Hutch Bottom

Lighting, filtration etc
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jcali10
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Hutch Bottom

Post by jcali10 »

I bought this hutch bottom a couple of weeks ago, the price was right and I really like it a lot. I want to use it as an tank stand. The drawbacks are its dimensions; it measures 62 inches long by 15 3/8 inches wide. I'm thinking about reinforcing it a little and covering the top of it.

My first thought was to put a 55 gallon tank on in. This is the least expensive option. but I've found a couple of websites selling acrylic tanks, that are 48" x 15", but I'm not too crazy about getting an acrylic tank as I have never owned one. But having a tank that better fits the width and or length of this hutch would be desireable.

What do you think?

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Joe
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maddog10
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Post by maddog10 »

They make 5' (60") tanks. You may be able to find a 60 gallon tank 60x15x18. The 5 footers are harder to come by but it would look great on that hutch.
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jcali10
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Post by jcali10 »

I would be more than pleased to find a glass tank 60x15x18. I emailed glasscages.com to see what they can do.
Joe
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ddavila06
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Post by ddavila06 »

i have a 5 feet tank that i bought from craigslist, you should place an ad as "wanted tank", the one i have is 24 inches tall...would look nice with oak finish trim, rustic, unless you plan to die that one 8)
Damian Davila
"Fishes-up, chill, Plants too"
"so many plants, so little space!"
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chris_todd
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Post by chris_todd »

If you don't want a single large tank, there are a couple of smaller sized tanks that are 30" long, e.g. a 20 gallon long or a 29 gallon. Two of those side by side might be nice, and fairly cheap.

Chris
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jcali10
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Post by jcali10 »

Two 30" tanks would work, but I would really rather have one large tank. I placed an ad on craigslist, no luck yet. I also got an estimate from glasscages.com, they want $350 for a 62 x 15 x 23 tank. May see how much it is for a 21 or 22 inch tall one.
Joe
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Aaron
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Post by Aaron »

I strongly recommend not dealing with glasscages.com. I've read too many horror stories about their build quality and customer service, or lack thereof.
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jcali10
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Post by jcali10 »

Thanks Aaron, I am holding off on ordering from glasscages.com. Their price and their workmanship are giving me cold feet.
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JMLenke
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Post by JMLenke »

Aaron wrote:I strongly recommend not dealing with glasscages.com. I've read too many horror stories about their build quality and customer service, or lack thereof.
I have had a BUNCH of people come into the store lamenting their purchase from Glasscages.

A few have even bought new silicon to try to fix the build quality
The other Jeff

Master of growing algae and getting better at plants
kerokero
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Post by kerokero »

Sorry if this ends up being a double post, my internet blipped and I lost the post I wrote :(

I can add my personal experience to glasscages.com, very disapointing. The tanks I got from them were amphibian/reptile tanks - not fish - but if that was how they build their tanks then I fear for the fish tanks. In addition to price and workmanship, I also have to add that there is an obvious lack of engineering with their designs. I get my custom tanks from a friend in LA who really knows what he's doing (gorgeous tanks), but likely someone on here knows a more local aquatic tank builder.

I'm not a fan of acrylic (they scratch so easily for me) and while I'll admit that there are certain applications that acrylic would likely be better than glass, at that size I think glass would be the way to go, and cheaper. A big benefit with acrylic is that it's lighter, but even with acrylic your tank will be heavy enough just with the water that you'll still need to do some serious work to make sure the hutch table can support it!
Best, Corey
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