Desk tank in one

[Prariecanuck]

I know I know t8s are out dated but since this is fowlr I figured why not save some money on fixture and bulbs

[FishyFishy!]

Originally Posted by Prariecanuck

I know I know t8s are out dated but since this is fowlr I figured why not save some money on fixture and bulbs

In my opinion, I would worry about the color temp of the bulbs being low resulting in an unwanted nuissance algae growth (hair algae especially)

Anyone else chime in here with any experience?

[sphelps]

T8s with the right spectrum bulbs could work just fine for FO or even some coral depending. Not that long ago using over driving T8s with larger ballasts was all the rage. However if you're using regular bulbs from hardware stores the results will be poor regardless what you them supplement with.

[sphelps]

The build looks interesting btw, will the top of the desk be a viewing panel? What thickness of glass did you order?

[Prariecanuck]

Originally Posted by sphelps

The build looks interesting btw, will the top of the desk be a viewing panel? What thickness of glass did you order?

The desk portion will be same level as the bottom of the tank so behind the laptop will be tank and on the one side viewing will be the rest if the sides except the 7 foot side that'll be the back.
Glass thickness will be 9mm braced like crazy euro style with a couple cross braces too garf site said I coul use 6mm because of the 18inch depth

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Prariecanuck

The desk portion will be same level as the bottom of the tank so behind the laptop will be tank and on the one side viewing will be the rest if the sides except the 7 foot side that'll be the back.
Glass thickness will be 9mm braced like crazy euro style with a couple cross braces too garf site said I coul use 6mm because of the 18inch depth

Keep in mind that calculator bases thickness on height alone so regardless what you put in whether it's 24" or 96" it spits out the same thickness which isn't correct as it's only accounting for pressure and not bending stress at the seams. Personally I believe 9/10mm is tad light for a 7' span, even at 18" high. It costs nothing to get a quote from a tank builder which will probably tell you what thickness the glass would be, there's even a few around here that I'm sure would gladly tell you what the proper thickness is.

[Prariecanuck]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Keep in mind that calculator bases thickness on height alone so regardless what you put in whether it's 24" or 96" it spits out the same thickness which isn't correct as it's only accounting for pressure and not bending stress at the seams. Personally I believe 9/10mm is tad light for a 7' span, even at 18" high. It costs nothing to get a quote from a tank builder which will probably tell you what thickness the glass would be, there's even a few around here that I'm sure would gladly tell you what the proper thickness is.

I looked at lots of sites and did lots of math and they all came in at 9mm with a safety factor over 4 and that was just euro braced without any cross braces which ill be adding too. Now I know the net isn't always right but the glass is already ordered so ill water test outside and hope for the best. I could also do a metal angle brace around the outside at the top if it looks like ill need too. Thanks for the info but I guess we will see if it works or not. Here's hoping it dose😓

[Prariecanuck]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

In my opinion, I would worry about the color temp of the bulbs being low resulting in an unwanted nuissance algae growth (hair algae especially)

Anyone else chime in here with any experience?

I was thinking running the blue and other colour bulbs in the t8s and getting some white led strips to get a better k rating then most t8 bulbs put out

[Prariecanuck]

Originally Posted by FishyFishy!

In my opinion, I would worry about the color temp of the bulbs being low resulting in an unwanted nuissance algae growth (hair algae especially)

Anyone else chime in here with any experience?

On the algae problem if this dose accrue I have 3 boys with swimsuits that can jump right in and clean it for me 😊lol

[asylumdown]

A tank built in to a desk... lord, I can barely get any work done with my tank 5 feet from my desk! "man this spreadsheet is bori... wow what was that?" Then all of a sudden 20 minutes has passed and I don't know how I got the the sink with a skimmer cup in my hands.