Next tank (Questions about diffrent things incl. DIY, plants..)

[Hannys_Papa]

This might be a little longer and will "venture" into other areas that might fit better into the DIY or plant section of this forum - but instead of making seperate posts i thought i try to make just one in here.

Basically what i am thinking about doing is to do is build a larger piece of (living room) furniture and incorporate 2 tanks into it. There isnt much like it out there but i found something to give you an idea what i am talking about:

An example from another page.

What i was thinking about was using 2 tanks in a corner of a room - so it looks like an L - but all integrated into one big piece of furniture with additional shelves above.

Because i want shelving above the canopy the top cant open upwards - but must have the door in the front and flips up.

So here are my questions:

1) in a canopy like that - how much room should i leave above the tank for easy maintenance ? 12 inches ? 10 ? more ?

2) Do people generally use glass tank covers in these canopies or not ? I want to minimise evaporation as much as possible.

3) Would it be better to get a light strip and set it on top of the glass lid or mount the lights into the top of the canopy - which would make them hang (whatever distance determined in question 1) above the tank. Would that work ?

4) I like the look of long tanks - mainly because in many higher tanks i looked at it seems like the top 1/4 is often empty or hard to tie into the aquascape. Would a 48x12 - 13 high be any good ? I do intend to have that tank heavily planted... but i am wondering if a higher tank (16 or 18) would be better for that. Shouldnt it be easier to light a tank thats not as deep ?
Maybe someone that has experience with long shallow tanks could give me some ideas of what to expect.

I have a few more Qs concerning the lighting but i dont want to ask them untill someone comments on the tank itself so i can figure out if i'll go with a 13 deep or deeper and can plan the rest of the furniture around that.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

 

[happychem]

1) Ideally, leave only a few inches, but build the canopy so that it can be swung back in some manner to allow easy access for maintenance.

2) If you want to minimize evaporation, then a glass top is what you want.

3) Mount the lights in the canopy, less strain on the glass top.

4) The depth of the tank (top to bottom) is an issue - to some degree - when it comes to lighting. However, for a heavily planted tank you'll find that depth (front to back) is important. Narrow tanks (like 55 g) don't allow for much layering or terracing, and that's really key in a planted tank.

 

[Hannys_Papa]

Thanks for the ideas. I tried to draw up a quick sketch so its easier to visualize what i want it to look like.
I dont have a decent CAD program on this PC so it looks a bit crappy (just a bit lol).
Of course the dimensions are a bit off too - i want the tanks to be a lot longer than they appear in this sketch (and not as high) - and depending on how high the tanks will be with 2 shelves on top not just 1.

 

[sardesign]

I agree with the previous comments.

I bought a 100 gallon tank, but it's 60 long, 24 wide, and only 18 tall. I get my armpit wet digging the plants into the gravel. Imagine if you got a 24 tall aquarium... it would be nearly impossible to touch the bottom without getting the back of your shoulder wet (unless you have REALLY long arms). Also if you are building this... be absolutely sure that you cut the stand legs to the EXACT length. I'm already going through this with my stand... it's a 1/8" off... 1/16" from my bad cuts and 1/16" because of settling from the tank. With the concrete floor out of level by 1/8", my tank is now 1/4" off level so I have to go back and shim it.

Oh yeah, wider tanks will make your plants and fish happier too. It's more surface area.