Custom 525 Gallon Drop-off tank?

[Zack K]

What are your guys thoughts on a Quite large Drop-off build? It is still a ways out, but i was thinking a 10ft long tank, drop-off point at the 6' part. The first 6' (Shallow end) would be the reef portion measuring 6' to the drop x30"front to back x24"deep. At the 6' point, it drops down from 24" to 36" The deep end will consist of "Open Ocean". I would love to have a bunch of open water fish such as garden eels, maybe a Gurnard, and alot of Tangs and Surgeons.
Lighting, I would be looking LED. Maybe Kessils.Something that can penetrate 36". Doesn't need to be super bright. Just enough.

So what do you guys think? Questions, comments, concerns?

-Zack, who really like this idea.

 

[SDReefer]

I think that would be awesome! My concerns would be cleaning the tank, especially the drop down part. Flow would be a very important aspect, and you would need a powerhead in the dropdown portion to prevent detritus from settling at the bottom. You'd also need a strong light if you want to grow corals in that section. Otherwise, a rock wall with eels coming out would look awesome!

 

[Zack K]

I think that would be awesome! My concerns would be cleaning the tank, especially the drop down part. Flow would be a very important aspect, and you would need a powerhead in the dropdown portion to prevent detritus from settling at the bottom. You'd also need a strong light if you want to grow corals in that section. Otherwise, a rock wall with eels coming out would look awesome!

Yes flow would definitely be a must. I’m thinking numerous GYRE’s and MP60’s. I would definitely run this as a triton method tank, like I always have with my tanks. I would do the reef with a small couple inch overhang with the rock wall down would look sweet. Kind of like the ending of the shallow reef. Then the deep end have a bunch of these guys. Few groups of tangs, Anthias, Chromis.

(Not my Image, congrinae.tumbler.com)

-Zack, who has big dreams.

 

[Shabalaba]

I absolutely LOVE drop down tanks, and I'm still not entirely sure why haha. It'd be great to see the build progress of this system! I think Kessil would be your best best for lighting, but i guess it depends on your budget and what you want to grow.

 

[Zack K]

I absolutely LOVE drop down tanks, and I'm still not entirely sure why haha. It'd be great to see the build progress of this system! I think Kessil would be your best best for lighting, but i guess it depends on your budget and what you want to grow.

With a Tank this big. I’m pretty sure budget may be out the window[emoji848]. The numbers are too big to think about [emoji6]. I wouldn’t have anything growing in the deep end. Necessarily. Maybe a few NPS corals. That would be about it. I think I have a wide variety at 24” depth. The reef side would have a couple islands similar to this:

(Not mine, Fellow R2R member I believe)
Then rock wall against the glass drop, to open sandy ocean floor. When I was diving I like where the reef ended. That transition part where the reef meets the open waters. The schools of butterflies and tangs swimming about.

 

[Mikedawg]

Great idea and you're right about putting them in deep end - those spotted garden eels (Heteroconger hassi) grow to about 16" in an aquarium and their holes can be a few inches deeper. I've seen them in shallower tanks but they don't thrive and need to be able to completely submerge, especially when aggressive males are fighting or a bigger fish swims by.

The garden eel display at Georgia Aquarium is the crowd favorite. Good luck

 

[Zack K]

Great idea and you're right about putting them in deep end - those spotted garden eels (Heteroconger hassi) grow to about 16" in an aquarium and their holes can be a few inches deeper. I've seen them in shallower tanks but they don't thrive and need to be able to completely submerge, especially when aggressive males are fighting or a bigger fish swims by.

The garden eel display at Georgia Aquarium is the crowd favorite. Good luck

Thanks! I never liked the look of them next to a reef IMO. They prefer big open “sand prairies”

 

[Mikedawg]

Yeah, as you know they lean over to mate and fight (and sometimes hard to tell the difference, ha ha)

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

With the dimensions you listed, you only have a 12” drop, and if you want garden eels in that section, at least 8-10” of that will be sand... so I think you are going to lose the “drop off” effect. Unless I’m misunderstanding and the only point of the drop off is to give the eels a deep sand bed and visually the tank will be level bottom throughout the 10’...

 

[Zack K]

With the dimensions you listed, you only have a 12” drop, and if you want garden eels in that section, at least 8-10” of that will be sand... so I think you are going to lose the “drop off” effect. Unless I’m misunderstanding and the only point of the drop off is to give the eels a deep sand bed and visually the tank will be level bottom throughout the 10’...

Good catch. Forgot those eels need a huge sandbed[emoji848] deeper drop-off or no eels[emoji848] Maybe a bigger drop off it is! The kessils have a penetrating depth of 5’ maybe use all of it!

