Today on the BRS 160 we reveal the tank and stand
Hey guys my name is Ryan, welcome to another week of the BRS 160 where every week we do
our best to help you guys, members of the reefing community enjoy your tanks and find
new ways to explore the hobby.
We do that by following the set up and progression of this one hundred and sixty gallon reef
tank.
Today we are going talk about all the different types of tanks and stands out there and show
you placement and installation of the options we selected.
There are three different basic types of tanks to select from, standard aquariums found at
most fish and big box pet stores, all in one kit type aquariums and custom made aquariums
for those of you looking for something really special.
Here is a quick thirty second overview of each type.
The standard aquariums found at most pet stores are typically glass which is strong, fairly
thin and scratch resistant.
A majority of them will come with a black trim around the top and bottom which provides
structural support and an even surface on the bottom to rest the tank on.
They are offered as a typical glass box aquariums or with various internal overflow options,
all of which are somewhat inexpensive and readily available which combined makes this
type of tank the most common choice out there.
For those of you that are looking for tank package there are some common options.
Red sea makes tank kits that come with basically every piece of equipment you could need to
set up a new tank and about as close to plug and play as you can find.
They have been doing this for a long time and one of the more reliable options.
If you are interested in that the Innovative marine tanks are also something many people
will find attractive.
The thing thats unique about these is rather than have a sump below the tank which holds
your equipment they have a compartment in the back.
This means set up is a hundred times easier because there is no plumbing and the rimless
tank looks pretty sharp.
You are obviously limited to smaller equipment but that can force you to save some money
over the long run.
lastly you can have a tank custom made for you.
This means you are not limited to stock sizes, the overflows can be customized to your needs,
blacked out backs and bottoms, clearer glass as well as endless acrylic options.
Biggest benefits of acrylic over glass are increased transparency and ability to build
more advanced shapes but it scratches really easy.
I will say almost everyone I know prefers glass tanks, including myself because I just
don't want to deal with the scratches.
Custom tank manufactures are typically seasoned reefers who really know how to make this thing
look sharp in your home and functional.
This thing is going to be a show piece in your living room.
if you spent a fortune on your furniture and decor you are going to probably want something
that matches that same level of detail and quality.
Stands have some pretty similar options.
Some simple pine stands sold by the larger aquarium manufactures are available at most
pet or fish stores.
They are inexpensive and get the job done.
These same stores can often order you nicer versions which are a bit more attractive and
solidly built.
The all in one tanks like the ones from redsea and innovative marine have stands made specifically
for them as well.
You can also have a custom stand made for you.
This is not cheap because what you are doing is having someone make a custom piece of furniture
for your home that is also designed to hold a lot of weight securely.
However when you get a custom stand that means you can make sure the style and color of the
stand matches the rest of the decor in your living space.
For some of you that might not matter at all and for some of you having it match the rest
of your home might be the most important component of the whole project.
Since all of you have probably seen what a standard tank and stand look like I am going
to spare you the suspense and let you know for this series we went the custom option
and had our go to guys build the tank and stand with felix at reef savvy tanks and Chris
brenner at brenners wood working for the stand.
We will get into why these are our go to guys for tanks and stands in a minute.
After you have selected a type of tank size and location are the next elements you need
to consider.
These two things are a blend of desires because they are very dependent on each other.
lets start with size.
No way around it bigger is cooler.
Bigger means the display is larger and more impressive, bigger means you can have more
and larger fish, schools of fish, more types of coral and really gives the opportunity
to grow within the hobby.
Larger also has one very big key advantage, the dilution factor.
A larger system is is just more stable and easier to be successful with because changes
in chemistry happen slower in a larger volume of water.
That means when something goes wrong with the system calcium and alkalinity drop slower,
temperature and salinity swings are slower, nitrate and phosphate levels rise slower,
if a fish dies buried in the rocks the impact on ammonia levels is smaller.
For a whole variety of reasons it is just easier to have a long term successful tank
when it is larger.
Smaller tanks also have some big advantages as well.
It’s a lot easier to find a location in your home for a smaller tank, you can put
them basically anywhere without weight concerns.
Ongoing maintenance like water changes and cleaning the glass takes less time and its
a lot easier to move a smaller tank if you ever need to.
Smaller tanks are also a lot cheaper.
that means the tank and stand is less expensive, it holds fewer corals and fish which is makes
it cheaper, there is less room for equipment and that equipment is smaller and less expensive.
They also consume fewer on going resources like power , food and filtration media.
a smaller tank is just less expensive all around.
One caveat to that, if you are in this hobby because you thought is was going to be super
cheep to create a ocean reef in your home you might be a bit disappointed.
One thing I can tell you for sure is the best way to save money on anything is buy what
you want the first time rather than an endless stream of upgrades which is going double or
triple the overall cost.
This is especially true with reefing.
If a smaller tank fits your lifestyle, perfect, but if you know you are just going to upgrade
to something much larger in a year, it is possible to recognize that now and save yourself
a whole lot of time, money and frustration by just getting what you need or want the
first time.
My personal favorite smaller tanks are the nuvo line which have the compartment in back.
