Length, Width or Height?

[gregorsamsa]

[quote:da0ca8da52="Simon"][quote:da0ca8da52="gregorsamsa"]personally i think 4x2x2 is the most practical, plus it is almost the same dimension as Oliver Knott's 1st placing in Aquabotanic

i seldom see ultra wide tanks around, but i think 2ft is the optimal if not the minimal for depth creation.

very tall tanks requires the effective use of hard materials. it also restricts the use of stems in that should the stem grow soooo tall like more than 1.5 ft, it would look very gangly.

anyway, any wider and deeper, i think there is my fear of tipping into the tank while rescaping. [/quote:da0ca8da52]

Amano uses 6x2x2, does that mean we all need a tank that size [/quote:da0ca8da52]

haha,

Simon, there's a lot of co ntext that have been left out (hint: same dimension = plagiarism) but thats another story.

acebowlerz,

what about bracing? are you having any? braceless is much nicer but costs a bomb. the alternative is "euro bracing" which you might consider.

Personally i feel 3x3x2 is good enough, but you have to understand what layout you have in mind, and that helps alot. Do You want it to be viewed from 4 sides (????), 2 sides or just the front? also, i think the ht of 2.5 would require stronger lighting? is that a limiting factor?

just some thoughts.

cheers

[izzat]

[quote:ab3b30f86e="gregorsamsa"]what about bracing? are you having any? braceless is much nicer but costs a bomb. the alternative is "euro bracing" which you might consider.[/quote:ab3b30f86e]

I will ask the tank maker if my tank is safe to go braceless and at no addition cost :P If it's not structually safe, I will have to go for Euro bracing (Perimeter bracing). Don't like the bracing in the centre.

[quote:ab3b30f86e="gregorsamsa"]Personally i feel 3x3x2 is good enough, but you have to understand what layout you have in mind, and that helps alot. Do You want it to be viewed from 4 sides (????), 2 sides or just the front? also, i think the ht of 2.5 would require stronger lighting? is that a limiting factor?[/quote:ab3b30f86e]

I want the tank to be viewed from 2 sides; 1 side is the side when I enter my room and the other side is from my bed. So there are 2 sides that I can view the tank. I will make a slope from the diagonal front of the tank to the diagonally opposite side of the tank.

For a 2ft height, will PL light set do? Or T5 would be better? If I can find a cheap MH set, I might probably use it. But for MH, I will have to settle with heat issues whereas PL and T5 can be settled for a fan while I collect enough money to invest in a Chiller.

[Star-flog]

I read this thread with great great interest as currently planning a tank using it as room divider.

As all suggested that the tank height should not more than 2' because of maintance and lighting factor. Therefore, I'm planning to make a tank as such:

Option 1 = 4' (L) x 2.5' (W) x 2' (H)
Option 2 = 4' (L) x 3' (W) x 2' (H)

So that one side (W) is position next to the wall and 3 sides can be viewing.
For the cabinet height is 70cm. So if I add the height of tank is 2' (60cm). The total height with cabinet is 130cm (a normal Singaporean height of 165cm should able to do a maintance quite easily when standing on the feet).

The tank would have no cover and rimless as I try to 'copy' Amano idea...That is also one of the reason why I jumped into this hobby after reading his books.

Any comments and suggestions! Thank you

[Simon]

how about 2.5 high? after adding gravel and substrate fert. its less than 2ft. So more maintenance if you have fast growing plants?

[izzat]

Hi Star,

Because of my status as a student with financial constrain, I had decided to put off the idea of making a customised tank. It would be about another few hundreds for me to top up from my current tank which I had chosen: Jewel Rio 180

Dimension for the Jewel Rio 180 is 100cm x 40cm x 50cm (L x W x H)

Althought the water volume is drastically much lesser as compared to what I had intended for, I'm now trying to play around to maximise tank space with a small area to play with.

I will modify the current Jewel lighting system from 2 x 30W light to 4 x 39W T5 lighting. It gives me about 3W/G with the new lighting configuration. With T5, the heat will be managable althought it's in a hood. Might consider a chiller system if I can invest in one.

Take note that for 2.5ft in height for the tank and 70cm high for the cabinet, the total height would be 145cm without the hood. If you want to have easy maintainace, measure the height from the floor to your shoulder. That is that height of the tank that your can reach in without any aid from stools or chairs.

I would go for Width as compared to height as you can have a larger area for foreground plants. If you were to consider 2.5ft in height for your tank, the only way for the plants at the foreground to receive lights are thru using MH lighting system which could be costly and cooling the water off using a chiller would increase your utilities bill.

[BFG]

I would like to advice future tank owner to take their time. I was reading most of this thread but none has brought 1 important measurement to their discussion. Have anyone measured their door frame, their lift door and the hallway leading to the bedroom? If ace^bowlerz had went out to order the 3x3ft tank and it can't fit into the lift or the door to his home or worse be stuck at his bedroom door coz the tank can't fit into the room, then how?

[gregorsamsa]

i think thats really a very good point. all of us caught up in fantasizing till we forget that a tank can only be as wide as the door.

on another note, while my lift stops at every floor, what about the older estates? do they carry the tank up the stairs, or use cranes(i did see before). this i believe is important too because it increases the transport fee.

[izzat]

I would like to advice future tank owner to take their time. I was reading most of this thread but none has brought 1 important measurement to their discussion. Have anyone measured their door frame, their lift door and the hallway leading to the bedroom? If ace^bowlerz had went out to order the 3x3ft tank and it can't fit into the lift or the door to his home or worse be stuck at his bedroom door coz the tank can't fit into the room, then how?

Hi BFG,

I had actually taken that into consideration. That's why my plan was 3 x 3 x 2. The 2ft height will allow the tank to go into my room when it is being carried side-ways.

Anyway, tank maker will ask you to measure your lift or door width so as to ensure that the tank can go into the house/room.

on another note, while my lift stops at every floor, what about the older estates? do they carry the tank up the stairs, or use cranes(i did see before). this i believe is important too because it increases the transport fee

Hi gregorsamsa,

Yes, there are such tanks which needs the use of cranes to help lift the tank to the house. But I believe only tanks larger than 10ft with 22mm glass thickness will need to use a crane. And I think normally these tanks are placed in bungalows. shopping centre or offices.

There will also be some addition cost for transportation for those who wishes to deliver their tank but does not have a lift level. Need a little bit man power to carry the tank up and down the stairs with safety not being compromised.