Making a tank, need some help

[juanro]

As the title says, I'm making a tank for an upgrade.
What would be a good size to start with? I was thinking of a 150 and using the 55 I have right now as a sump, or maybe make the sump as well?
Is there a way to make the tank with an overflow? I've been looking and can't seem to find one.
Should I make it with standard dimensions so that I can buy any lights for it? Or would it be better to make it however I like and stick some lights 0on the hood?
This would be my first time making a DIY tank, any advice is more than welcome.

 

[acrylic51]

My advice is go as big as you can space wise, and what you can afford. A lot of things factor into the upgrade. Equipment costs and needs go up, as well as electrical consumption. Tank maintenance cost and time.
My real question is will the tank be glass or acrylic? Lighting really shouldn't IMO be a limiting factor due to lighting can easily be adapted to any size depending what lighting method you choose. With good MH reflectors you can easily cover a 3'x3 area as opposed to the basic reflectors that might yield you a 2'x2 coverage area. With LEDs I feel could be more advantageous!!! This method is really easy to accommodate than others, with coverage, mounting heights, customization; as well as lower cost to run and maintain, but you have to deal with higher setup costs. Let's not forget T5's as well. What are your plans for this tank???? Reef, FOWLR????

 

[juanro]

Since the tank is going to be big, I was thinking of going with acrylic.
What worries me about MH is that they seem to be famous for heating the water, since their going to be in the hood they would be lower than suggested, and it's already a problem with the climate heating it up, most of the time I only run 2 of 4 T5s so that it stays between 82-84.
I've seen that some people are changing over to LEDs, are they enough to keep corals?
Pretty sure I'm making it a Reef tank, and using the 55 for an aggressive FOWLR...really miss having a Snowflake Eel beautiful fish, had to give it away since I wanted to keep more peaceful fish like gobies, blennies and Percs.
As for saving some money on the setup, I was thinking of making the LR for the tank, since the tank's going to be a slow build I would have enough time to let it cure for a few months.
As for how big, I still haven't decided, part of the reason that I want to upgrade is to be able to keep a happy and healthy tang (maybe 2), so I was thinking of making the tank at least 6ft long, maybe 7ft. As for the height and depth, I don't remember which was the one that affected the most on how thick the glass should be, whichever it is, I was thinking of making that measurement the same as the 55.

 

[acrylic51]

I had guessed your were considering acrylic for the build......

I would suggest that if you haven't played with acrylic a bit, that you practice making smaller stuff first....I've done quite a bit of acrylic work and currently doing a big build, and 1" acrylic is a different monster than I'm use to.....The gluing techniques you use on the smaller; thinner material doesn't yield the same results.....I'm finding the thicker material is making me practice quite a bit on wire sizes, time letting the solvent setup and such....A learning curve; but can be done!!!!!!!!
LEDs are more than capable of substaining all coral life.....Corals must be acclimated though accordingly. The big advantage to LEDs over MH's is the heat issue...There are others of course.
As far as acrylic thickness there are a lot of things that factor into the thickness of the material needed.....Height is 1, but also the length of the panel. Another thing to consider during your planning stages if you want cross bracing or a more open top to the tank? On my build I chose an open top, which requires thicker material, and a wider eurobracing as well. I want no deflection in my panes at all; and with that you'll pay a premium for material.....I like to overbuild though!!!!!!!
Keep us posted..........

 

[juanro]

Why did you choose an open top?
Was looking around for more info on the LEDs, which surprised me since all that I know about LEDs is for putting them on cars or using them as moon lights, not as a main light supplier (if that makes any sense, bit sleepy) for corals and such. Saw that other than the strips there are some that the socket is the same as with incandescent bulbs.
I was thinking of practicing on making smaller tanks first, thinking of a 30 gal or so for myself, and when the family sees my tank they all want a tank of their own, so theres more practice there if I make the tank for them.
As for the overflow, would it be safe to drill the bottom panel to pass the PVC throught it, or would I be better off with a overflow box?

 

[acrylic51]

I chose an open top so I wouldn't have any cross bracing like traditional tanks to interfere with any lighting plans I would come up with.......
As far as drilling!!!!!! That is really up to each individual and what your ultimate plans or goals are for your setup......I prefer a tank drilled over seeing a tank with a hang on overflow box.....I've had tanks in the past with hang on overflows, and they were fine, just I find and alot of others as well, that a drilled tank is just a little easier plumbing wise.......
Here's a link to my build thread that you might browse and come up with some crazy ideas.......
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/forum/thread/376802/415-gallon-plywood-tank-build

 

[juanro]

415 gallons! lol i would happily tear down a wall to make a tank like that

I'll see what I do about the top, bracing would mean less expensive acrylic, if I see that I can go open top,I'm going with it.
Guess I'm drilling the tank, making the overflow seems simple enough.
Thanks for all the help! The tank's going to be a slow build, with work and my current class schedule, my free time would start at 11pm lol, but hopefully I'll be able to get a few hours of work each weekend.

 

[acrylic51]

I know about slow build process trust me!!!!! The more open top you go, the thicker your material will be......If you can use cross bracing or don't mind working around it, it might make your material thickness smaller.......I'll shoot you a good link to a super DIY acrylic thread, where you can ask the master the proper thickness of your panels and such.....