Building/Stocking "collection" tank.

[Evan West]

So this isn't in DIY and not everything I'm talking about will be DIY. However I'm thinking about building out of glass or acrylic a tank about 20"×20"×10" to serve as a frag tank of sorts. So question one is glass or acrylic? I move since I'm in college so this is a factor. I want to have a built in over flow and return nozzle and the tank will be plumed into my sump that my display is on. No sand and likely just egg crate for a frag rack. The purpose of this is to accommodate my growing frag collection and add water volume to my system. Again because I move I have to keep components small and that's why I'm not just looking to get a bigger tank. I'm looking for room for my collection since I want a variety of frags and my 20g display does not have room to acomidate so many growing colonies. I will let my favorite peices grow out as much as they can in the display but keep and propagate my collection of smaller peices in this tank.

My other question revolves around stocking for this tank. What would be useful to put in the new tank for cleaning and what can I put in there fish wise?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

If you're going to keep just frags and some sort of maintenance/clean up crew in there, I would go with acrylic since this will most likely be a temporary tank until you are able to settle down somewhere more permanent post-graduation.

I probably wouldn't put fish in there but perhaps a team of snails and maybe some sort of shrimp would be good for keeping things cleaned up. Keep in mind you will probably need to have a screen on it since it is only 10 inches tall and any critter inside wouldn't have to exert much effort to get out.

 

[Evan West]

If you're going to keep just frags and some sort of maintenance/clean up crew in there, I would go with acrylic since this will most likely be a temporary tank until you are able to settle down somewhere more permanent post-graduation.

I probably wouldn't put fish in there but perhaps a team of snails and maybe some sort of shrimp would be good for keeping things cleaned up. Keep in mind you will probably need to have a screen on it since it is only 10 inches tall and any critter inside wouldn't have to exert much effort to get out.

My idea is to pretty much just keep frags or small colonies. At this point it's just to keep my growing collection in until I graduate in a year and can get a bigger tank to actually grow them out. Might play around with small square tiles placed side by side so as to let coral spred a bit and then it will be super easy to cut it and remove/relocate/sell a tile once it spreads too far.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

My idea is to pretty much just keep frags or small colonies. At this point it's just to keep my growing collection in until I graduate in a year and can get a bigger tank to actually grow them out. Might play around with small square tiles placed side by side so as to let coral spred a bit and then it will be super easy to cut it and remove/relocate/sell a tile once it spreads too far.

I think it will be a neat project, I'm considering building a frag tank as well, but mine will probably be a standalone system.

 

[Evan West]

I think it will be a neat project, I'm considering building a frag tank as well, but mine will probably be a standalone system.

I'm leaning toward acrylic just for the ease of building it will provide and as you pointed out, it will only be temporary really. Never build with acrylic before tho so it will be a new experience.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I'm leaning toward acrylic just for the ease of building it will provide and as you pointed out, it will only be temporary really. Never build with acrylic before tho so it will be a new experience.

Same here but there's plenty of how-to videos out there and it seems a lot more simple than playing around with glass. I'm hoping I can find a local place that can pre-cut a sheet for me so I don't have to by cutting tools and such.

 

[Evan West]

Same here but there's plenty of how-to videos out there and it seems a lot more simple than playing around with glass. I'm hoping I can find a local place that can pre-cut a sheet for me so I don't have to by cutting tools and such.

Lucky for me I own a lot of cutting tools already and I think ill just need bits ment for plastic and not wood for the most part. I found a place online (acme plastics) that can do cut to size peices of clear, black, colored, and florecence. I think I want to put a thin euro brace around the top so some florecence might make the tank pop and I'll probably do a black bottom.

 

[Evan West]

My other question is that I will have 2 drain lines coming into the sump, should I just have a Y splitter they both come into and then into the sump or should I have 2 separate dumps into the sump?

 

[PatW]

I would go acrylic. It is easy to cut and to weld together. Also, it is far lighter than glass. And it is not as brittle as glass.

So easier to craft and easier to move sounds like a winner to me.