Zero Edge

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KidNano

New Member
Has anyone seen these before?

http://www.zeroedgeaquarium.com/

At first glance I thought it was just another gimmicky way to make a buck but when you watch the video it really is impressive how flat and smooth the water serface is... And it provides a whole new way to view your tank with virtually no area you can't see. It would be a challenge keeping snails in one and a lot more surface area to scrub algae off.

Well just wanted to share because I thought it was interesting.
 
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Trogdor

New Member
I'm not sure that I like the smooth surface. Surface disruption promotes oxygenation of the water. Makes you wonder how long their tanks have been setup.

Edit: ok i watched the video a bit and think i understand how they are doing it. basically they just overflow the display tank into a trough that runs the perimeter then pump the water back in through the middle. seems simple enough but i would hate to scrub that thing and keep it looking nice
 
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reefman23

New Member
Actually the glass isnt much harder to clean than a normal tank. The toughest part is to get the top even across all four sides. Very cool tanks IMO.

Jesse
 
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Trogdor

New Member
i would be more worried about it scratching and loosing the luster of the crystal clearness of the display. I think that's part of why it looks so great is that it is so clear and smooth.
 
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KidNano

New Member
I agree, they are very cool tanks. A lot of our homes have zero edge and they do it by the ocean when ever they can at Hotels and what not so it looks as though the pool is a part of the ocean. Never thought about the advantages with an aquarium.

sorry guys the quote button isn't working for me right now.

Jesse, I don't think the glass is harder to keep clean, there is just a lot more of it. A lot more. I'm sure the guys selling the tanks usually offer to set it up and make sure everything is level. I had that problem in my sump. one of the baffles is a little higher on one end so the flow is uneven. Didn't even think about that when I put it together.

Troggy (trogdor), I totally agree about the concerns with scratching. that would be a total bummer.

It's definitely not a tank you'd want to have with kids around.
 
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The Kapenta Kid

New Member
You may recall that several weeks ago I wrote about a flat shallow tank that I had seen in an LFS which looked superb. I promised to send some pics, but I have not been back to that out of town store since. It may be well one of these. OTOH I seem to recall that it had a wavemaker box in one corner so maybe it is a modification of the same principle.
I'll have to get back out there with a camera,
 
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KidNano

New Member
No offense to the quality of your craftsmanship, but their tanks are a little cleaner looking. Also they have the zero edge feature around the entire tank which requires quite a bit more work as they would have to build the stand and sell it with the tank with out an option. Did you watch the video?

That is a beautiful tank that you've built though. :)
 
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johnanddawn

New Member
their "craftmanship" is a LOT better no doubt............
this tank was actually just a test build (ie me playing around) for the tank i was going to build after i had the bugs worked out. I always wanted to build a shallow square tank similar to a design that i had seen many years ago at a pet store that the guy had built himself. the real tank would have been drilled and plumbed to a sump with a surge return (imagine a toilet flushing once every ten minutes). i currently have no plans of building that tank however due to time, money and the fact that my test model works great as a frag tank.

no i did not watch the video but i had actually looked at those tanks several months ago after i saw some pics of a couple pics of "japenese style" tanks - they are awesome looking designs - but after seeing the pricetag i blocked the site from my computer ;)
think about it this way 1700$ for a 30gal tank??? 2700$ for the 55g? not on a school teachers budget!
you could buy and possibly equip a 120, 125, or maybe even a 180 for that kind of money JMO :) they are sweet just ridiculously overpriced
 
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Trogdor

New Member
i know that acrylic at those sizes isn't cheap, especially if they are having someone else bend it and form it. The last place that I worked at use 4' x 8' sheets of Lexan (smoked polycarbonate or plexiglass) and it was hellishly expensive. I'm willing to bet that material alone is over 25%-30% of the cost.
 
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mikeguerrero

Active Member
The biggest problem with the Zero-edge tank is EVAPORTATION; it was a big problem when they originally launched their first tank and still is a problem in my opinion.

I evaporate 3 gallons of water in almost 3 weeks; and I have a 90 gallon. They evaporate 1 gallon I believe in 2 days.

MG
 
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Trogdor

New Member
a gallon a day is average for most tanks. If I run my fan, my tank will evap about 1.5-2 gallons per day (that's on a 29g tank).
 
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reefman23

New Member
But as a result of the high rate of evap they get better gas exchange and cooler temps... evap is nothing an ATO cant fix! :D

Jesse
 
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KidNano

New Member
I can see your point about the evap being a larger issue for them however hardly big enough to discourage someone from getting the tank.
 
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mikeguerrero

Active Member
If you have the money, what will discourage you? Just about anything goes when you have the money.

However, any true reefers will take a look at the long hual before dumping his hard earn cash into something that hasn't been out on the market long enough.

I think they look nice, however, I'd still prefer a traditional 120 gallon reef with the works rather than the zero edge, just my two cents.

Over the edge looks like it's a hit soon become a one hit wonder from the 80's.

MG
 
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