno about you Yankees, but 800G of water if I have my facts straight, is over 6-1/2 Short tons in your units. Just over 3T in our Metric units; if this is not resting on a concrete slab, you need some serious consultation.

I know a dude that made tanks of such dimensions (recently), we be talking 3/4" Lexan or greater to house sharks and such for rich people, and the tank design itself was not terribly difficult, though the structural modifications to support several tons of water (typically involving 6" Wide Flange structural beams welded to form a sub-frame) were not uncommon, though poured concrete was viable as well. Not a practical retrofit; He (acquaintance) only did jobs for new home builders as opposed to retrofits.

And the equipment never mind the water adds weight, but alas, that is an awful lot of water. Consult an authority.

DHM

[Rare Cichlids]

Glenstorm, the tank will be in a basement, on a concrete slab. And not to sound ignorant, but how could you possibly not be able to fit a 5' x 8' piece of acrylic into a basement? All you need to do is carry it upright through the door. Right?

Thanks a lot, Demon and Jim. The Shark tank article is excellent. I will definantly be contacting that man to get advice.

Thanks RTR and D_Man, but I really don't think I will need to an engineer. As the tank will be on a concrete slab. Also, I've had a 500g in the same basement for nearly 2 years.

[Raithan Ellis]

Originally posted by Rare Cichlids
Glenstorm, the tank will be in a basement, on a concrete slab. And not to sound ignorant, but how could you possibly not be able to fit a 5' x 8' piece of acrylic into a basement? All you need to do is carry it upright through the door. Right?

Well... it should certainly fit through the doorway no problem. However in some homes with lower ceiling height, it can be a tad cumbersome trying to make it off the bottom of the stairs without hitting the ceiling when dealing with such large objects... but that tends to be more of a problem with solid furniture.

[Glenstorm]

Originally posted by Rare Cichlids
Glenstorm, the tank will be in a basement, on a concrete slab. And not to sound ignorant, but how could you possibly not be able to fit a 5' x 8' piece of acrylic into a basement? All you need to do is carry it upright through the door. Right?

Hey Rare,

My mistake was that I was looking at my couch and thinking "that is 8' long X 4' deep and it wouldn't fit down my basement." Obviously I was forgetting the 3rd dimension creates the difficulty.

My other thought about the basement was the fumes from the acrylic glue. It reminds me of my freshman year at college and my first experience with acrylics. One of the girls was doing another's nails with acrylic and it stank up the whole dorm. It was awful!!!