Building custom tall tank

[ilaizm]

Hi,

I was considering building a tank which is 32-34 inches high. Will that be a nightmare to maintain since you won't be able to reach the bottom easily? It would be a low light tank.

What do you all think?

[treemanone2003]

Since all the uneaten food and waste will wind up there, I would think so. I get wet elbow syndrome quite often but I never wear my dive gear. I believe the topic of tank depth vs length/width has been covered previously and horizontal movement is the better choice for discus. UI'm also pre-coffee and don't remember what the general consensus was.

[Elliots]

If you place the tank in a corner it is a real pain to get to the bottom of the rear of the tank. I bought 25" high and I would not go much higher. I considered 31" height but I was talked out of it.

[Tictok]

I have a 24x24" cube tank and its not too bad, but I do need a step ladder to do wipe downs. The siphoning is fine with the python on the bottom. It makes for a very dramatic looking setup, but for me I wouldn't go any deeper because it leaves so little surface area.

[paulW]

I have a 30" deep African Cichlid tank.
It's hard to touch the bottom (like positioning/removing rocks).
I have it on a low stand (only 24" high), which really helps.
Still need to stand on a chair, and get armpit deep to move stuff around on the bottom.

That said.. Routine tasks like Gravel cleanings is not bad at all.
I'm glad I made it that high (although I am not sure I'd want it any higher).

When you change the height of an aquarium from 24" to 30", it does get more expensive.
Usually a 24" high tank can use 1/2" acrylic. For 30" high, it requires 3/4" acrylic. (I had a 30" high 1/2" thick acrylic tank that eventually cracked do to overstress).
Not sure what glass is, but I'm guessing thicker glass might be needed.

Now if you want to get your hand in there every day and wipe down the inside of the glass with a paper towel like some people do here.. yea, that would be a huge pain.
I would base my decision on whether I deemed that as a necessary daily task or not.

[zachrabbit15]

I have a 178g that is 36" deep acrylic. Its a pain already just setting in the garage. Reaching the bottom is a nightmare just dropping a bulkhead nut in it!.
24" is the tallest I would go, just to make maintenance manageable.