1/2 circle aquariums

[sharkboy]

Anyone out there have any experience with these aquariums. I am looking into possibly getting a 144 gallon. Pros/cons?

[blueboy]

stand/canopy will be a little tricky, also lighting that shape efficiently might give you some trouble

[MissT]

Yeah, lighting will definately be your biggest issue, but as long as you get good reflectors, you should have that part covered. I have a friend in Houston that has installed a few 1/2's and full cylinder tanks, and from looking at progressive photos of the systems, they look to be fairly successful as long as you keep up with the maintenance (but that's any tank), so it's something that is definately "do-able", with a BIG budget!

[aprilmayjune]

Don't get me wrong, they are gorgeous tanks. If you were wanting to get a half circle, I would suggest the smaller size, I think a 70-something gallon? But the 144's are more of a hassle than anything else, especially for saltwater if you are needing to put a lot of larger pieces of rock inside, upgrade lighting, reach inside, etc. The tanks are very tall and I couldn't touch the bottom even when standing on a step ladder and was up to my shoulder in water. There are 4 small access openings on the top- the 2 on the sides are so small I don't even know why they are there, I think they might be 12"x 4", and the middle ones are about 24"x 12". Considering you have these small openings on top and the majority of the rest is plastic, you would be wasting a lot of light if you put anything nice on top, unless you somehow managed to position them perfectly above the openings. Not to mention they are pretty pricey.

That is my experience with the Oceanics, maybe another brand would have a tank with easier access.

[sharkboy]

aprilmayjune: you mentioned the 4 sml openings. Are these part of the tank or the canopy? Are they removable? Reason being I was planning on not using the canopy and have lighting hanging from the ceiling

[captexas]

I say if you like the look of the tank and you can see in your mind how you want it to look and set it up, then go for it. It will be your tank so it needs to make you happy. Only issue I would think about is the height as mentioned. You didn't list dimensions so I don't know how tall this tank is. Get a measuring tape and kind of mark out how tall and how deep from front to back the tank is in the middle and see how well you can reach that area. Of course many people have tanks they can't reach every area, that's what they make those big tongs/grabbers for. Again, if you like the look of the tank and can afford it, go for it.

[seamonkey2]

Go to FA and check out theirs Felipe only has one light over it

Jose

[aprilmayjune]

They have those openings on the actual tank and the plastic canopy. I'm an impatient person and I'm very short, thus short arms so I couldn't stand messing with the tank. And I only had freshwater in it. I guess if you had longer arms and more patients you could do it fine. I mean once you set it up its not like you are going to be messing with the arrangement anyways. Also, the tank I took care of was one of the first ones they came out with. Maybe they changed the design of the top since then.

Definitely check a couple out. I know Polly's in UC has a couple and I didn't know Felipe had one but I would see how he has his lights set up.

[caferacermike]

The only thing I have against them is they seriously distort the view. It's funny to watch a fish swim toward you and it's tiny, then BAM! it's body suddenly gets huge.

[captexas]

Yeah, the curve of the glass does distort a little. I remember the 1/4 round/corner tanks were very popular for awhile and that's one thing I always noticed with them.

[sharkboy]

Thanks for all the input....I'm not too crazy about the depth either. My current 215 tank is also 29 inches deep. Very problematic to say the least for me especially since I only have access from the back (in wall setup). I will be breaking down the 215 and going to replace it with something else (not sure yet). I will have around 58" lengthwise to place a new tank. I was considering the 1/2 circle since there would be more viewing area. The tank will be placed in a niche but I will have access from both sides. Any suggestions?

[erikharrison]

Is it a niche like this?
http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x315/erikharrison/Fish/FTS.jpg

That's my tank, I have access to the rear via the stand. Yeah, I do have to crawl through, but I have my fuge running through the back so I can still get through and have a 29g under it. I previously had a 30g under it. I like the look of having it flush with the wall, but to echo what Chris said, it is going to be your tank, and yours alone, so you need to be happy with it!

[sharkboy]

Erik: Yes it is very similar. Presently, it is has a countertop with a sink but I plan on taking it out. Probably will leave the sink. Great place for ro/di unit. The niche backs into my garage so I plan on placing a door for rear access. I will try to post some pictures in a bit.

[sharkboy]

Here is a picture of one of the 215 which I will convert to the new tank. The niche is around 56 inches wide.

[C.Mydas]

I would find someone who has one and go stare at it for awhile. They are gorgeous, but they distort the view. For me the distortion goes one step further and I get headaches and a feeling of motion sickness if I look at them for more than a couple minutes. Brian will get a headache too but he can stare at them a lot longer than I can before it sets in.
-christina

[sharkboy]

I am trying to post some pictures from my photobucket account but how do I do it?

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h93/sharkchum/DSC00408.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h93/sharkchum/DSC00407.jpg

[sharkboy]

So, any suggestions on how to go about putting a tank in the niche? Do I need to have room on the sides or can I place the tunze powerheads on the back corners?

[hobogato]

if that wall backs up to the garage, why not use the entire space, side to side and front to back - kind of like a cube tank but not as tall. this will lend itself to some awesome aquascaping.

[sharkboy]

The space is 58" wide by 64" deep. This would be one heck of a cube. At 25 inches tall, this would be like 400 gallons. Not to mention, the viewing area would be limited.

[hobogato]

sounds like a dream tank to me :wink_smile:

[sharkboy]

Any suggestions on feasible tank dimensions without a center brace? The niche is actually 59" across. How deep and tall should it be? I want to have as much viewable area as possible...

[sharkboy]

Does starphire glass have any drawbacks? other than cost?

[hobogato]

i would talk to the people that made brian's (greenmako) tank. maybe send brian a pm to see if he has contact info.