Which 60cm tank to pick?

[jsiegmund]

I'm looking for a new 60cm tank, part of a living room make over. The cabinet on which the tank will be placed is 60cm wide and 40cm deep, it'll be positioned against the wall.

First stop were the ADA tanks, which brings me to the 60 models, with 60P being the default go-to model I guess. I can remember reading some background on the exact dimensions of this tank, but I can't exactly recall where I've read that; if someone knows than please help me out.

So 60P is nice, but it's 30cm deep which leaves 10cm of cabinet space unused, hmmm. I like depth to work with in a tank, so I could go up to 40cm deep (I found a 60x40x40 opti white tank). But with 40 cm there won't be a lot of space left between the tank and the wall. It's also quite a bit of water volume added, so might need a more powerfull filter and a bit more maintenance work.

So basically I'm in doubt now on what to do. I found that beta acuarios which is sometimes promoted by Filipe Oliveira has an optiwhite tank measuring 60x35x35 which would be a nice in-between, but as far as I can find there's no dealers in The Netherlands (anyone?). And lastly I could go custom of course, but I have a hard time justifying the extra money for myself. Gluing a tank myself is a bridge too far for me (and the wife 😉).

Any opinions, even if they bring more doubt, are more than welcome. But I'm especially looking for experience on the 60P tanks and the available space. I'm coming from a 55L Dennerle scapers tank which is smaller but even that has more depth (36cm).

 

[alto]

I have a 60P and more recently a UNS 60U (60cm x 36cm x 36cm)
While the 60P is on a perfectly fit cabinet, the 60U is on a 60 x 36 x 40cm (I’d ordered the correct dimensions but after 8 months delay, chose to compromise; as long as you’re not planning on a side view, the extra 4cm isn’t really noticeable)


I like both ... coming from a 60cm x 45 x 55 (tall) I didn’t expect to like the 60P as much as I do 🙂
(These dimensions were chosen by Takashi Amano as fitting perfectly the “golden rule” - I was sceptical but it really is all that 🙂 )
ADA vs UNS Glass is comparable clarity - I’ve a couple other branded “optiwhite” glass tanks that are decidedly less clear (despite being advertised as comparable glass and similarly priced - and the silicon work is no where near as good)

I don’t think there’s much difference between maintenance on the 60P vs 60U, I run my tanks with (actual) filter flow 2-4X tank volume without issue so don’t get too focused on filtration - if you want to go with a very dominant hardscape based scape, then flow becomes much more challenging and needs special consideration

(Note I believe UNS is seriously looking at expanding into the EU market)

I wouldn’t go custom for a basic tank size such as what you’re describing

 

[alto]

which leaves 10cm of cabinet space unused

I placed my 60P on the 60 x 40 cabinet but wasn’t keen on the amount of empty back space - when doing this, look at the build/design of the cabinet, make sure that the top board is sufficient to “carry” the load and distribute it to the edges (which is where most aquarium cabinets “expect” tanks to sit, and place supports)

 

[jsiegmund]

Yeah the amount of empty back space is the same thing that was hindering me as well. I made a cardboard mock-up tank to get an idea and it just doesn't look right. I'm not too worried about the cabinet itself btw. It's Ikea but the top and buttom is pretty sturdy and thicker than usual (besta series). The sides are not but I was already planning on placing some additional wood struts inside of the cabinet for a bit of extra stability. It's also enclosed left and right so the traditional weak point with these cabinets where they collapse sideways is not going to be an issue.

In the meantime with some more googling I found a supplier of the beta tank in Holland, so that's an interesting option right now. But I still need to find someone who can review the tank (glass) quality for me, compared with ADA.