Thoughts on a future tank build 36x36x18
 

Hey all

As some of you know I lost my SPS dominated tank over the weekend on my move :( So I think it's time for a change with a bigger and better tank.

I am thinking of having a 36x36x18 built. I would love to hear some ideas and recommendations on this.

I would like to stick with ATI bulbs and an ATI 8 bulb fixture might do the trick.

Any thoughts on the best way to go about this would be awesome

Thanks!

3 ft Cube
 

I recently upgraded to a Marineland 150 gal cube (36x36x24). I love it! The 24 inch is the deepest I'd go with, as I do get my armpits wet when reaching towards the middle of the tank. But I absolutely love the proportions of this tank; it gives you such a sense of depth and space....

I am not crazy about Marineland's corner overflow, so if I had to do it again, I'd have a bean animal (my tank is visible on 3 sides). I think of it as a peninsula cube.

This is my tank journal:

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...ht=water+floor

I am in the middle of planning my next tank upgrade and I agree that you do not want to go any deeper than 24" on a cube that size.

That said, it does depend on what you are planning on stocking with.

Large fish, I would go 24"

Small fish I think you can get away with 18"

After that, it just depends on how you want to do you aquascaping and how much coral (and types) you want in there.

Charles

I think it all depends on where youre going to be placing the tank in the home. 36x36x18 is one sexy tank. If you can have open space to view the tank from all sides, its like having 3 different tanks. I do favour going as tastefully shallow as you can go, just for the the extra ease of maintentence and moving corals around without getting too wet.

I have the 93 rimless cube with corner overflow and I agree with the above post as its not very aesthetically pleasing unless you have the tank in a corner as you can see the overflow piping.

One thing that drives me insane about the rimless tank is the splashing over the edge. Every time I feed the fish one splashes water over the edge. Its a near impossible task to keep water marks off the outside of the glass.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

I'm not crazy about the corner overflow either but I was wondering what a ML tank that size cost you and where did you get it? What type of lighting are you using?

This is kinda what I would add to stop the water from splashing:
http://i.imgur.com/kTEcjlp.jpg

This is the stand style I am thinking of:
http://i.imgur.com/js47UDA.jpg

I plan on going with small/med fish. SPS dominated with clams. :) Same as my old tank

That splash barrier is what I need. How would I even go about attaching that without ruining the rimless look.

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Not sure you would be able to do it while it is full.. Might be pretty hard but I;m sure someone will give better details/ideas!

I think 18" would be a bit shallow for an SPS tank. Unless yo keep the rock work really low the corals would be at the surface in no time. I'm really liking my 48"X30"X24" tank, it gives room for the fish to swim above the corals. But if you have short arms it might not work :razz:

Another thing to think about is if you go for a 36" cube, it's difficult to get a stand taller than about 34" through most doorways.

You make some good points..
I do have shorter arms as well haha :razz:

I would really love to just run 1 ATI 8 bulb.. Maybe the Cube is not the way tog go.. I also love the 48x30x(20-24)

Two part stands.

Charles

I currently have a 48x48x20 cube tank with overflow in the middle , so the tank is view able all 4 sides . Almost identical to the tank in the link , mine is just a bit bigger and I have euro bracing . Have no complaints about the tank . Well besides it takes a while to clean lol. Love 20 high , also think the cube with internal overflow gives you some cool ways to aquascape . You can really make nice deep caves , instead of focusing on a straighter line and stacking like in a traditional style tank . But I guess this style is good if you have a place to hang lights . I have a pipe in the overflow that I run all my cords down to make it look wireless. Really clean set up . Just a little bit of insight from owning a cube tank good luck with the build :biggrin:




http://www.captivereefs.com/forum/na.../#.U_f55PldUYE

We have a 36" 10 bulb ATI Powermodule for sale if you are looking. :biggrin:

I choose to go 22" on my tank, 18 was a bit low, 24 is wet armpits. 22 works just perfect.
The stand thing is important. Most doorways are under 32"36x36x30 tall would work. But keep that in mind during design.
I finished building my last stand in place, but when I tore it down, I had to cut the stand apart in place too.

I avoided that with my new build.

That's why stands should be made from extruded t-slot aluminum.

They can be built in place and taken apart anytime. :biggrin:

That is an option, but I find it easier to skin a wooden stand vs metal. Done both, choose wood for my last 2 builds. Just easier from a DIY stand point

with those dimensions did you consider a center overflow? I had a 24x36 with an end overflow and it drove me nuts with the look and your limited to a stand like the one you showed. with it in the center you could knock the end of that stand off and have it sit closer to the wall. if your set on a stand like the one you showed in that picture then I would have an external overflow put on

Steve

It certainly is challenging to find the right hardware to attach panels to metal but once you know what you need, it's soooooo easy.

I expect the material will be used more often in our hobby in the future.

I'll give you this. Using metal does give a ton more access into the underside of the setup. That's a plus.

Do you sell the hardware for these? I remember seeing it in your build/shop thread but don't know where to buy it. I would love to use this for my new tank.

Charles

Yes we do.

I don't want to make this thread go off topic so I will send you a PM. :biggrin:

I think a cube tank is the best compromise of all the benefits of tank sizing. You get the same 'depth of field' from any side you look at the tank. Yes, you do need either a large open space or long arms, but there is so many more options for creating your own look, short of going to a giant tank.

Charles

Called a drill and sell tapping screws :mrgreen:

I know I enjoy my new design much better than the big tank. It's still got the room for depth of view, sufficient water volume but at a much more manageable level. It's like a big tank in a little package. Still over 100g, no not small, but not big. Just feels big :)