hey dude....
from what I have learned so far (doing a similar build to yours) is that the real money comes from the height... extra height (even a couple of inches) add's serious pressure which means thicker glass / acrylic.
I am opting for glass but my build is a little more conservative ( 84 X 30 X 36 ).
I also, like you... thought that a tank that size needed a sump... but have since been persuaded otherwise.... going for some external cannisters now.
at the end of the day the more water you have is going to be good for the ecology of the tank, but if its wasted space by the fish then its kinda pointless and costly to setup.
If you gonna have fish utilising that extra space up top... then I wouldnt bother with that kinda height (48") as its just going to be wasteland and increase your build cost substantially.
width on the other hand dosent really affect the glass thickness but makes a huge difference for the fish as it gives monsters turning space and maqkes the tank larger from a topographical perspective.
4ft wide is huge hehe... i thought I was going a bit mad with 36" width on mine....
I actually looked at one of my 3ft tanks side on and imagined my big build as that as the width and it seems crazy ...!
from what I have learned so far (doing a similar build to yours) is that the real money comes from the height... extra height (even a couple of inches) add's serious pressure which means thicker glass / acrylic.
I am opting for glass but my build is a little more conservative ( 84 X 30 X 36 ).
I also, like you... thought that a tank that size needed a sump... but have since been persuaded otherwise.... going for some external cannisters now.
at the end of the day the more water you have is going to be good for the ecology of the tank, but if its wasted space by the fish then its kinda pointless and costly to setup.
If you gonna have fish utilising that extra space up top... then I wouldnt bother with that kinda height (48") as its just going to be wasteland and increase your build cost substantially.
width on the other hand dosent really affect the glass thickness but makes a huge difference for the fish as it gives monsters turning space and maqkes the tank larger from a topographical perspective.
4ft wide is huge hehe... i thought I was going a bit mad with 36" width on mine....
I actually looked at one of my 3ft tanks side on and imagined my big build as that as the width and it seems crazy ...!
