how inconvenient is to to reach the bottom/ clean glass in the 30"+ deep tanks ?

[JIM260]

I can barely reach the bottom of my 24" high 260 gal. How do you scrape coraline, arrange rocks, etc. etc. I see lots of big, deep member tanks that are 30" or more deep and are clean of algea. How the heck do you do it? Looking to upgrade and would like a deeper tank but have learned the "convinece lesson".

[waynem]

easy long arms...or get a little wet lol

I use a scraper on a handle, works fine.

[Tangwich]

I love the look of my 30" tall but hate always having to put my hand and arm in the tank to reach the bottom or pick up the rock where I attach the nori for my tangs. Next tank will be 27", which in my opinion is the perfect height. Not too tall where its a PITA and still has a bit taller look than standard 24"

[s ruppa]

right now i am transfering rock into my 220 ( 30" tall). i have to have a scaffold set up behing the tank. it is about as high as the bottom of the tank. i have long arms and my shoulder still gets wet reaching the front of the tank. i am using two saw horses and a painters stage. basically a plank.

steve

[ReefingBuddha]

Not as big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be. Use a magnet algae cleaner and a razor blade attachment and you have all the cleaning covered conveniently. As far as reaching the bottom, 99% of stuff can be moved or placed with a claw arm.

My tank is 36" and with a claw I can easily reach the bottom without standing on anything other then solid ground. I'm 5'10" and don't have any problem handling my 360g tank.

[Kent E]

I have a DIY scraper on a stick. I get a little wet. I've become so good at tongs that I can eat rice with them.

[JIM260]

I havent been able to use a razor as I have acrylic currently. Since I am going to glass I guess it will now be an option.

Does going to a 30" high tank increase the glass size needed vs 25" high? Does it add a lot of cost?

[JIM260]

Let me retate that last question. Does it increase the glass THICKNESS requirements significantly?

[SW_Maniac]

with acrylic I would think it would, not glass so much. Although I am always a good advocate of overbuilding. 30"+ sucks to work with at the bottom, and if you have a Eurobrace also, it makes it that much worse. But the look is fantastic!

[ArizonaReefer]

This is what I use, works great.


OceansMotions

[Jeff]

Originally posted by ArizonaReefer
This is what I use, works great.


OceansMotions

I have a similar setup that I rely on. I have a 30" deep tank and vowed to never get another one that deep. For me to grab a frag or something on the bottom, I need to walk to the kitchen, grab a chair, remove my shirt and then stand on the chair. I am only 5'8" and I can grab things with the very tips of my fingers. My armpit gets soaked .

[PaulieWalnuts]

i have a 110 not a "big" tank but its 30 inch....i can reach the bottom if the lights are not on the tank...my stand is 38 inches so i have to use a step latter i love it though....when i get new lights i am going to mount them 12 inches above the water so my arm can reach down.....i use tongs and its no problem and a large mag float.

[PaulieWalnuts]

anyone see that guy with the 800 gallon build....ask him how he is going to clean it...its like 5 feet tall i think.

[OkR33Fer]

Originally posted by JIM260
Does going to a 30" high tank increase the glass size needed vs 25" high? Does it add a lot of cost?

Only if the width and height are both over 24".

IE: a
72"L x 24"W x 30"T would be 1/2" glass.
changing to a
72"L x 30"W x 30"T would go to 3/4" glass throughout nearly doubling the cost with most manufacturers.

[jhildebrand]

I wouldn't exceed 30" if I had to start over. Wet pits aside, it's hard to use the claw to get all the jobs done. My best bang for the buck was my aluminum claw arm with rubber grip that came from Big Lots for $4. If you're patient and don't mind getting we it's not so bad.

On the other hand, it's cool as heck to have a tank that starts at the waist and goes up over your head. Love to have viewing at eye level. Might also want to think of your rockscaping techniques - it's another challenge to make it stable and looks silly if the top half of the tank has no rock. It requires good planning and major stability. An avalanche from that height can be devastating to everything below.

[consumed reef]

i help maintain a 1200 gallon display (2000g total volume) that is 36" deep. for maintenace we throw a big piece of plywood on top of the tank and litterally sit on top of the tank. laying on my belly, to reach the sandbed is impossible without submerging my head. that said, it is something we rarely have to do. long grabber and scraper tools are a must...as is religious scraping of the glass (it is done in this case 3x daily).

the owner of the tank and myself have been swimming in the 800 gallon sump on a couple of occasions.

[RParker]

My present tank is 30" tall and I can reach the bottom at the front standing flat on the floor. The 30" tank cracked so I'm replacing it with a 36" tank which should be interesting. I think the visual will out weigh the negatives of cleaning.

[WLachnit]

Originally posted by Jeff
I have a similar setup that I rely on. I have a 30" deep tank and vowed to never get another one that deep. For me to grab a frag or something on the bottom, I need to walk to the kitchen, grab a chair, remove my shirt and then stand on the chair. I am only 5'8" and I can grab things with the very tips of my fingers. My armpit gets soaked .

lol....I'm in the same boat. The tank sits at 42". So, the top of it is 72". I too have to take off my shirt and go to the kitchen to get a chair everytime. PITA. Somewhat comforting to know that here are others with my plight.