what would you do? tank design...

[Guest]

Ive come to a fork in the road. Ive had the 10g bookshelf up for 2 + years now, with just a AC70 HOB chaeto chamber. Everything is fantastic. However, Ive always had this nagginig itch to fill the shelf more with an attractive, rimless tank and added water volume and flexibility of a sump. I was playing around with it the other day and snagged a $1/gal 20L fom petco and tossed it in the lower portion of the bookshelf, a great start to a sump.

My big hang up is the dispaly tank. I thought of drilling a 10g and doing the durso overflow to the sump, however, I can not afford a cracked 10g full of SPS, and have moved on to more custom ideas. I had contemplated the 13.3 Mr Aqua bowfront, which would barely fit in the shelf, but Ive seen people crack those as well.

So should I venture into the acrylic world? I dont want a rim, and everyone says the acrylic bows so I would neeed a center brace, which would be very inconvienient for such a small tank. Ive been getting prices for custom acrylic tanks and they seem quite high for such a little tank...

My last option is to just leave it. Return the 20L and stick with the HOB? its been very successful thus far, why change?

Thinking out loud, let me know what you guys think.

 

[09bumblebee]

Acrylic doesn't bow if done properly and right thickness. With a small tank you won't have issues with say 3/8" material.

 

[dvenson]

You can have a euro brace which goes around the edge of the tank and is not intrusive.

 

[jahmic]

Acrylic doesn't bow if done properly and right thickness. With a small tank you won't have issues with say 3/8" material.

+1 I have a 24x24x31 acrylic that just barely bows up front with eurobracing...and it's made with only 3/8 acrylic. I've had smaller acrylic tanks with no signs of bowing. You could probably get the pieces laser cut for you at a decent price and just build your own tank; I don't think it'd be difficult at that volume. You could eurobrace it as well and not have to worry about the center brace blocking light/access to the tank

All that being said...I was thoroughly impressed with your 10 gal. I have a similar setup with my 20 long and would never even consider trying sps in there...you've pulled it off...might as well keep it rocking.

If it ain't broke...

 

[FinsUp]

Will the bookshelf it sits on hold the additional weight if you go bigger?

 

[09bumblebee]

Will the bookshelf it sits on hold the additional weight if you go bigger?

That's the best question right there. Good thinking Cindy.

 

[FinsUp]

That's the best question right there. Good thinking Cindy.

Thanks. I would hate to see the shelf give way under the water weight, and you come home to a total disaster (tank busted, corals dead, books ruined, and possibly an electrical fire). But I'm not an expert in load bearing capacities of bookshelves, plus I have worrywart tendencies, so I was hoping it wasn't a really stupid question.

 

[Guest]

ive got the bookshelf braced already and I imagine it would hold the few more gallons a slightly larger tank would allow for. I would add bracing to the lower portion under the sump as well for added support, but Im more worried about putting holes in tanks than the bookshelf failing.