Stand Height

[JCM]

How tall does everyone prefer their stands? I'm about to start building one for our new tank. We taped it off on the wall and feel 42" looks best in the room and for viewing. This is taller than most I see, am I overlooking any downsides? Obviously reaching the bottom/cleaning will be more difficult but I'll need a step stool either way.

 

[ZoWhat]

Standard for a stand-alone stand is 30"

I prefer 36" light-years ahead of 30"

 

[Dunc]

How tall does everyone prefer their stands? I'm about to start building one for our new tank. We taped it off on the wall and feel 42" looks best in the room and for viewing. This is taller than most I see, am I overlooking any downsides? Obviously reaching the bottom/cleaning will be more difficult but I'll need a step stool either way.

That’s pretty high. My stand is 36”.

 

[JCM]

36" was my initial thought, but when we taped it off on the wall it looked so low.

 

[Dunc]

36" was my initial thought, but when we taped it off on the wall it looked so low.

 

[Dunc]

You won’t be sorry with 36”. How tall is your tank?

 

[JCM]

You won’t be sorry with 36”. How tall is your tank?

21 inches tall

 

[Dunc]

Mine is 24” and I wouldn’t want it any higher, but I’m only 5’-8” tall. If you’re a 6 footer higher would probably be okay.

 

[Terry Le]

My is 36" but depend on the location and where you mostly view the tank. How tall is the wall in the back of the tank? Maintainance is total different ball park. Its all about the proportion of your room if you want it to look good

 

[maska]

I prefer 24" and my tank is 24" tall. Perfect to be able to work on the inside. I had a 210gallon once that was too tall and I needed a latter for everything.

 

[Dom]

How tall does everyone prefer their stands? I'm about to start building one for our new tank. We taped it off on the wall and feel 42" looks best in the room and for viewing. This is taller than most I see, am I overlooking any downsides? Obviously reaching the bottom/cleaning will be more difficult but I'll need a step stool either way.

Does your system include a sump? If it does, the taller you make your stand the more powerful your return pump needs to be.

So, if you already have a return pump, you should take the specs of that pump into consideration.

If you haven't purchased your return pump yet, then just be sure your return pump will perform to your expectations with the added stand height.

 

[Terry Le]

I prefer 24" and my tank is 24" tall. Perfect to be able to work on the inside. I had a 210gallon once that was was to talk and I needed a latter for everything.

I agree that it is easy to work. But does your back hurt bending down to view the tank?

 

[maska]

I agree that it is easy to work. But does your back hurt bending down to view the tank?

Not as bad as washing dishes. Lol

 

[Totlxtc]

I build mine by where the tank is placed. Next to sofa or chair i got 30"/32". Along a wall in the open the normal 36" and my freshwater is 42" since its between the wall and my counter height kitchen table.

 

[JCM]

Thanks for the input everyone. The wall is 9.5' tall. Yes, there is a sump and the return pump hasn't been purchased yet. I'll keep that in mind, good call.

 

[Terry Le]

Does your system include a sump? If it does, the taller you make your stand the more powerful your return pump needs to be.

So, if you already have a return pump, you should take the specs of that pump into consideration.

If you haven't purchased your return pump yet, then just be sure your return pump will perform to your expectations with the added stand height.

Do you really think 6" more will make that big different? A lot of people pump from their basement

 

[Dom]

Do you really think 6" more will make that big different? A lot of people pump from their basement

Yes. The greater the head hight, the less the flow. And they have a pump capable of pumping from their basement.

If this tank is going to be a successful, thriving tank, there are many important factors. And flow is one of them. It isn't enough to circulate water, the tank volume needs to turn over several times per hour.

We calculate that by the GPH rating provided by the manufacturer at the given head hight.

So as an example, a 1500 gallon tank with a return pump rated at 1000 GPH would have a complete turn over of 1.5 times per hour.

My Danner pump has a 50 GPH difference between 6 and 7 feet. So where my pump is concerned, 6 inches equals a reduction of 25 GPH.

In my view, a 25 GPH reduction is a big difference.

 

[JCM]

Yes. The greater the head hight, the less the flow. And they have a pump capable of pumping from their basement.

If this tank is going to be a successful, thriving tank, there are many important factors. And flow is one of them. It isn't enough to circulate water, the tank volume needs to turn over several times per hour.

We calculate that by the GPH rating provided by the manufacturer at the given head hight.

So as an example, a 1500 gallon tank with a return pump rated at 1000 GPH would have a complete turn over of 1.5 times per hour.

My Danner pump has a 50 GPH difference between 6 and 7 feet. So where my pump is concerned, 6 inches equals a reduction of 25 GPH

I dont think your math is right there. I do agree with your point though. Regardless of stand height or return pump choice, I will have 3-5x turnover through the sump per hour. And even 6" of extra head loss can make a big difference.

 

[Paranoiattack91]

How long is your tank? In my opinion shorter tanks (under 4ft) look funny on tall stands.. it looks like more stand than tank..

My 120gl (48in long) was on a 36in high stand and that was about as high as i would go. My 180gl (72in long) is on a 40 in stand.

 

[IKD]

I have a 42” stand and two Varios pumps and have no problem at all with flow on the return. This is a great height for viewing as you suspect.