Hi All, I recently secured a space at home to increase the size of my fish tank. In the coming months I'm hoping to setup fish tank up to 3ft.
As I want best of both world, I would like to split it into 1ft and 2ft.
- One for lightly planted tank for shrimps
- Another one for planted tank and assorted fishes
Considering that in future I might want to add in chiller to rear CRS, should I be getting:
a.) A 3ft tank partition into 1ft and 2ft on a single wooden cabinet or
b.) Separate 1ft tank and 2ft tank with seperate wooden cabinet? (Will place them side by side)
My fear for option a is the chilling efficiency should it be a partition tank. (Chiller having to kick in often due to the non-chilled partition affecting the temperature of the chilled tank)
Your advise will be extremely helpful.
Last edited by altezza_87; 25th Aug 2014 at 15:00. Reason: typo
Sticky and Nutty in a Plastic Packet
So only one side of the tank needs to be chilled but the other side does not need to?
I would imagine that you would want both tanks to be chilled since you already have a chiller. I would run two display tanks connected on one sump to lessen the trouble and headaches over plumbing and shared equipment.
Baton courtesy.....service with a smile!
Opton B will cost a bit more.
If you've learnt, teach, if you have, give.
Don't walk behind me as I might not lead, don't walk in front of me as I might not follow. Walk beside me, as my friend.
Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.
You can never have enough space.
Go 3ft double or triple tier.
Some of the tank makers do nice multi-tier tank and cabinet set ups.
Suckerfish no eat poo poo.
Baton courtesy.....service with a smile!
The poison is strong in this one.....Originally Posted by bryan
If you've learnt, teach, if you have, give.
Don't walk behind me as I might not lead, don't walk in front of me as I might not follow. Walk beside me, as my friend.
Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.
Every inch of hard fought space is precious, make full use!
No matter how many tanks you stack it takes up the same floor area.
Suckerfish no eat poo poo.
Actually I am concern of the aesthetics as well as space constraints. as the max space i can go is 3ft and nothing more, i will need space to place the filter canisters and stuff. which standard cabinets will work well for me as I can hide it inside.
Somehow I am leaning towards the below 2 configurations using ADA tank, and I am not in favour of using sump tank. However, yet to check the availability of the tanks I want.
W30xD30xH30 + W60xD30+DH36 (Will try to level up the tank height of the cube tank to match the 2ft)
or
2 sets of W45xD30xH30
Not sure how much the cabinets will cost me, however since I am doing it, might as well spend some money to make it nice.
You wouldn't need to level up the cube tank if you get the ones which are L30xD30xH36... those types of tanks are selling at places like Seaview, East Ocean and Rainbow Aquarium, and they are made of high-clarity low-iron glass too.
If you have space for a 3ft tank, do go for it... a standard L90xD45xH45 works out to 182+ liters.
In comparison, the 2ft tank and 1ft tank only works out to 64 liters and 27 liters respectively, or the 1.5ft tanks only at 40+ liters... even when combined they contain alot less volume than one 3ft tank, so it'll really limit the number of fishes and shrimps you can keep.
Just something to consider.
One more idea to add... if you get a 3ft tank with cabinet, you'll usually be able to also easily fit a 1ft cube tank inside the cabinet too (can use as a shrimp or plant grow-out tank), and there will still be enough space for a large canister filter and Co2 tank.
Last edited by Urban Aquaria; 26th Aug 2014 at 22:15.
Thanks! You are detailed in your suggestion. The reason for me leaning towards having a 2ft and a 1ft is so that I can do 2 types of tanks at the same time, in addition I will have the option to separate the 2 tanks to different location in future if I have to.You wouldn't need to level up the cube tank if you get the ones which are L30xD30xH36... those types of tanks are selling at places like Seaview, East Ocean and Rainbow Aquarium, and they are made of high-clarity low-iron glass too.
If you have space for a 3ft tank, do go for it... a standard L90xD45xH45 works out to 182+ liters.
In comparison, the 2ft tank and 1ft tank only works out to 64 liters and 27 liters respectively, or the 1.5ft tanks only at 40+ liters... even when combined they contain alot less volume than one 3ft tank, so it'll really limit the number of fishes and shrimps you can keep.
