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| One of the very first big tanks we built. Early 1990's. |
Height Matters
A question we are often asked is why two aquariums with the same gallons have different costs. It is almost always because of the aquarium height, not just the number of gallons. You will notice the best "value by the gallon" height is around 24 to 30 inches.
Taller aquariums have greater water pressure and require thicker, costlier acrylic. For example, our tallest standard aquariums are sixty inches tall and are fabricated from very expensive two inch plus thick acrylic.
Large, thick acrylic is difficult to fabricate, especially to our standards. A sheet of two inch acrylic, ten feet long and five feet wide weighs approximately 600 pounds. As the pieces are joined together, the finished aquarium eventually will weigh more than 2,500 pounds. With water, some of our larger aquariums can weigh more than 20,000 pounds.
Help Me Move This
Specialized equipment is necessary to move large aquariums. We use cranes, forklifts and transfer galleys. Even the crating for safe shipping is sometimes a multi-day effort.
Design Matters
We like building big aquariums and we are very good at it. But we always advise our clients all the reasons why they should consider a smaller tank. Properly designed smaller tanks of less than 1,000 gallons can be a very good alternative.