For medium sized tanks by far the most popular choice by reefers and myself is the forty
gallon breeder which provides an excellent balance of depth and hight for a three foot
wide tank.
Arguably there are not many other three foot options that work well for reefing.
In the four foot range seventy five and ninety gallon tanks are fairly popular but I have
to say I know a lot of people including myself who have bought these sized tanks and regretted
it very quickly because the one twenty doesn't cost that much more and the four by two by
two foot dimensions of one twenty are much easier to aquascape and it hits size which
really increases the variety of fish you can keep.
a one eighty is even better which is the six foot version of the one twenty.
The one piece of advice I will give is going higher than two feet creates a really cool
dimension where the fish can swim upward rather than just backward and forward but they are
much more difficult to clean and maintenance because you are quickly going to go beyond
the reach of your arm in the back or bottom of the tank.
Unless someone else was going to maintain tank for me I don't think id personally ever
go higher than two feet.
Ok so lets talk location.
The most important part of this is to select a location where you get to see it often like
a living room, den, kitchen or even bedroom.
This is going to possibly be the coolest thing in your house, you are going to become attached
to your new pets inside it and you really want to be able to enjoy it on a daily basis.
Not only that but this is going to be the coolest thing in your home and people who
visit you are going to immediately want to see it.
This goes double for your friends kids who often have never seen anything like it.
This is a hundred times cooler than any piece of art, TV or furniture you could put in your
home.
It’s really fulfilling to create and share a reef tank so put it somewhere everyone is
going to see it and often.
Some other things to think about are keeping it out of direct sunlight.
Sunlight grows algae.
If you put the tank in a location that gets direct sunlight all day you are going to be
spending a lot of time cleaning the tank.
These things are also heavy.
every gallon of water is over eight pounds so mentally add that to your tank, stand,
rock and sand.
A smaller tank is going to be around a few hundred pounds and not a big deal in most
homes.
.
Common tank sizes up to around four feet wide likely have some places on the second or third
floor you can locate them safely but you will have to put some thought into it to make sure
it is safe.
There are obviously fewer concerns on the first floor or basement, and almost no concern
if there is a cement floor directly under the tank.
A six foot plus tank is going to be ridiculously heavy and hard to put anywhere other the first
floor or basement of a home.
Most second floors just are not designed to hold three thousand pounds.
There are ways to reenforce the floors so it can be done if you really want to.
I do have a few location tips, first one is if you have the cash to set up a medium to
larger reef tank in the first place you also have the hundred bucks to have a contractor
come take a look and give you some real weight related structural advice so if you are not
sure google, criagslist or angieslist a contractor and be sure the location you want to use can
hold the weight.
Outside of that advice directly on cement is best, if not than it is wise to make it
cross as many load baring walls and structural supports as possible.
Try and figure out which way the joists in your floor run and have the tank span multiple
joists rather then rest parallel to the joist where it might only rest on a single joist.
In most cases the strongest points of the floor are going to be right next to the wall
and not in the center of the room . Again if you are not sure spend the hundred bucks
and have someone knowledgeable on this type of thing come out and take a look.
The tank is also going to need power so put it near an outlet or get one installed in
the location you selected.
Depending on the equipment you put on the tank a smaller to medium sized tank can probably
share a circuit with other things in the house.
Just make sure it is not on the same circuit as other things that can consume a lot of
power like a big microwave or huge entertainment system.
On a big tank that has tons of pumps, heaters and lights you might want a dedicated or multiple
circuits just for the tank.
Again if you don't know the answer to this don't spend time worrying about it, spend
the hundred bucks and use google crigslist or angies list to find an electrician who
can just tell you your set up is good or make some simple suggestions.
Beyond that try and make sure the location of the tank is fairly level.
We can use shims to make some corrections but if the area is way off level I would just
select a different location for the tank.
Last location topic.
if you are lucky enough to have an extra room in your home that really never gets used consider
locating the tank on the opposite side of the wall or floor and use this room as your
new fish equipment room.
This will allow you to mount the tank flush with the wall and send all the plumbing though
the floor or wall so all of the equipment is in this separate room rather than under
the tank.
Having the equipment in the fish room rather than under the tank makes it a billion times
easier to perform ongoing maintenance, isolates any noise the equipment might make in another
room, gives you more room for different equipment options and most importantly hides any mess
you are making from your spouse rather than doing it in their living room.
Ok time for our installation.
We will start with the stand.
I told you we selected Chris Brenner at brener’s wood working.
He really is the only guy I would consider using for something like this because I trust
his work and don't need to look elsewhere.
You can see this thing is just stunning and some of you might be thinking that it looks
like a piece of furniture and that’s because that is exactly what it is.
Chris isn’t an aquarium owner that decided he wanted to make stands he is a custom furniture
maker who also has a passion for and deep understanding of reefing needs.
This means he is going to produce a piece of furniture that matches the colors and styles
used in your home and living space so it fits the decor seamlessly and looks stunning for
you and your guests.
Custom means you also get to design it with him with the dimensions of any tank.
Custom heights, lengths and depths, doors that easily remove or even removable panels.
