36"+ deep tanks: How do you reach the bottom??

victor_c3 · 10/09/2007, 01:20 AM

How do you guys reach the bottom of 36" deep tanks when you are trying to place corals, clean the tank, or do any other maintennce?

I can understand using tongs or whatever, but what do you do when you actually do any aquascaping and move large pieces of rock?

Do you just put on a mask and dunk your head and upper body into the tank?? I could immagine that would be hell on your tank and skimmer, especially if you wear any sort of deodorant and get your armpits wet.

How often do you find that you really "need" to reach something on the bottom of the tank??

Its not going to happen for quite a while (at least 1-2 years), but I'm brainstorming about building a 48" long x 30" wide x 36" deep tank. I'd like to place the tank on a stand that is only 12"-18" tall so that you could see the tank comfortably while sitting on the floor and so that it would be tall enough to be comfortably seen from a nearby couch.

My wife and I are trying to have a kid and I think a young kid would really get a kick out of a tank that they could really see into. I would love to have a tank like this up and running by the time our potential kid is about 3-4 years old.

rppvt · 10/09/2007, 10:39 AM

Get the tank before you have the kid... 'cause then it's all over.

ricks · 10/09/2007, 10:51 PM

I have a 36" deep tank, and love it...

Some of my colonies were over 2' tall. before I just trimmed everything back.

Mine is a in-wall and my lights can be moved back to give me 30" clearence. I can stand in the tank if I have to. And by laying on top Ii can get 4-5 inches from bottom. Thongs work for everything else.

I would never have a tank less than 36"

A 12"-18" stand will look a little odd..

Happy Reefing

Putawaywet · 10/10/2007, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ricks
I have a 36" deep tank, and love it...

...Thongs work for everything else.

Now those are definitely words to live by!!

Brett

Thinslis · 10/10/2007, 09:10 AM

LOL, Yes Thongs for the win!

I have a 150 tall, only 31 or 32" tall and I must say I'm not a big fan. Its a pain trying to reach to the bottom I can't imagine trying to reach another 5-6inches.

But to each his / her own =) I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing pictures of your build =)

64Ivy · 10/10/2007, 05:43 PM

There are definitely some pros in having a 36+" tank but there are also major cons. For instance, guess where all of the really fertile Aiptasia grow. And those Majanos underneath that little overhang; even if you could reach them with Joes Juice, it would only immediately fall off and rain down upon whatever your favorite bottom coral would be...like last time. Tongs are fine (thongs are better) in regard to movement but they don't really help when you want to make really fine adjustments. I usually end up donning a snorkel and mask and, first making sure that my wife and/or daughter don't see me, just manually reposition the bottom stuff. I also use this time to curse the 36" depth and wish I had used the space on breadth instead.

Alphabet · 10/10/2007, 06:53 PM

Hold your other half by the ankles and give them a nose plug! Had to say it

victor_c3 · 10/11/2007, 04:52 AM

Yes, a 12-18" stand might look a little odd. However, the more I think about it, I think I might even go with a shorter stand. In my head I'm envisioning a tank that would basically look like a block sitting in the middle of my livingroom floor (well, actually against the wall).

With a young kid, I'm definately going to need a canopy to keep the kid from throwing crap into the tank. I've never had a kid before, but I figure that they'd do that sort of thing. I'd like to keep the canopy as slim as possible and I'll probably build the stand to the same height as the canopy. Otherwise, I'd build the tank rimless and do the pendant lighting route. Maybe I'll still go the rimless route and keep that in mind for a future upgrade...

My proposed tank's dimensions 48" long x 30" wide x 36" tall and this works out to be about 225 gallons. As discussed above, I'd like to go rimless and I'll probably shell out the extra money now and use starfire on three sides. Maybe go 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch. I don't know much about big tanks, but I figure this thing could cost me about $2,000-2,500. Given the tanks size and my wife and I starting a new family, this could be the last really nice thing I buy myself for quite some time to come so I might as well go all out.

However, these are all just thoughts in my head at the moment. At the earliest, it will be at least a year before I'd be able to start this project. I'm going to be out of the Army on the 31st of October and I still have to move back to the U.S., find a job, get a house, etc... I might just buy a 90 gallon off-the-shelf tank and make do with that for a while

After all, I would think that 30 gallons -> 225 gallons is quite a big jump for a newcomer to make.

As I'm brainstorming ideas I'll probably post more questions on this forum. Thanks for all of your input and thanks for humoring me!! I'll definately start a "build thread" if/when I get that far.

wizsmaster · 10/11/2007, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Thinslis
LOL, Yes Thongs for the win!

I don't like wearing my gf's thongs ... they feel like a very uncomfortable wedgie!

