Acrylic tank cost/size considerations

[ikkie78]

Thanks for the info...yeah I suppose that would make it way more difficult to clean and work in the tank...I'll stick with 30" high then...would probably be less of a squeeze getting down the stairs into the basement anyway lol.

 

[JK47]

You don't want a tank deeper than 30 inches. You think you do, but you really don't. My tank is 30 inches height, and I can juuuuust barely reach all the way to bottom in the very front to wipe algae off the inside glass. If it was 32 inches deep, I'd have to put on a snorkel every 2 weeks to get that little algae ring off the bottom of the front glass.

Great point. I have a 32" tall tank and can confirm the surprise mouthful of tank water/soaked shirt to reach the bottom. That extra 2" is the difference for being a pain and little reward. I'm not a fan of surprising a 27" leichardti face to face either.. All of my other tanks are 30" and I can just barely reach as well but perfect.

ikkie78 stick with 30" high or like J jaws7777 said if you can get 30" front to back, all the better.

 

[pacu mom]

This car wash brush (WalMart) works really well for tank cleaning. It has no sharp parts that could scratch the acrylic. Of course, our 300 gallon tank is only 24" tall and 30" wide, but I can reach the back wall and the floor with the brush. The handle is 15" long, and to the end of the brush is 19 1/2".

If you are going with a 4' wide in wall tank, you will be cleaning the front panel from the back of the tank. You might consider placing a platform behind the tank for easier access to the top of the tank. If you don't want to get in the tank to clean it, a long handled car wash brush should work. I can access the front panel and the floor and sides with this brush.

I loved the idea of a platform behind the tank. https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/...nk-install-h20-custom-aquatics.187624/page-23

We built a platform with a hinged floor so we will be able to access the plumbing under the platform.

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

You don't want a tank deeper than 30 inches. You think you do, but you really don't. My tank is 30 inches height, and I can juuuuust barely reach all the way to bottom in the very front to wipe algae off the inside glass. If it was 32 inches deep, I'd have to put on a snorkel every 2 weeks to get that little algae ring off the bottom of the front glass.

I can confirm this as I just put some temporary fake plants in my 30" tall 220 tonight. I'm 6' and my wingspan is 6'2" and I had to get all the way into the tank up to my armpit/top of shoulder. Like others mentioned, if it was 31" or higher, I'd nearly be swimming.

 

[ikkie78]

Lol...yeah you convinced me to stay with 30"...of course i could always sent my kids in with snorkel gear to clean lol

Like the platform idea behind the tank...wont have a ton of room behind but might have just enough to put a small platform for working on it! Thanks for the ideas and help so far!