lduncan Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Well today I went around to check the tank, and do the usual topup and feeding, and found that the top centre brace has popped off, so now the front panel is bowing about 10mm. So with that, I think it's time that I finally get on to the upgrade which has been a long time coming. So the dimensions I'm looking at for the new tank is 2000 x 1600 x 800 I'm hoping to make it totally from glass, but depending on the cost I may consider a ply / glass combo. I'm after some prices for 12 and 15 mm glass around the country, they can vary a lot from what I can remember. Also I would really like to go with low iron glass, but that really depends on price and availability of glass at 12 or 15mm . Also feel free to assault me with recommendations and tips for the design of the new tank. I want to do it properly, but at the same time, relatively quickly. Layton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 thats a moose of a tank. i like the fact you are going 1600 for front/back size - im going about 1metre but only because im limited on space i think this size is something most dont have (600 for most) so the extra 400 (in my case) and 1000 (in your case) is heaps. if you have actually measured out 1600, stood back and looked at how big that is, it's HUGE. in fact, i personally would not go this size even if i did have the space because of lighting requirements and ongoing costs, let alone the extra pumps required to get water movement (again more money) with 1metre, im looking at 6 x 150W'ers supplemented with about the same number of 4ft T5's. let me know if you find a cheap source for low iron glass i want to use that at the front of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 just love it when people start new tanks setups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Anyone know anyone in ChCh who does metal frames at good rates? Looking at powder coated tubular steel. Also very interested in what people are paying per square meter for this thickness glass (in standard float, as well as low iron) around the country. Layton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Pete at port nick glass in Wlg charges $1 per liter plus a small charge for holes (basically he rounds it to the nearest hundred or so to charge for holes). This is for standard sometimes secondhand glass. It doesn't matter what thickness glass or what shape etc you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 The yellow pages website is down, and doesn't look like it's going to be available anytime soon. Telecom's complete incompetence strikes again. Anyone happen to know any glass company websites / contact details? Layton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Thats a nice size tank. The depth will be awesome. Have you looked at getting the foam stuff they use at bubble king to hide pipes and make caves etc. Will you have all of it in the wall or only some of it?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Yip totally in wall. I have a room next to the garage, so the tank will be in the garage with a hole in the wall facing into the room. What i'll be doing to try and make the streams appear less intrusive is have the tank width at 2 meters, but have the wall opening at 1.8 or slightly less. At the moment i'm favouring streams for flow over closed loops (both power consumption, and lower cost). But for under the rock structure i'll be using a closed loop, as it's obviously inaccessible to streams. The Royal Exclusive custom tanks look really nice, but i thing it requires a lot of skill and experience to make that type of thing look realistic, as opposed to looking like stucko in a tank! I think i'll stick to some ultra large pieces of live rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 What i'll be doing to try and make the streams appear less intrusive is have the tank width at 2 meters, but have the wall opening at 1.8 or slightly less. exactly what im doing to stealth my streams. hole in wall will remain the same 1.5 but tank will be 1.8, giving 6" each side to stealth them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 More than likely i'll still have holes drilled for closed loops, incase I change my mind. But streams look like the go at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 not going to try the votrex ??? pumps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Pete at port nick glass in Wlg charges $1 per liter plus a small charge for holes (basically he rounds it to the nearest hundred or so to charge for holes). This is for standard sometimes secondhand glass. It doesn't matter what thickness glass or what shape etc you want. I don't think he will be able to do this tank at $1 per l. It would be cheap tank at $2560. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Nope not going to bother with vortex, for the reason that based on how I think they work, streams are more energy efficient, especially through thick glass. Plus streams have a proven record of being high quality and extremely reliable. What I really want to achieve with the tank is have large (2ft diameter plus) arco colonies, rather than a lot of little scrapy ones around the place. Then keep a couple different species of butterflies, without having to worry too much about them hammering corals. This is one of my favorites: Layton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 I might be waiting a while for a pair of retic's to show up, I'd settle for a pair of these though: Layton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fay Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 That tank will be great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 I don't think he will be able to do this tank at $1 per l. It would be cheap tank at $2560. My tank is 12mm, 24mm base, 15mm braces, 7 holes + stainless steel center brace. Peter kept it pretty close to the $1 a litre, and its a 1560 litre tank. Layton - My biggest regret was not going deeper, mine is 730. I should have gone 900+. Yes it would be a haslte to reach the bottom, but who cares. Once the tank is setup you don't need to be in it anyway. Good luck, be great fun, I can't wait to do mine again. Ta mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brianemone Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 mmmm fish. those are sexy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 Pet world in Hamilton got one of those well different colour i had him for about two hrs then took him back started eating everything. beautiful fish thou price tag $120 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 beautiful fish thou price tag $120 It's when price isn't mentioned you should worry. The retic's, from the one i've ever seen available online, are one of those fish with no price tag ;-) Layton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 You know what they say, if you have to ask you can't afford it. Pie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 when i first saw him he was in a bag just came in. i said to myself woooo thats nice hmmm $150 to $180 i was supprisd when he said $120 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 My tank is 12mm, 24mm base, 15mm braces, 7 holes + stainless steel center brace. Peter kept it pretty close to the $1 a litre, and its a 1560 litre tank. 15mm glass is a lot more expensive than 12mm though. Layton - My biggest regret was not going deeper, mine is 730. I should have gone 900+. Yes it would be a haslte to reach the bottom, but who cares. Once the tank is setup you don't need to be in it anyway. Yeah, i agree, i'd rather it look good proportions rather than being practical in terms of reaching stuff (that's what tongs are for ;-) ). The only worry I have about going deeper is glass thickness. Using 15mm glass could be around 2.5 times more expensive than 12mm. Layton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 While we're on butterflies, this one is cool too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted January 25, 2006 Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 yes they are one nice fist but no good with corals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted January 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2006 They love corals I'm going to try a pair of pakastani butterflies and see whether or what damage they do to large acro colonies. Hopefully keeping them well fed will mean they won't eat as many coral polyps as they would naturally, and whether the corals in the tank can sustain occasional polyp muching. Based on growth rates, i'd say that in a largish tank it could be sustainable. Layton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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