Custom tank to fit around where a person sits?

1131 Views 14 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Hoppy, Jan 28, 2007

Ankit

Discussion Starter · Jan 28, 2007

I've made a simple image of my room in Paint and want some advice on it. I'm looking to setup a tank that goes all the way around on 3 sides of my desk.

From top to bottom, left to right:
Subwoofer
Speakers & Amplification
Doorway
Blue = Tank
Desk
Chair
Bed
Doorway

I'm not necessarily looking for this to be a very tall tank or have a lot of depth, but going all the way around would be nice. I would also be making little islands with some bonsai trees on each side. Their soil would be isolated from the water, so no worries there.

I know that anything can be completed as long as you waive that checkbook around, but that's not something I can do as easily as others, however I do love my hobbies and will find a way to do what I want to do.

I have 2 questions:
1. Any visible issues with a setup like this?
2. Where do I get such a tank made? I've seen people mention that they bought rimless tanks from people in their area that made them, how do I find people like this? Should I practice on a smaller nano tank first and attempt to make my own?

Dimensions? I'm going to think about this a bit more and make another post.

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DiabloCanine

· #2 · Jan 28, 2007

Where are you putting the TV? What part of IN are you in?.....DC

Ankit

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 28, 2007

DiabloCanine said:
Where are you putting the TV? What part of IN are you in?.....DC

I may not use one... I have a 50" Mitsubishi rear projection CRT right now that I'm repairing and so it hasn't been working the past month or so, kept aside in the next room.

Assuming I do keep the TV once I fix it, how can I still see it with a tank on those 3 sides? I want the tank to be at the level of my desk, which blocks my view of the TV, which would be directly in front where my input sources, amp, etc. are located.

Edit: I'm in the Indianapolis area myself, you here in Indy too?

Fish'InMN

· #4 · Jan 28, 2007

You have a lot of options, obviously, but I think you would get a lot more ideas if you started a nano separate of this idea. This would help you figure out what works and what doesn't work for you and your taste/style.

But you want ideas NOW, and we're all always dreaming, so I'll indulge! I would use acrylic personally, but I know acrylic is going up in price these days, so glass may be cheaper. I wouldn't DIY, definitely have it professionally built for peace of mind (think warranty/insurance) and quality assurance. You may want to experiment with cutting, bending and gluing both acrylic and glass to get an idea of why DIY may be more difficult. I would also not bother with a rimless, open-top tank but rather a very short canopy, using T5s preferably. Filtration/water movement would have to be addressed, do you want it visible, will you have a sump or wet/dry, etc.

Anyways, I threw this together in about 20 minutes, just to give you some ideas. I didn't try adding any lighting, that will be another issue altogether (if you want rimless-open-top, good luck!). Render. All the textures are exaggerated, but you get the idea.

Cheers,
Marty

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DiabloCanine

· #5 · Jan 28, 2007

Ankit said:
I may not use one... I have a 50" Mitsubishi rear projection CRT right now that I'm repairing and so it hasn't been working the past month or so, kept aside in the next room.

Assuming I do keep the TV once I fix it, how can I still see it with a tank on those 3 sides? I want the tank to be at the level of my desk, which blocks my view of the TV, which would be directly in front where my input sources, amp, etc. are located.

Edit: I'm in the Indianapolis area myself, you here in Indy too?

Seems to me if you figure out a way to cram a TV and fridge in there would be no reason to leave the room, cept the bathroom and restock.

I'm in greenwood, thinking we have enough folks in the area to start a planted tank club....DC

DiabloCanine

· #6 · Jan 28, 2007

Fish'InMN said:
You have a lot of options, obviously, but I think you would get a lot more ideas if you started a nano separate of this idea. This would help you figure out what works and what doesn't work for you and your taste/style.

But you want ideas NOW, and we're all always dreaming, so I'll indulge! I would use acrylic personally, but I know acrylic is going up in price these days, so glass may be cheaper. I wouldn't DIY, definitely have it professionally built for peace of mind (think warranty/insurance) and quality assurance. You may want to experiment with cutting, bending and gluing both acrylic and glass to get an idea of why DIY may be more difficult. I would also not bother with a rimless, open-top tank but rather a very short canopy, using T5s preferably. Filtration/water movement would have to be addressed, do you want it visible, will you have a sump or wet/dry, etc.

Anyways, I threw this together in about 20 minutes, just to give you some ideas. I didn't try adding any lighting, that will be another issue altogether (if you want rimless-open-top, good luck!). Render. All the textures are exaggerated, but you get the idea.

Cheers,
Marty

You did a very nice job drawing that.....DC

Ankit

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jan 28, 2007

Marty - first thing before I reply to any of what you said is that I need to thank you for your very kind reply, you hit every nail on the head.

You have a lot of options, obviously, but I think you would get a lot more ideas if you started a nano separate of this idea. This would help you figure out what works and what doesn't work for you and your taste/style.

Fully agreed, I plan to spend some time creating a nano so I can figure out where I'd like to take this, especially when I mentioned something like the idea of having bonsai trees in a little island of some sort.

