coffee table tank

[thefatman]

ok, i was perusing ebay a few months ago and saw an ad for a cofee table tank. dont recall seeing pics of it though.

so anyway, i was sitting here tonight and thinking of how i could build one. problem i'm having is lighting.

i figure i could build a cube tank, maybe like 3'x3' and however high the legs are on the average coffee table. that would be the tank. then i could lay a glass top over it.

i'm not sure if it would be better as a sw or fw. doing sw, i'd have nowhere to put a skimmer or sump, i could make a compartment, maybe in the center, to house a pump, and then havea cls/spray bar around the bottom of the tank, for good circulation, and then just have lr and ls as the filter. and have the tank be a fowlr with cleanup crew.

fw might be easier, but no clue how i could incorporate a powerfilter. i suppose i could do a huge UGF operated from a really big pump hidden in the middle, but no idea how i could house an airpump as well. unless i used a venturi pump, and had an airline going out the side somewhere.

naturally i'd have to figure out a system of putting some holes in the top of the tank itself, so it would be able to exchange gases, rather than being an air and water tight unit.

i think i have an idea for most of the problems, but i have yet to figure a way for lighting the unit. unless i somehow built in a way for lights to be around the bottom of it, like maybe just some noflo's built around the bottom edge, and then a reflector pointing the light in..

ohhh ohh ohh i jsut figured it out.. the lights could be mounted to the bottom side of the table top, and be up close to the cube itself. then i could put in a refector that would basically be a 45 deg baord that would enclose the light and direct it into the tank

well what do ya think? any ideas?

fw can be easier, and more forgiving, but sw maight be better do to the filtration of lr. or i could build a really big ugf for it and do it as fw.. might give me more swimming room for my sharks too.

can live rock, or maybe even aragocrete type lr be used in a fw tank? i've never seen it before, but i dont see why it wouldnt work, the bacteria are very similar and do the same job in fw and sw. i could use dry rock, or homemade rock, and then get it seeded with bacteria from my fw tanks..

ok i'm jsut rambling now. sorry, but i'm kinda excited about how cool this could potentially be.. so, any ideas or input?

[9fishers]

I found a picture of a coffee table in an ad for www.tropicalfishstore.com
The ad was in the June issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine.
I haven't checked out the site, but if they've got pics in the ad Im sure there some at the site. Maybe you could get ideas from there??? Worth checking into.
Keep us posted, and good luck!

Nicole

[thefatman]

cool thanks nicole.. that's the one i saw a few months ago!!

now at least i havea starting point to see how they did things.

mine will be built different (from plywood and glass or acrylic) so we'll see what i come up with

[thefatman]

soudns like i'm on the right track, they are using a UGF with integrated powerhead for filtration..

sooo.... it's off to the drawing board

[seamonkey]

Jay my buddy has an octagon style coffee table tank and yes the lights are mounted on the underside. they are located at 2 sides where the glass actualy comes up some what and the lights are on an angle. They are cool for fw but I am not sure how it would work for sw.

[thefatman]

thanks sm.... that's my concern too is doing sw.. might be a tad complicated. not to mention the higher required lighting.

i think i may give this a shot, and do it fw. that way i'll feel safer using a UGF, and noflo's.

[seamonkey]

It might work as a fowlr but to me that would just get annoying and make me want to make it a recular reef.