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Best size of a tank


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depends on your goals. personally i would go for a 6ft if i had the space to accommodate for it. that said typically bigger tanks 6ft and above might as well install a compressor instead of a chiller. and bigger skimmer, return pump etc. 4ft is a really good size for a reef tank too.

 

i have a 6x3x2.5ft display with medium-large fish with leathers and easy polyp softies and tbh 3ft depth isn’t an issue at all if you’re keeping fish only(in fact the extra space is definitely better for fish)but if you plan to load your entire surface area with corals it also means you probably need more lighting units for the spread.

 

also means more surface area to scrape algae off or do maintenance in general so yeah probably more manual work but a

larger system = greater water volume and therefore stability so ultimately that’s the better deal imo.

 

 

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depends on your goals. personally i would go for a 6ft if i had the space to accommodate for it. that said typically bigger tanks 6ft and above might as well install a compressor instead of a chiller. 4ft is a good size for a reef tank too.

personally 3ft depth isn’t an issue if you’re keeping fish only but if you plan to load your entire surface area with corals it also means you probably need more lighting units for the spread


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Thanks for the quick reply!

How does a compressor work? Just by an on off switch? Cause it’s not like an aircon where you have a remote control to adjust.

Will it be hard for a adult to reach the bottom of a 3ft tank by hand?
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Thanks for the quick reply!

How does a compressor work? Just by an on off switch? Cause it’s not like an aircon where you have a remote control to adjust.

Will it be hard for a adult to reach the bottom of a 3ft tank by hand?


you can get an external thermostat for more reliable control of the temperature you want to cool the water to.

that.. i think really depends on individual height in relation to the tank dimensions hahaha. also depends on whether there’s a hood/rim above the tank that will add to its height. if you can access the tank from both front and back there shouldn’t be a problem. but i can imagine it being troublesome if you can only do maintenance from one side, and if the tank height is more than 2ft.




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6 minutes ago, nubbiereefer said:

Will it be hard for a adult to reach the bottom of a 3ft tank by hand?

 

 

Not possible. Even for 2feet depth, probably not possible for most adults to reach the bottom without tongs.

Lighting and glueing lower frags might be an issue at 3 feet depth.

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you can get an external thermostat for more reliable control of the temperature you want to cool the water to.

that.. i think really depends on individual height in relation to the tank dimensions hahaha. also depends on whether there’s a hood/rim above the tank that will add to its height. if you can access the tank from both front and back there shouldn’t be a problem. but i can imagine it being troublesome if you can only do maintenance from one side, and if the tank height is more than 2ft.




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Cool!
Any recommendation for someone to install the thermostat ?
Does any normal compressor work ?
Does this save more electricity compared to a marine chiller ? Cost wise cheaper and more stable ?
It kicks in on and off itself too ?




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Not possible. Even for 2feet depth, probably not possible for most adults to reach the bottom without tongs.
Lighting and glueing lower frags might be an issue at 3 feet depth.


Planning to do a mixed reef, replicating the ocean.
They say angelfish likes deeper water and tanks.
Would 2ft be sufficient for bandit, clarion and all ?
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yes it works like an a/c to cool your tank. i don’t have exact figures but generally the faster you can get your chiller to cool the water volume and thereby run less often with a stronger chiller/compressor unit (typically 6ft/250 gallons or more i’d run 1hp and above) the more you’ll save on your electricity bill.

 

there are many lfs that can help with the installation, you could try iwarna or de aquatic

 

 

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Planning to do a mixed reef, replicating the ocean.

They say angelfish likes deeper water and tanks.

Would 2ft be sufficient for bandit, clarion and all ?

2ft is usually the standard for home marine aquariums. i actually thought you meant 3ft depth as in horizontal depth(width) hahaha. but if it’s 3ft deep vertically then it’s definitely going to be a challenge reaching the bottom and keeping corals at or near the base of the tank

 

 

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2ft is usually the standard for home marine aquariums. i actually thought you meant 3ft depth as in horizontal depth(width) hahaha. but if it’s 3ft deep vertically then it’s definitely going to be a challenge reaching the bottom and keeping corals at or near the base of the tank  
 
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Is 2ft height sufficient for the angelfishes ? I heard they don’t do well in shallow tanks. Cause I really love them!

Sorry for the late response, couldn’t reply the post. Haha
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Is 2ft height sufficient for the angelfishes ? I heard they don’t do well in shallow tanks. Cause I really love them!

Sorry for the late response, couldn’t reply the post. Haha

they do just fine in 2ft tanks. depth doesnt matter much for captive fish unless they are more vertical in design, e.g. younger batfishes and seahorses


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