New Dimensions, 10’ long with drop-off at 6’

Reef, 72”x30”x24” 224 Gallons
Drop-off, 48”x30”x48” 299 Gallons

525 Gallons

 

[Kremis]

I have 4 garden eels in my 28 gallons. Sandbed is 5-6 inches. Id say that if you want a lot of then 8 inches of sand is plenty. however, I personally would first add the eels before any other fish. Keep them by themselves until they get used to their sureoundings and feed well (maybe few months) then slowly add in some of the less active or small fish like small wrasses, gobies, blennies etc. wait for the eels to get used to those fish before adding anything bigger like tangs. the eels are generally shy and take a long time to get used to anything. Add new fish SLOWLY. and not before all eels are feeding well and used to you. if there are too many "threats" around they may flat out not cone up for food ever.

 

[Zack K]

I have 4 garden eels in my 28 gallons. Sandbed is 5-6 inches. Id say that if you want a lot of then 8 inches of sand is plenty. however, I personally would first add the eels before any other fish. Keep them by themselves until they get used to their sureoundings and feed well (maybe few months) then slowly add in some of the less active or small fish like small wrasses, gobies, blennies etc. wait for the eels to get used to those fish before adding anything bigger like tangs. the eels are generally shy and take a long time to get used to anything. Add new fish SLOWLY. and not before all eels are feeding well and used to you. if there are too many "threats" around they may flat out not cone up for food ever.

Nothing good happens fast in this hobby[emoji6]. What do you feed them? Just broadcast my sis or LRS. Or feed each one a piece of krill or Squid? I agree on the threats. It’s just a wonderful idea that they will be all alone in the bottom of the drop off. I hopeing the majority of the fish stay in the reef and upper 2/3 of the drop off. But I guess time will tell.

 

[Kremis]

i feed mine brine/mysis
krill is way too big, same with squid. make sure the flow carries food over the sand bed.
the #1 cause of them dying on me is the eels being too scared of everything around them to actually come up for food.

 

[Zack K]

Just giving this thread a little bump today. What are your guys thoughts and concerns? Anything you would do differently? I also took the time to play around on Marine Depot’s Website and price up Lights and Flow. I wish it was BRS but they don’t have everything it would take in stock.

I could actually take it down to 2 AP700 because I really don’t need one over the drop off.

 

[Shabalaba]

Thats a whole lot of flow! Im a big fan of the maxspects. How do you plan on spacing the lights?

 

[Zack K]

Thats a whole lot of flow! Im a big fan of the maxspects. How do you plan on spacing the lights?

I hadn’t put a lot of thought into that. What I do have is the 2 700’s in the reef covering the majority. The outside rim of the tank will be 360’s spaces every 2-3 feet or so. With the deep end all 360 because of the penetration.

I have never used the gyres myself but like the idea behind them, along with all of the positive reviews. I will more than likely have a 220 or so build between now (55) and this (525) so we shall see.
Yea I know. A 220 isn’t big enough. That’s my temporary build[emoji6]

-Zack.

 

[HippieSmell]

One thing I've always thought might be an issue with drop off tanks is the sand would blow off into the deep end and become a headache with a lot of flow. Looks cool, though.

 

[Zack K]

One thing I've always thought might be an issue with drop off tanks is the sand would blow off into the deep end and become a headache with a lot of flow. Looks cool, though.

I am hoping to stop that with the flow meeting at the 5’ point, the drop is at 6’ as well as having a 2” lip at the drop off. Their will also be rocks their as that is where the reef ends.
This is going to be one of those things that we shall see how it goes.

-Zack

 

[HippieSmell]

I am hoping to stop that with the flow meeting at the 5’ point, the drop is at 6’ as well as having a 2” lip at the drop off. Their will also be rocks their as that is where the reef ends.
This is going to be one of those things that we shall see how it goes.

-Zack

Good luck. You posted a legendary photo as inspiration

 

[Shabalaba]

I am hoping to stop that with the flow meeting at the 5’ point, the drop is at 6’ as well as having a 2” lip at the drop off. Their will also be rocks their as that is where the reef ends.
This is going to be one of those things that we shall see how it goes.

-Zack

With the gyres meeting at the halfway point, they will actually create 2 gyres almost as if its 2 seperate 5 foot tanks. What I would suggest instead is to program them for full potential. I have mine set for alternating gyre (gyre one way for 15 min, then the other way) and not only does it do great things as far as keeping debris off the sandbed/out of the rocks but the particle suspension is superb. Also, my wavey corals love the alternating flow