New build hypothetical

[RGoltz]

I'll check out those wavemakers. I'm going to stick with glass, the price is the same and I don't want to deal with acrylic. I'm going to get a ghost overflow eurobraced tank like I always wanted.

My budget isn't a hard budget, I could go over if I wanted, but I'm trying to keep costs down so my wife doesn't get mad lol


I've checked out about every tank I can think of. Those two are largely out of range and I don't think add any more value than putting a nice sump below the glasscages tank.

Yeah, it all comes down to knowing your own priorities.

I do get your point in the sump, I *hate*fancy sumps! For whatever reason I prefer a glass sump but there are places that sell kits to turn common tanks into basic sumps.

I’m sure there is plenty of “black box” lighting that will work for LPS. You can probably save some money there.

Back to the Tunze, that will give you a perfect back/forth motion that Euphylia love.

You can buy a good skimmer and size down. You likely won’t need a refugium, either. Maintaining enough nutrients for LPS will probably be more of a challenge than getting them down..

 

[JachPot]

Yeah, it all comes down to knowing your own priorities.

I do get your point in the sump, I *hate*fancy sumps! For whatever reason I prefer a glass sump but there are places that sell kits to turn common tanks into basic sumps.

I’m sure there is plenty of “black box” lighting that will work for LPS. You can probably save some money there.

Back to the Tunze, that will give you a perfect back/forth motion that Euphylia love.

You can buy a good skimmer and size down. You likely won’t need a refugium, either. Maintaining enough nutrients for LPS will probably be more of a challenge than getting them down..

I planned to get several tangs and feed them pretty heavily. Sailfin, Blue Hippo, Yellow, Purple, and a bristletooth. I'll move over my pair of clowns. Throw in a pink spotted goby and maybe 1-2 other fish and that's it.

I'm looking for the right balance of "fancy" sump and standard. I got an emerald trigger systems last time I believe.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Personally, I would stick with glass.

If Truly focusing on Euphylia/LPS I would consider a couple of things:

• A true wave maker, such as a Tunze wave box, together with some directional flow like a gyre
• Some budget LED such as Reefbreeders, but hang the lights high
• Take a look at Waterbox and Red Sea to see if they have something that fits your budget, together with the lighting+flow. Honestly, plug and play plumbing is nice.

Again, personal preference but I don’t invest in controllers.

I'm curious about the wavebox. I recall reading several years ago that generating standing waves puts a lot of stress on the tank seams. May have been a different type of pump though, and lots of new stuff has come out since then. Any concerns in this area?
@Joe Glass Cages ?

 

[Spare time]

I'm going to do a mix reefed. Tangs and Euphilyia are basically my 2 favorite things about saltwater tanks.

I'll look into acrylic, if it's more expensive I'll probably just stick with the glass. I know it used to be, but I haven't checked recently.

I was thinking of buying the powerheads second hand to save a good chunk of money. I can get live rock at a steal locally, so that won't run me a billion dollars.

Just be prepared to find a lot of scratches and a more difficult to clean tank

 

[Sean Clark]

Just be prepared to find a lot of scratches and a more difficult to clean tank

The OP has since stated glass. This is the way.

 

[JachPot]

The OP has since stated glass. This is the way.

When I worked at a store we primarily sold glass and I think that's for a good reason. Acrylic was always way more expensive too. The price I posted included low iron front and side panels too. Very affordable imo.

 

[Sean Clark]

I have had glass and acrylic tanks. I still have both styles currently running. I understand why some people like acrylic. Personally I am all glass all the time.

 

[Sean Clark]

I'm curious about the wavebox. I recall reading several years ago that generating standing waves puts a lot of stress on the tank seams. May have been a different type of pump though, and lots of new stuff has come out since then. Any concerns in this area?
@Joe Glass Cages ?

I see this a lot. I would like to see someone with more knowledge chime in on this. Is wave pressure really a consideration?

 

[JachPot]

I see this a lot. I would like to see someone with more knowledge chime in on this. Is wave pressure really a consideration?

I watched the BRS video on the tunze that was recommend previously.

He said (even on the manual too) that to expect 10-15% less tank life as your water will be shifting heavily and if your stand and tank aren't very well made you're going to have some big problems. Kind of enough to turn me off of it. I'd rather have a gyre and a pulsing mp10 or something like that.

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

I'm curious about the wavebox. I recall reading several years ago that generating standing waves puts a lot of stress on the tank seams. May have been a different type of pump though, and lots of new stuff has come out since then. Any concerns in this area?
@Joe Glass Cages ?

great question @Erin1971Texas. one of those very interesting questions that pops up every now and then like, does Low-Iron scratch easier than non Low-Iron Glass.

@rvitko had this reply below to this very question back on 9/23/2020 post #35 https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/wave-goodbye-to-waves-in-your-tank.760964/page-2

The reason to use waves is clear, a 1" wave on a 180 is 3.74 gallons of water, with a wave about every second that is 13464 gph of flow and done with next to no energy use and heat input. On the other hand, that also means roughly 25 pounds of shifting weight, so yes, it does stress the seams. I personally do use a wave, but 1/2", you can dial down the amplitude. In no case would I recommend making a wave on anything but a top end aquarium you bought new, you will want overkill in the glass and the stand needs to be rock solid and level. If a tank was constructed in accordance with Timoshenko's formula, no corners were cut in material and it is structurally sound, it should last approx 20-25 years, if you make a modest wave, you shaved off 10-15% of the tanks life. FWIW, you reduce the life at least that much by simply draining it and moving it and after 10-15 years, most tanks are done, scratched, damaged and due for replacement so if you start with a quality aquarium and stand, I don't believe this is a real concern. Nature does not do random, there are reliable and predictable tides and waves and storms, which are also more or less seasonal and predictable. The wave lifts and suspends, the tides carry it away, the storms periodicaly destroy and purge.

Excellent details about from @rvitko


Here are some of my thoughts.....

hmmmm... so many factors here.

The strength of the silicone is about 470 psi. Thats a lot and may be more than most would think. I didn't do all the calculus to generate all the forces involved. would have to make some assumptions on water, wave height, tank size, wave maker, flow rate and so on. The aquarium pad and tank build quality are a must for this. with out a pad, there is nothing to absorb the continual adjustment in forces.

So with all that, I can't share a definitive conclusion. I can sure our experience. many of our tanks have wave makers in them and we are not hearing of any issues.What about high water movement from a closed loop system with a very high turn rate? This system would create similar water action? We haven't experienced any tank issue with this style of setup either. We have also built many tanks for traveling displays. These tanks have been installed in trailers. Now those tanks have to withstand some unique wave action. No issues with those tanks either and the tanks were build with our standard build process.

One last thought, is this topic mentioned in the tank manufactures warranty? This is not in the Glass Cages warranty because we dont believe this to be an issue for our builds. Now, lets pretend this was an issue, we would engineer the tank so it wouldn't be an issue. We just don't want a warranty laced with tons of conditions and legal statements. Thats no fun.

Great question. hope that helps.