But you want ideas NOW, and we're all always dreaming, so I'll indulge! I would use acrylic personally, but I know acrylic is going up in price these days, so glass may be cheaper. I wouldn't DIY, definitely have it professionally built for peace of mind (think warranty/insurance) and quality assurance. You may want to experiment with cutting, bending and gluing both acrylic and glass to get an idea of why DIY may be more difficult. I would also not bother with a rimless, open-top tank but rather a very short canopy, using T5s preferably. Filtration/water movement would have to be addressed, do you want it visible, will you have a sump or wet/dry, etc.

Ok, no issues with not going DIY. I figured glass would be more expensive, but if not or if it's close to acrylic, then I'll go for glass. Finding proper materials has been a concern of mine and the main reason I haven't jumped into building a small 2-3 gallon nano yet.

My concern will be filtering all areas of this tank and not just a single rectangle. I'm willing to go any route with this - my goal will be for as much of the components as possible to be hidden in the cabinet I build underneath it. A sump is a definite possibly, or a cannister filter of some sort.

Anyways, I threw this together in about 20 minutes, just to give you some ideas. I didn't try adding any lighting, that will be another issue altogether (if you want rimless-open-top, good luck!). Render. All the textures are exaggerated, but you get the idea.

Wow, what program did you use for that? Any chance I could get the file for it? I've got a friend who does some of this and he might be able to work with me on using it a bit more in detail for planning.

This idea was started with my thoughts of eventually having a tank that went around all the walls except the door in my room where I work and listen to music in. This would be a large tank of 500 or more gallons wrapped around the walls. The idea is that wherever you look, you see a beautiful aquarium.

I'm not sure I like the idea of having a tank in a room where you don't spend much time, I feel it should be something you can see as much as possible - it fits into the person's lifestyle.

Anyway, being a college student, that idea isn't as feasible and so this is the next best thing IMO.

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Ankit

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 28, 2007

DiabloCanine said:
Seems to me if you figure out a way to cram a TV and fridge in there would be no reason to leave the room, cept the bathroom and restock.

I'm in greenwood, thinking we have enough folks in the area to start a planted tank club....DC

Hehe, this is my room at home I use when I'm home from school (most weekends and all my breaks). Many times my family won't even know I'm home until they hear the subwoofer going

Have you been to the Circle City Aquarium Club's meetings at all? I haven't been to any, but would like to meet a few of the people here locally to kind of form a little network of folks. If you ever want to meet up with others around here, I'm sure we could get something together.

Storm_Rider

· #9 · Jan 28, 2007

i can't be sure of what he used but if you want a free simple 3d drawing/rendering program you can use google's sketchup

might seem complicated at first but after 5 mins it all makes sense

an easier way aorund this might be to just get 3 tanks. probably a 55long and two 29's or something. this way you can have 3 different types

DiabloCanine

· #10 · Jan 28, 2007

Ankit said:
Hehe, this is my room at home I use when I'm home from school (most weekends and all my breaks). Many times my family won't even know I'm home until they hear the subwoofer going

Have you been to the Circle City Aquarium Club's meetings at all? I haven't been to any, but would like to meet a few of the people here locally to kind of form a little network of folks. If you ever want to meet up with others around here, I'm sure we could get something together.

Yea, I'm a member of CCAC, do not attend many meetings though I work nights. Only a few members have ventured down this way to get the free stuff, I have lots of tanks full of plants that are always free to locals. I will probably be at the next meeting, Ted Judy (index) will be speaking and I need to hook up with him for a fish/plant trade if he cannot make it to my house. If you need anything, ask before you buy, my garage is full of stuff not being used. You need to venture down here to meet RMC, yoink, davrkw, & flash69x.......DC

Fish'InMN

· #11 · Jan 28, 2007

The program I used is called Rhinocerous 3D, but I've also used SketchUp. I prefer Rhino just because I've had a lot more time to master it and it has a ton of features that SketchUp doesn't (like writing your own scripts, advanced textures, lighting, etc). I can send you the file, it is a .3dm; please PM me with an email address.

I'd say stick with planning your nano for now. You may want to build a couple actually, maybe one of glass and one of acrylic, just to get an idea of whats involved.

Marty

crazie.eddie

· #12 · Jan 28, 2007

Cool idea, having a C shaped tank. Depending on the size of the tank, I would be concerned with supporting the walls of the tank. The best method would probably be acrylic. Or maybe go to Glasscages.com - Home / News and ask them if they could do it.

Ankit

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 28, 2007

Thanks for that link, I'll send them an email today. They have an Indianapolis delivery on March 4th, seems like perfect timing if the next 4 weeks are enough to get this through the entire process.

spypet

· #14 · Jan 28, 2007

Ankit; you may want to talk to friends and family what they think of this idea. having a tank go the length of your desk is interesting,
but having it surround your desk surface the way you are proposing, is just plain nuts

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Hoppy

· #15 · Jan 28, 2007

The problems I see are all related to the length and the angles of the tank. You need water circulation in any tank, and getting that gets harder and harder as the tank gets longer, but throw in the right angles, and it gets even harder faster. Lighting the tank uniformly will be difficult too. Then, there is the maintenance - cleaning the tank will generally splash some water around, no matter how careful you are, so your desk will always be threatened with a flood.

The good part is that you could have fish that just don't like company without them always fighting over territory. You could have low light areas and high light areas. And, of course, the tank would be lots of fun to watch. So, I vote that you go ahead with it!

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