You can see we cut a hole in this wall and are going do a fish room type install.
I don't need room under the stand for the sump so he built more useful elements like
drawers and storage.
This stand or cabinet’s is made of Hard Maple which gives it superior stain-ability,
strength and durability and furniture grade plywood with a UV hard cured finish.
The finish on our stand starts with a brown amber stain.
a black glaze is applied to give the stand a rich depth and furniture quality feel.
The top coat and finial finish on the stand is a modified urethane that has excellent
chemical and water resistance designed to stand up to years of being wiped and cleaned.
The stand is fitted with 7 piece flat panel doors and full 7 piece end panels.
I didn't need them but Chris offered end doors which would have been super convenient if
had a sump down there.
We added the maple drawers with soft close slides for extra storage.
Chris add the arched foot cutout to give the stand better aesthetics and the feel of fine
furniture which also matches the canopy he made.
I know you are all dyeing to know what something like this costs.
We were fortunate and he gave us a great deal because we planned on using it in this series
but you should plan on spending around twenty five to thirty five hundred for the stand
and canopy if you want something custom like this for your home.
For the tank we went to we went reef savvy.
To be honest this guy is so busy you may not want to wait as long as it takes get get through
the waiting list but thats because he does simply excellent work.
I don’t even have a second option I use or suggest to my friends for custom made tanks,
Felix at reef savvy or bust.
Again the tank itself is a piece of fine art that looks great in any room.
I personally like rimless tanks that don’t have any bracing which means the glass has
to be thicker on a six foot tank like this one and he used three quarter inch glass.
Full dimensions are six feet wide, two feet deep and twenty inches tall which is around
one hundred and sixty gallons.
I chose these dimensions because a six foot tank allows more room for schooling fish,
larger fish and a more impressive aquascape and coral selection.
This reef savvy one sixty includes a Phantom bottom consists of three different layered
materials.
A High impact ABS liner which provides protection from falling aquascapes and dropped rocks
that hit the bottom of the tank.
A glass core because nothing bonds to glass, better than glass, the core of a Phantom bottom
consist of single or double panes of laminated glass.
the third layer is a Closed-cell PVC liner.
This Protects the polished glass edges from directly sitting on hard surfaces, and cushions
pressure points from the stand.
Allows smaller aquariums to sit directly on flat solid top stands and larger tanks only
need a thin piece of neoprene or similar material.
Felix also designed the ghost overflow to be different than anything else you have seen.
it is an internal overflow but you don't need to have those huge overflow towers in your
tank which take up room and most people would avoid if they could.
Its ultra low profile , with a tongue and grove design for a stronger bond, polycarbonate
cover, removable weir, windowed sides and super easy to install.
They also included an option which is newer called armored seams.
These are smoked glass strips integrated into the black silicone joints resulting in an
almost indestructible seam which would be very difficult to damage, even with typical
magnetic cleaners that you would normally want to keep away from the edges.
Again everyone is wondering what a tank like this costs and it isn't for the feint of heart.
he gave us a great deal so we could use it in this series but in general we are looking
at around thirty five hundred bucks for the tank, crating and freight.
I can tell you the creating alone is pretty impressive.
Felix does build smaller reef savvy tanks all the way down to a few hundred bucks if
you are interested.
To set this up we are going to center the stand on the hole in the wall we had built
and then check the level.
If your floor isn't level go ahead and use some shims to get it level.
I personally like the composite ones because they look cleaner once you break them off.
if you have thicker carpeting you might want to consider putting the tank on before leveling
so the carpet and foam is compacted evenly.
If we had used a standard tank with a black trim you could put it directly on the stand.
And a smaller reef savvy tank with the phantom bottom you could also likely get away with
setting the bottom of closed cell pvc directly on the flat surfaced stand.
However with a rather large tank like this one we want to make sure there are absolutely
no pressure points from irregularities in the surface of the wood or pvc foam.
To solve that we are going to lay down an eighth inch layer of neoprene on the stand
before we place the tank on the stand.
The tank is ridiculously heavy so make sure you have enough people to lift and position
it on the stand.
once you have the tank positioned correctly we are going to screw in the ghost overflow.
with the weir box on the inside and the overflow box on the outside.
We will cover all of the plumbing a future episode.
Hopefully we answered most of the questions you could have related to sizing, selecting
and locating a tank appropriate for your needs.
One quick tip.
If you are in the market for a smaller tank and want to save a few bucks petco semi frequently
has a dollar a gallon tank sale where you can pick up some really affordable small to
mid size tanks.
Thats when most of us in my local reef club pick up our forty gallon breeders for just
forty bucks.
next week we are going to explore what sumps are for, the various types available including
DIY options and show you the one we selected to use for this project so start jamming on
the subscribe button you don’t want to miss it or any of the future BRS one sixty episodes.
If you are interested in checking out Chis Benner’s or Felix’s site or any of the
tank kits we talked about hit this link where we compiled all of this information on our
website.
Chris and Felix’s work is super cool so it is absolutely worth checking out.
See you next week with episode three of the brs one sixty , SUMPS!