10/09/2007, 01:20 AM	#1
victor_c3 Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New York Posts: 513	36"+ deep tanks: How do you reach the bottom?? How do you guys reach the bottom of 36" deep tanks when you are trying to place corals, clean the tank, or do any other maintennce? I can understand using tongs or whatever, but what do you do when you actually do any aquascaping and move large pieces of rock? Do you just put on a mask and dunk your head and upper body into the tank?? I could immagine that would be hell on your tank and skimmer, especially if you wear any sort of deodorant and get your armpits wet. How often do you find that you really "need" to reach something on the bottom of the tank?? Its not going to happen for quite a while (at least 1-2 years), but I'm brainstorming about building a 48" long x 30" wide x 36" deep tank. I'd like to place the tank on a stand that is only 12"-18" tall so that you could see the tank comfortably while sitting on the floor and so that it would be tall enough to be comfortably seen from a nearby couch. My wife and I are trying to have a kid and I think a young kid would really get a kick out of a tank that they could really see into. I would love to have a tank like this up and running by the time our potential kid is about 3-4 years old.

10/10/2007, 09:10 AM	#5
Thinslis Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Madison, Ohio Posts: 1,658	LOL, Yes Thongs for the win! I have a 150 tall, only 31 or 32" tall and I must say I'm not a big fan. Its a pain trying to reach to the bottom I can't imagine trying to reach another 5-6inches. But to each his / her own =) I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing pictures of your build =) __________________ -B Current Tank Info: 40g breeder, ER-RS80, MP40w, 250w + 2xT5

10/10/2007, 05:43 PM	#6
64Ivy B'rer Reefer Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Greenwich, CT Posts: 3,194	There are definitely some pros in having a 36+" tank but there are also major cons. For instance, guess where all of the really fertile Aiptasia grow. And those Majanos underneath that little overhang; even if you could reach them with Joes Juice, it would only immediately fall off and rain down upon whatever your favorite bottom coral would be...like last time. Tongs are fine (thongs are better) in regard to movement but they don't really help when you want to make really fine adjustments. I usually end up donning a snorkel and mask and, first making sure that my wife and/or daughter don't see me, just manually reposition the bottom stuff. I also use this time to curse the 36" depth and wish I had used the space on breadth instead. __________________ Be Kind To The Elderly. Life Without Parole Means Nothing To Us. ToTM 3-03 Current Tank Info: Between tanks. Searching for a home

10/10/2007, 06:53 PM	#7
Alphabet Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Michigan/Vegas Posts: 501	Hold your other half by the ankles and give them a nose plug! Had to say it __________________ WHY NOT!! Current Tank Info: downsized to 75g

10/09/2007, 10:39 AM	#2
rppvt rppvt Join Date: May 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 484	Get the tank before you have the kid... 'cause then it's all over.

10/09/2007, 10:51 PM	#3
ricks Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: portland,or Posts: 906	I have a 36" deep tank, and love it... Some of my colonies were over 2' tall. before I just trimmed everything back. Mine is a in-wall and my lights can be moved back to give me 30" clearence. I can stand in the tank if I have to. And by laying on top Ii can get 4-5 inches from bottom. Thongs work for everything else. I would never have a tank less than 36" A 12"-18" stand will look a little odd.. Happy Reefing

10/11/2007, 04:52 AM	#8
victor_c3 Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New York Posts: 513	Yes, a 12-18" stand might look a little odd. However, the more I think about it, I think I might even go with a shorter stand. In my head I'm envisioning a tank that would basically look like a block sitting in the middle of my livingroom floor (well, actually against the wall). With a young kid, I'm definately going to need a canopy to keep the kid from throwing crap into the tank. I've never had a kid before, but I figure that they'd do that sort of thing. I'd like to keep the canopy as slim as possible and I'll probably build the stand to the same height as the canopy. Otherwise, I'd build the tank rimless and do the pendant lighting route. Maybe I'll still go the rimless route and keep that in mind for a future upgrade... My proposed tank's dimensions 48" long x 30" wide x 36" tall and this works out to be about 225 gallons. As discussed above, I'd like to go rimless and I'll probably shell out the extra money now and use starfire on three sides. Maybe go 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch. I don't know much about big tanks, but I figure this thing could cost me about $2,000-2,500. Given the tanks size and my wife and I starting a new family, this could be the last really nice thing I buy myself for quite some time to come so I might as well go all out. However, these are all just thoughts in my head at the moment. At the earliest, it will be at least a year before I'd be able to start this project. I'm going to be out of the Army on the 31st of October and I still have to move back to the U.S., find a job, get a house, etc... I might just buy a 90 gallon off-the-shelf tank and make do with that for a while After all, I would think that 30 gallons -> 225 gallons is quite a big jump for a newcomer to make. As I'm brainstorming ideas I'll probably post more questions on this forum. Thanks for all of your input and thanks for humoring me!! I'll definately start a "build thread" if/when I get that far.