Shallow Reef Tank - 48"x24"x10"?

Burks · Oct 14, 2018

Hi everyone. First, yes my account is old and yes I have had reef tanks in the past but nothing quite this short. It has also been a good 10-12 years since I've had a reef tank. I love a large footprint as it gives me more area to place stuff in the sand, rockwork, etc (I've always been a big fan of 40g breeder tanks whether fresh or marine).

Zoo-Med makes a 50g tank with the above dimensions that they label as a frag tank. It's roughly $100-$120. My goals for the tank are:

- Mixed reef. I like a little bit of everything and not too much of one type. Not a HUGE fan of SPS but I wouldn't mind some here and there (I'm a sucker for the Green Slimer Acro).

- Few fish. Not a huge fish fan but I do have my favorites. Would like a YWG/Pistol Shrimp combo, and of course a couple clowns for my daughter (whatever she picks out). Screened tops with about 50% of the tank covered in acrylic/glass to minimize evaporation, sump will be left open topped.

- LED lit. Two black boxes, intensity low due to depth.

- Sump with drilled overflows. I do not want a HOB overflow. Been there, done that, hated it. Sump will be a 40g breeder. Refugium built in, skimmer, activated carbon, top off, the works (GFO will be ready to go if needed). Will use a return pump with around 500-600gph

- Tank flow. I have enough Koralia powerheads to give me around 20x turnover rate at this time. More can be added when the corals need it and the tank matures (such as with SPS additions).

Does anyone see an issue here? I would like to do a small sand bed for the YWG. Just love the little guys, they're amusing to watch.

Open to any and all advice. I apologize for the lengthy post but wanted to make my intentions as clear as possible.

JoshH · Oct 14, 2018

Sounds like a good plan, you seem to know the limitations on a shallow tank and have come up with plans to work around them. The only thing I see you might having an issue with is that much flow with a sand bed in that shallow of a tank. You could also go with a Deep Blue Rimless 80 frag with a little more depth if you want but it has a built in corner overflow which turned me off of it for my next build (Shallow as well). Also waterbox has a frag line up although much more expensive than either of those options they are nice. Can't wait to follow along for your build.

ihavecrabs · Oct 14, 2018

I have a frag system that is the same dimension as the one you want.

Mine has a shadow overflow but keep in mind that if the glass is 12" the water level is likely 10.5" and with sand it is 9.5"

Viewing area is smaller for sure but totally personal preference!

Burks · Oct 15, 2018

JoshH said:
Sounds like a good plan, you seem to know the limitations on a shallow tank and have come up with plans to work around them. The only thing I see you might having an issue with is that much flow with a sand bed in that shallow of a tank. You could also go with a Deep Blue Rimless 80 frag with a little more depth if you want but it has a built in corner overflow which turned me off of it for my next build (Shallow as well). Also waterbox has a frag line up although much more expensive than either of those options they are nice. Can't wait to follow along for your build.

Thank you!

Yes, the corner overflows are a turn off for me. I'm not a big fan of them. Much prefer a drilled overflow. I would go with the Deep Blue but those are way more expensive. At that price point, I'd start looking at a larger used tank. Trying to keep this a somewhat budget build but without cutting huge corners.