220 gallon shallow build
 

Hi all I'm planning a 220 gallon tank build and want some opinions
Dimensions are 96 long 36 deep and 15 high
First thing glass thickness
Second Recommended skimmer for in sump
Third is lighting I was leaning towards fowlr but can't decide if I wanna go full bown mixed reef now
Decisions decisions

Go big or go home... my vote is for the mixed reef!

:pop2:

I am too but I love a lot of angels was hoping to have one or 2 but corals are corals lol

Nice size tank but personally I would go 96"L x 30"W x 21" or 24"DMy resons for that is 36" is pretty hard to reach the back at 36" & 15" is pretty shallow for some fish & it might cause issues with fish jumpping. I have a 96" x 22" x 18" & I wish it was 6" deeper.

Glass thickness you would GE good to go with 5/8" min.

For skimmer I really like the Reef Octopuss line, I just bought a Pro SSS-DC3. It's incredibly well built, completely disassembles for cleaning.

As for the dimensions ill have access to both 8 foot sides for cleaning and viewing I could do deeper but am looking at cost I get glass dirt cheap but want those savings to go into better equipment. I also love the look of the shallow tank and was thinking about a glass top that will sit 1/2 inch about the tank so air movement is still there

Any one use that Graf thing for glass thickness how accurate is it I've built smaller tanks in the past but not this long or wide.

I'm planning on ordering my glass next week I'm still trying to figure out my dimensions and now I'm leaning towards 96long 30wide and 18 high. So now I gotta figure out my drains and returns. I'm thinking one 30inch side to be the overflow the whole thing and two returns drilled in the bottom on the opposite side. For the flow I want I'm thinking 2 two inch drains and two 1 1/2 returns. Also there will be a 90 gallon display refugium then a 40 gallon ish sump. Ill be building the sump as well so any suggestions on sump dimensions would be great i still want a refugium area in the sump for less eye pleasing macro algae
Thanks

Ok now I'm second guessing myself what do you guys think about L shaped long side 8 feet short side 6 feet (these are against the wall measurements) and 2 feet wide 18 inch deep hope this is clear enough.
Are l shapes hard to find flow I'm thinking drain in the back corner and return on either ends

Don't think a 40g sump will handle the water volume if there's a power outage

What do you think I should have for dimensions ill be building it so as long as it fits under the tank it can be done. I've never had a sump always hob equipment.

Ok I'm looking at skimmers I've had the reef octopus recommended but was wondering if any has a bubble Magnus and if they like them? Also there's been a few changes to the design the wife decided that she wanted the computer where the tank was going so we can see our kids when there on it. So I can up with an L shaped tank computer desk in one, it'll only be 200 gallons now so ill need to adjust my ideal stocking list. Also got my hands on some free t8 lights was thinking of using them with led strips( it'll be fowlr) to get closer to a full spec light. Any thoughts glass will be ordered Monday do I'm hoping by next weekend to have the tank and stand/desk built.

I have the curve 7 running in a 90g. Seems ok in that it's fairly quiet, was easy to set up, pulls out stinky stuff. That being said, it's my first experience having a skimmer so I have nothing to compare it to. Have you checked with Colby at bayside?

Yes many times but comparing prices online to there I think I'll be ordering one but I just want to hear other people's experiences with both skimmers first. Good to know about the curve is working well for ya thanks

Started new thread in tank journal