Just something to consider.
Currently I am still doing my "homework" base on research online, will head out to the various fish farms/shops to check out the available tanks. Am wondering if it is really justifiable to get ADA Tanks, currently using a W45xD30xH45 crystal glass tank which I got from GC a year ago. But moving forward would like to get something of a lower height compared to what I have now.
Baton courtesy.....service with a smile!
Altezza87, if you plan to go this route, do not place the 2nd tank on the floor of the cabinet but raise it. The space underneath it can house a small canister filter or 2. Also, you can do a cut out of the cabinet door so that you can see the smaller tank. Also, take your time to trawl the net to look for setup that are close to yours and improve the design for your use.One more idea to add... if you get a 3ft tank with cabinet, you'll usually be able to also easily fit a 1ft cube tank inside the cabinet too (can use as a shrimp or plant grow-out tank), and there will still be enough space for a large canister filter and Co2 tank.
If you've learnt, teach, if you have, give.
Don't walk behind me as I might not lead, don't walk in front of me as I might not follow. Walk beside me, as my friend.
Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.
Thanks BFG. I went down to one of the LFS and sort of confirm what I will be doing, most probably heading down to confirm my order with them soon.
There will be no doors for my cabinet, however they mentioned due to structure integrity, the bottom will need an additional support in the center.
I will be having L60xD30xD36 on top and L30xD30xD30 at the bottom. There should be space for my canister filter.
Fish Tank Config Final.jpg
Do check that the cabinet can fit the 30cm cube tank, the internal base area of a L60cm x D30cm tank cabinet would usually be slightly smaller due to the space taken up by the back board's wood thickness... unless the cabinet is made without back board or specially made deeper to accomodate the cube tank. Have to also consider the space required for routing the in/out filter hoses without creating kinks too.
Also check the dimensions of your intended canister filter too, the wood sides of the cabinet also take up space so the remaining space after putting in the cube tank may get abit tight. In addition, if you plan to have Co2 tank, that also needs space too.
That being said, i did manage to squeeze a smaller 20cm cube tank into my own 2ft cabinet, and was still able to fit a canister filter and Co2 tank around it too, just have to really arrange everything very efficiently (had to DIY mesh grid with baskets hooked to the sides to hold all the other tank tools and stuff, make use of vertical space).
Last edited by Urban Aquaria; 29th Aug 2014 at 21:51.
Have already placed my order. my cabinet will be "open concept", no back board and no doors. specifically stated the bottom tier will be for a 30cm cube tank, was assured that there will be enough space for my canister. I did a rough calculation myself and there should be enough space for my canister and a small sized aluminum co2 tank.Do check that the cabinet can fit the 30cm cube tank, the internal base area of a L60cm x D30cm tank cabinet would usually be slightly smaller due to the space taken up by the back board's wood thickness... unless the cabinet is made without back board or specially made deeper to accomodate the cube tank. Have to also consider the space required for routing the in/out filter hoses without creating kinks too.
Also check the dimensions of your intended canister filter too, the wood sides of the cabinet also take up space so the remaining space after putting in the cube tank may get abit tight. In addition, if you plan to have Co2 tank, that also needs space too.
That being said, i did manage to squeeze a smaller 20cm cube tank into my own 2ft cabinet, and was still able to fit a canister filter and Co2 tank around it too, just have to really arrange everything very efficiently (had to DIY mesh grid with baskets hooked to the sides to hold all the other tank tools and stuff, make use of vertical space).
can't wait for it to arrive. haha!
That'll be a very interesting design, will definitely look forward to your updates on the setup!
hahaha! i got a feeling it will be like a 2 tier iron stand, except that it is wood instead.That'll be a very interesting design, will definitely look forward to your updates on the setup!
camping here...
when will it be ready?
Nice idea, cool! "Tank within a tank". Staying tuned for more updates 👍
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
it should be ready in 2 weeks time. haha!
just sharing my drawing for anyone who is interested in doing something similar. it is much easier to communicate with the shop if we have our own drawing.
Fish Tank Config copy.jpg
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks