Can a saltwater tank sit on the ground? Or must it be elevated?

[germanyt]

Say I wanted a 400 gallon acrylic. Could it be 50 inches tall, 48" wide, and 20 inches deep (give or take) and sit on the floor? All the saltwater tanks I see (don't know much about them) are elevated and have holes drilled in the bottom and sump tanks hidden in the stand.

 

[jeffaquarius]

The only problem would be the sump since it has to be below the display tank. You can have the hole at the top level of the DT and you need a sump that is below that level for gravity to work on the overflow,

 

[Mebbid]

You don't have to have the sump beneath the DT. In fact a lot of people like to have the sump above the DT for copepod's sake of not being made into copepod paste from the impeller of a pump. You would just need the overflow on the sump and the water pump in the DT. Although with this system you would need an ATI.

 

[germanyt]

The only problem would be the sump since it has to be below the display tank. You can have the hole at the top level of the DT and you need a sump that is below that level for gravity to work on the overflow,

So the hole could be drilled 2 feet off the ground and the sump sit on the floor and it would still work properly.

You don't have to have the sump beneath the DT. In fact a lot of people like to have the sump above the DT for copepod's sake of not being made into copepod paste from the impeller of a pump. You would just need the overflow on the sump and the water pump in the DT. Although with this system you would need an ATI.

I'll have to learn some more about saltwater tanks I guess.

 

[FishDaAx]

Mind if I ask why u wouldn't just build a stand for the tank? Seems $60 in wood from HD (few 4x4s, 2x6s and 3/4"-1" plywood) and som stain and you can build you a nice strong stand. Even if u only make it a foot or 2 off the ground

 

[germanyt]

Mind if I ask why u wouldn't just build a stand for the tank? Seems $60 in wood from HD (few 4x4s, 2x6s and 3/4"-1" plywood) and som stain and you can build you a nice strong stand. Even if u only make it a foot or 2 off the ground

I built a stand for a 55 gallon freshwater out of lumber form HD and it still wound up costing 150 dollars. I doubt 60 dollars worth of material would build anything sturdy or aesthetic enough for a massive saltwater tank. And while I'm not about to go out buy this tank today I am considering my options for one and think the tank sitting on the ground would be the most appealing. Especially if it's 4 or 5 feet tall.

 

[Mebbid]

So the hole could be drilled 2 feet off the ground and the sump sit on the floor and it would still work properly.




I'll have to learn some more about saltwater tanks I guess.

Basically with a DT / sump setup one tank drains into the other requiring a gravity based overflow while the lower tank pumps water into the top one. It doesn't matter if the DT is the top or bottom tank but the bottom tank will have varying water levels hence my suggestion for an automatic top off. As for drilling the hole, it's usually easier to have the hole drilled in the side of the tank.

As for having a 4 - 5 ft deep tank, you would need a serious light system to get light all the way down to the bottom, even more so if you wanted a reef. Lights have a hard time with penetrating any large distance.

 

[blert]

You can also do side-by-side. As long as the water level in one tank is higher than the other a gravity drain will still work.

 

[FishDaAx]

I built a stand for a 55 gallon freshwater out of lumber form HD and it still wound up costing 150 dollars. I doubt 60 dollars worth of material would build anything sturdy or aesthetic enough for a massive saltwater tank. And while I'm not about to go out buy this tank today I am considering my options for one and think the tank sitting on the ground would be the most appealing. Especially if it's 4 or 5 feet tall.

Yea... $60 might be a slight low ball number lol so do you not mind all the equipment to run ur tank out in the open? If that's the case I second the side by side route

 

[JustinKBreen]

My only comment about this would be that it is a pain in the butt to reach the sand bed on my 30" tall tank.. you will have to plan how you would clean the glass, rearange rock or coral that gets knocked down (turbo snails are bulldozers) etc. otherwise it sounds like a very cool idea.

I love my tank and I wanted the top to be about 6' agl so I didn't have to crouch down to view it

 

[FishDaAx]

+1 to Justin!!! lol I am 6'2" with a 31" tank and I am like basically falling into my tank to fix rocks and coral! Lol your tank might be a pain to service. :/

 

[Gregcoyote]

One other thing to consider. A 4-5' deep tank would need to be built out of 3/4-1" acrylic to withstand the water pressure.

 

[Hardridge]

My tank is 4 by 34 1 inch acrylic open top. I love it but if I could it again I would make it deeper (back) and only 24 inches. It's great on paper and in your head but its a real pain to clean

 

[Gregcoyote]

My tank is 4 by 34 1 inch acrylic open top. I love it but if I could it again I would make it deeper (back) and only 24 inches. It's great on paper and in your head but its a real pain to clean

That exactly what the wife says. But I like having a wall to hang corals at different light zones on.

 

[ezy33]

I would recommend having it a few inches off the ground to keep it from getting kicked by peoples feed. Like your kitchen cabinets, it's called a toe kick.
good luck!

 

[germanyt]

I hadn't thought of how I'd clean it.



brb buying scuba gear

 

[Gregcoyote]

Decontaminate before jumping in!

 

[FishDaAx]

Lol just secured my rocks and hope my diamond goby keeps the sand clean and a luffa to scrub the glass