unique bar lighting

My girlfriend has me on the thinking spree again. She wants to make her new 5ft 180g tank into a bar.we are making an acrylic top that will double as the bar top.my problem is she wants a reef tank.I'm thinking of using 60 10w crees along the front rim of the tank.

The tank is a tenecor 60x24x29 acrylic tank.it will be visible from the top,front and 1 side....I thought of lighting from the cealing but that doesn't support the lighting of a bar lol...any other ideas?

 

What if You could only see through part of the tank from the bar top and you hid the lighting in the part you can't see? Hope that makes sense.

 

Yeah, make a canopy that is structurally sound enough for a bar top. That way you could have a chic of lighting options. If you still want to see down into the tank you could cut a piece out of the canopy and insert some glass. I think acrylic would scratch way too easily. You could then use 3-4 of these: Panorama Retrofits - Aquarium LED Lights to light it through the bar top which would allow for air evacuation and heat evacuation from the LEDs.

 

i was thinking the same about the acrylic. +1 on the panoramas.

 

What about the condensation that's gunna build up on the acrylic? Imo you won't be able to see through it and it will look pretty dirty from the top view.

 

This is correct, most likely the top of the water will be agitated for circulation so you wouldnt be able to see down clearly anyways.Side viewing would be best.

Im not sure how you have it setup. But for safety reasons i.e. if your tank is glass i would not personally make the top a surface you would rest anything on ever. Like a bar. If acrylic then that is designed for this kind of use. I would make a solid canopy piece that you could put a bar slab on or something. The desired effect you are looking for for top down viewing as well i feel wont be possible because of the water circulation needed for marine tanks, especially a reef tank.

 

You could use the tank as the backsplash for the bar. Instead of as the bar.

 

unless he supported the bar top from separated sides, and not the tank, it would be fine. sounds like a real cool idea. What about fake coral inserts so you don't have to worry about extreme lighting under the bartop, and maybe do underwater lights.

 

+1,000

 

All good questions and I have answers

Condensation; we are puttong a small gap between the tank and the bar top and using small computer fans like a wind tunnel.I have tons laying around from my old robotics days so the cost is minimal.

Top viewing;viewing the reef from the top at full current would suck lol.how ever I have cleverly devised a switch behind the bar to cut the flow in half to power heads lower in the tank,not ideal top viewing but should be fairly decent.in adition the bar stools have switches in them so if someone sits on it the flow is cut down aswell.

Behind bar tank; just not an option were limited because its in a basement with lower then normal cealing and a cement wall behind the bar.

Covering the top of the tank is very possible on my end...convincing her is another story lol.I think doing the lighting is less of a challenge then convincing her lol.

The bar top is supported by a frame work/wall ect ...the tank is only holding its own weight and possibly the lighting.

Unfortunately fake coral is what she has now and she hates it lol .she wants the real deal.no sps though only softies and afew lps.

This is all very easy.from HER end lol not that I'm complaining she is upgrading to a good size tank .