coffee table tank

[moopiespoo]

We have been (hubby and I) thinking of building one of these for awhile and I think we are ready to start. My ? is has anyone ever done this. What materials did you use? Where did you put the sump? Dimentions(sp)? Any problems you had?

 

[buzz]

There are a lot of issues with this. I have seen these coffee table tanks online.
All that I have seen are geared toward fresh water tanks, and use gravel, UGF's, standard NO lighting, etc.
I don't even like them for FW, but SW has more issues, such as what you ask. Where would you put the lighting, sump, skimmers, powerheads, etc., for saltwater? I don't think it would work too well, personally.

 

[lobstergrabber]

What are the odds you could use high powered pendants hung a little higher than you would normally hang them. Like say 2 1000 watters hung 3-4 above? Maybe build a couple small end cabinets one with some kind of sump the other with a closed loop pump. If someone could figure out a way to do it successfully I think it would look awesome.
Rich

 

[moopiespoo]

We have a notebock full of blueprints for this, but really would hate for all of them to be a bust. Anybody else?

 

[david s]

I have been thinking about one for a while here is what I have thought of. make a acrylic cube tank. then make a table that looks like a board with 2 boxes one on each side with cabinet doors. place the cube in the middle and cover the top with glass. next I would cut slots in the sides of both boxes towards the top about 1 inch wide and put 2 T5 setups in the slots for lights. next drill a few bulkheads for overflow and return. it would not be totaly all tank up top. but more of a tank that is in the middle of a coffee table that can bee seen from uptop. I am positive I can build this and plan to this winter. I have also been thinking of ways I can have the tank full to the top were you see the tank but that is a little harder. you would need the overflow higher than the tank wich kinda messes with the hole table thing to begin with

 

[cyslyde]

I was thinking about doing this.... look in the reef forum for my thread.... it's a poll actually. i was thinking vho's front and back with an angled reflector, I know this would leave a little blind spot, but the tank i was going to do it too was supposed to be a room divider.. i was going to make it like a diamond with a rectangle in the middle, and on the back side have a built in section for filtration and heating / fuge that would be in a nontransparent acrylic. the top was also going to be removable with a 3/4 inch gap for air flow. I am still thinking about doing it, but it might become a FO /agressive if i do it. my biggest concern was how to light it without blocking out a ton of viewing area.
also another thought i had was to make it like a double decker, filtartion / heating on the bottom without fuge but i figured that would not leave as much viewing pleasure, and the lay/down equipment would be really hard to find.

 

[reefersx2]

do you have a basement? You could put the equipment there however I dont know about the lights.
Joey