Help with Frag tank options

[Damion123]

Hi Everyone
I would like to start a frag tank. Something around the size of 48 X 24 X12, or something close. I would like to be reef ready. What are my options? I know there is a the lowboy, but its not drilled, has thin glass from what I have read and has a plastic rim. Then there is Seapora, but I'm not sure that company still exits. Or is a custom tank my only option? Any advise would be great

 

[cilyjr]

I have an acrylic 24x20x8 from advanced acrylic. I'm happy with. It was pretty reasonable.

 

[Damion123]

I was hoping for a glass tank. But maybe I should look into an acrylic tank. Thanks for the idea

 

[DIYreefer]

Hi Everyone
I would like to start a frag tank. Something around the size of 48 X 24 X12, or something close. I would like to be reef ready. What are my options? I know there is a the lowboy, but its not drilled, has thin glass from what I have read and has a plastic rim. Then there is Seapora, but I'm not sure that company still exits. Or is a custom tank my only option? Any advise would be great

I recently set up a couple of lowboy frag tanks and like them just fine. At only 12" tall, the glass doesn't need to be very thick. I had no problem drilling mine and when I inevitably set up yet another growout system it will be with another pair of lowboys. They are tough to beat for the price.

 

[Peair]

Hi Everyone
I would like to start a frag tank. Something around the size of 48 X 24 X12, or something close. I would like to be reef ready. What are my options? I know there is a the lowboy, but its not drilled, has thin glass from what I have read and has a plastic rim. Then there is Seapora, but I'm not sure that company still exits. Or is a custom tank my only option? Any advise would be great

I like acrylic all in one frag tanks because they are much lighter than glass, and they look clearer, Advance Acrylics has a great selection of frag tanks advancedacrylics.com, I have a 24" all in one, and I move it around, Lunn has a nice all in one around $350, and there specks are:

• Dimensions: 36" x 23.75" x 8"
• Total volume: 25.67 gallons
• Rear chamber 1: 4" x 8"
• Rear chamber 2: 4" x 18.25"
• Return chamber: 4" x 8"
• Return size: 1/2"

 

[ReefingDreams]

Seapora/Deep Blue or Aquarium Masters would be my go-to for off-the-shelf. Highly recommend reef ready or drilled with a sump and not an AIO for flexibility.

 

[Damion123]

Are they still available? Their website is not very helpful in finding a dealer

 

[ReefingDreams]

Are they still available? Their website is not very helpful in finding a dealer

Deep Blue may not be around anymore, but I'm fairly certain Seapora is. Probably a good bit of new old stock floating around regardless.

 

[Damion123]

I will try to look around thanks

 

[Charley75]

have some questions on this topic. Since these are for frag growing, seems like being clear sided is somewhat unnecessary. What about plastic or fiberglass containers. Maybe even Rubbermaid stock tanks. Anyone ever use these for frag tanks?

 

[ReefingDreams]

have some questions on this topic. Since these are for frag growing, seems like being clear sided is somewhat unnecessary. What about plastic or fiberglass containers. Maybe even Rubbermaid stock tanks. Anyone ever use these for frag tanks?

Sure. Rubbermaid, HDPE, fiberglass, hydroponic tubs are all options. The negative compared to glass is if you go with something softer sided (Botannicare hydro tubs, for example), they bow out with the water volume. The other negative is that you can't inspect the lower angles and bottom sides of coral like you can with glass. This is where the pests will be and where tissue necrosis will typically start.

 

[Reefifier]

I had trouble finding cowboys locally, so ended up using 60g breeders:
48.5" L X 18.5" W X 16.25" H
At $99 each that was a great option for my needs at the time. I have a couple others from Advanced Acrylics, 60"L x 24"W x 12H, John is a really nice guy and will work with you to make what you want for a reasonable price. And acrylic is so much lighter than glass when you have to set it up.

 

[DIYreefer]

I had trouble finding cowboys locally, so ended up using 60g breeders:
48.5" L X 18.5" W X 16.25" H
At $99 each that was a great option for my needs at the time. I have a couple others from Advanced Acrylics, 60"L x 24"W x 12H, John is a really nice guy and will work with you to make what you want for a reasonable price. And acrylic is so much lighter than glass when you have to set it up.

60 breeders would be the next best option behind a lowboy, IMO. My plan was to use a couple of 60 breeders initially but then my LFS was able to source me a couple of lowboys. So the 60 became a sump. Here's how mine turned out. This is my version of a man cave. It consists of one system that is essentially a giant AIO frag tank (its about 100g) and a pair of lowboys plumbed into a common sump.