Bi-Weekly Discussion of the Week: Tank Placement!!!

[Geoff]

Lets talk about what makes a good location for the aquarium.

G~

[Stang69]

Put it where the spouse wants it so it doesnt have to be moved for a long time.




Jeff

[Geoff]

Originally posted by Stang69
Put it where the spouse wants it so it doesnt have to be moved for a long time.




Jeff

are closets really the best place for an aquarium?

G~

[reeftanktime]

Mine is in the entertainment center so that I can watch the reef while the kids watch movies. That way we are all happy and enjoying "family time".

[photobarry]

How important is it to have the tank in a location where people aren't walking by it all the time? I remember that used to be a big deal but now I see tanks being used as room dividers and obviously at public aquaria people are walking by them all day.

[Reefdude5]

I don't think its a big deal, yeah, mine is in the entertainment room with the big screen. IMO tanks shouldn't have much direct or inderict sunlight, although, many people feel differently. Weight is a huge issue, also, placing a tank somewhere near a sink is always a good idea. Also, don't place a tank near outer walls, as it becomes difficult to regulate temperature.

[RWD]

Originally posted by Reefdude5
Also, don't place a tank near outer walls, as it becomes difficult to regulate temperature.

The problem with that is MOST of the time the floor is strongest next to an exterior wall.

[photobarry]

Temp control next to an exterior wall is usually not a problem unless there are lots of windows there or you have really bad insulation.

[Mrs Smith]

Originally posted by Geoff
are closets really the best place for an aquarium?

G~

Hey now, I have a tank in a closet. Granted, it's part of a bigger tank, but it's in there, lighting and all.

The best place? In a finished basement = living area, on a FLAT slab of concrete, with tile directly under the tank. Which is what I have. The basement is really only necessary when the naturl disasters in the are involve roofs coming off.

Unfortunately, I forgot the part where the tank is 6" away from the wall so I could paint the wall to match the rest of the basement. Sigh.

Actually, a room divider would be way cool, aside from the difficulty of hiding the equipment.

Danielle

[Nafe]

We are moving into a new house in a week or two and i am dealing with this problem right now...

Is it such a big deal having a tank in direct sunlight? If you kept on top of maintenance algae shouldnt be too bad right? And wouldnt the natural light be good for the inhabitants?

[Reefdude5]

I guess it should be that bad Nafe, which direction would it be facing(north, south?) and for how many hours of direct sunlight? And RWD, the only exterior wall where i could put a tank is covered in windows,

[ruhspolostar]

you could aways knock out a wetbar, thats what I did

[yardboy]

My seventy is against the wall in my living room shared with my bedroom. When the skimmer motor started going bad, I sure knew about it quick. Now I'm replacing the seventy with a 150 that has 2-Mag 18's, a Velocity 3, Gen-X 6000, Mag 10, 2-3"cooling fans, uh-oh.
Each individual motor or fan is very quiet, but in tandem, quite a loud hummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Maybe I could go ahead and add that Florida room on the back, and put that rascal in there!

[Casey]

Roger thats what im doing

[Phantom Phish]

Natural sunlight is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact some have gone to great length to bring it to their tanks with great success via solar tubes and light chimneys. If you haven't seen it yet, check out Michael Palettas book "Ultimate Marine Aquariums". There's a description in there from a guy who's done that in Pennsylvania, as well as others who have their tanks receiving sunlight from regualr windows. They report increased growth and good coloration. Algae growth is largely going to be about nutrient availability, regardless of light source. I tend to agree with what others have said in that book, that it's hard to beat mother nature when it comes to sunlight. Not sure I'd rely totally on natural sunlight, but to supplement it with MHs and maybe some actinics, that's an intriguing approach.