Purchasing a Tank

[sjsl]

Good day - I have a beginners question about tanks - We are wanting to start a reef system and have been doing alot of research and sending quotes for tanks? I don't want to be taken advantage of and some of these prices seem really high! Plus they are all over the board! Is there a recommended company or fabricator that I should check out? I have also read in books and online that building the tank ourself is sometimes a better option if you need a custom size - Has anybody built their own tanks? The size that we need is 60w x 24d x 48h ~ it will fill an alcove in our library - Then comes a question of lighting! Would we be to tall for good lighting? I keep my questions at that for now - any help is much appreitiated. Thanks

[tendar]

With a 48" tall tank it will be pretty expensive since the higher the tank the thicker the glass or acylic will have to be. You are probably looking at 1" thick acrylic to a tank of the size and hieght. I have my acrylic tanks made locally so dont have a recomondation other than Tenecor which is actually local for me but they are national shippers and pretty well known. Some people like thier tanks and a few dont but over they are pretty good.
If your talking about light for a reef then it will be tough to light but can be dont. You may be looking 1000 watt bulbs for that depth if you want corals all the way down or you can get by with 400 watt halides for 2-3 feet down with softies and such below 2 feet.

[Katspaw]

Gregg is correct, and I know all about building your own tank as I have done this. Garf has a lot of information on DIY Tanks, and they are who I used to do mine. You do not want to go deep or wide. any length is fine. What most people don't realize is you still have to clean this tank, and if it is sooo big, it is difficult to do. My tank is 72"l x 24" on the sides 36" in the middle and 24"D. It is a flat back with a hexagon front. I can't even reach the back bottom of the tank. and I am a tall girl. The tank is very lovely, you can view pictures in the gallery here, but it is still a big pain to work on with monthly maintaince. Just some thoughts to think about from someone who is there now.

Tracey

[sjsl]

Thanks for the advise we may downsize a bit - but just love the beauty that a tank that size could add. We don't want to become discouraged though ~ Also - the lighting seems like that could be an issue- But creats another question - How do the under water spotlights work? We don't hear anybody talk about them. They have many different wattages, say they run cool and are fully submersable. Is there any talk about LED lighting systems - That would be NO heat and could be placed within or above? Is there a wrong light to use? Of my knowledge so far the main idea is a fight with the depth, not really the type of light (ie, floresent, incandesent, halogen) - I am correct in that statement? I am so happy that I have found this site - there are alot of knowledgeable people here and great information -- Thanks for everybodys response and I hope more of it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[tendar]

I dont know of anyone that uses under water lights and dont know if they are salt water safe from corosion.
LED are new and very expensive for lighting reef tanks but in a few years they may be more feasable. The talk on them has really only started in the last year or so that I know of.
Differnt lights penetrate water better than others. Halides are the best for penetrating water depth so would be your best shot for a deeper tank.