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Blue Tang Clan
06/17/2018, 08:59 AM
Hi gang, this is my journey toward a new tank build which is part of a new house build. I expect to have keys to the house by May 2019, and I hope to have water in the tank a month later.

Display dimensions: 120x34x28
120" long is because I want to have Tangs that prefer long distance open water, like Hippos and Powder Blues
34" wide will fit through a 36" door
28" deep allows me reach the bottom without a snorkel. I am 6'4 and have long arms, but my 25" tall 90 gallon is already a challenge to get things in the back/bottom.

Display Style:
The tank will be similar to an in-wall tank, but instead of being flush up against a contiguous wall, the "wall" will be wrapped around the tank. It's a little more work, but if you're starting from scratch... So, in-wall, but with a 34" protrusion into the room. Normally, you would only get the long view from being behind the wall, but I want everyone to be able to look through 10 feet of reef action!

Aquatics Lab:
The Aquatics Lab (Fish Room) will be 16'x16' -- this is a true privilege, and I am excited to be able to build a dedicated room with floor drains, plumbing, and all of the necessary support equipment to make this a great display tank.

Both the display tank and the fish room will NOT be "in" my house for "Oh $@%#!!" leak risk reasons -- instead it will be connected but on its own separate slab, next to my garage slab. I haven't seen my design before on these forums, but I'm sure it's been done before.

I view this build as a collaborative effort with everyone here on the site, so don't be shy about posting best practices and lessons learned from your own builds!

Blue Tang Clan
06/17/2018, 09:03 AM
Here is the plan for the tank room, and why it's different than many setups.

The room will be positioned OUTSIDE of the foundation of the house, on a separate slab, similar to (and parallel to) the garage. But, you'll be able to walk from one room to the other as if they were connected and part of the same house. If there are any tank leaks, they will be caught be a trench/channel drain that divides the Fish Room from the Morning Room. So, no damage will come to the house, even if the glass cracks. [Ignore some of my markups, I'm still waiting on final architect drawings.]

Goals:

The display can stay on the main level for maximum viewing, while still having a basement for the house
Keeping it separate from the house mitigates damage risk from any potential leaks
Concrete slab eliminates weight concerns for display, holding tanks, etc. -- lots of water!

kinggeorge818
06/17/2018, 09:08 AM
Here is the plan for the tank room, and why it's different than many setups.



The room will be positioned OUTSIDE of the foundation of the house, on a separate slab, similar to (and parallel to) the garage. But, you'll be able to walk from one room to the other as if they were connected and part of the same house. If there are any tank leaks, they will be caught be a trench/channel drain that divides the Fish Room from the Morning Room. So, no damage will come to the house, even if the glass cracks. [Ignore some of my markups, I'm still waiting on final architect drawings.]



Goals:



The display can stay on the main level for maximum viewing, while still having a basement for the house

Keeping it separate from the house mitigates damage risk from any potential leaks

Concrete slab eliminates weight concerns for display, holding tanks, etc. -- lots of water!





Wow looks like this is going to be a breathtaking tank when it’s done! Can’t wait to see


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Blue Tang Clan
06/17/2018, 09:50 AM
Thanks KingGeorge -- I'm hoping to take a few cues from your playbook; you have an incredible build!

I'm starting to chronicle things with YouTube videos, starting with my humble beginnings in a 90 Gallon.

TIH3LejEKN0

Blue Tang Clan
10/23/2018, 06:23 PM
A question on overflows:
I want to have a long long skimming area. Modular Marine can actually do a 96" custom version, which would be insane. Here is a pic of the 60" version.

The question is, since the overflow is so long, does it make any sense to have an extra pipe put in so I could potentially do 2 siphon overflows? Not 6 pipes, but 4 total. I really don't think I want to do two separate overflows, as tuning two can be tricky and I don't want 6 pipes. Is 4 doable? 2 siphons, one ball valve trickle, and an emergency?

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1015/4529/files/DSC_4586_large.JPG?v=1484940117

Crusty Old Shellback
10/24/2018, 07:49 AM
Hi Blue Tang.
Having a long tank for your tangs to swim is awsome. I know mine loved to swim.
Here is a pic of my old system that may give you some ideas. Tank was 7' x2.5' and 3' tall.
I had viewing from the front and the left end. Being a diver, I enjoyed the view from the end, looking down the 7 foot length, the most.
The cabinet on the right held my 6' tall skimmer.

I built a 12' x 30' sunroom onto the back of my house on the existing patio the previous owner had poured. My house is old and is on a raise foundation. The yellow wall on the right is the original back wall of my house. The sunroom has windows behind the tank which made it easy to get into the tank from the back.

Wish I did have a "aquatics lab" rather than everything under the tank. One thing I did do that helped a lot was after i installed green board on the house walls, I painted it and the concrete floor with a water repellent sealer.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181024/2d5d67572ec9772204795da10eaff7a0.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20181024/5ab56e9514119ffd2db3feac854c151d.jpg

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

cFloor
10/24/2018, 09:13 AM
This is looking like it’ll be an incredible build and I’m looking forward to following along.
Ps- I’m feelin the name and logo!

McPuff
10/24/2018, 12:00 PM
Hangin' out, eager to see the progress.

Blue Tang Clan
10/24/2018, 08:03 PM
This is looking like it’ll be an incredible build and I’m looking forward to following along.
Ps- I’m feelin the name and logo!

Thanks! I'm pretty pumped, and I've started making a 1:1 mockup of the fish room in my garage. The Mrs. is not a huge fan of that, but she's been patient so far!

Blue Tang Clan
10/25/2018, 05:56 PM
I order my stand and it arrived last weekend. It's gorgeous and exactly 120" x 36". The problem is, the tank at 120"x36" will have a 5/8-3/4" frame on the top and bottom, which will extend past the direct support of the stand.

3/4" plywood will be underneath the tank (along with a foam pad) and I can extend the plywood an extra 3/4" all around, but will this present a major issue for supporting the tank?

Technically the glass will be supported, it's just the outer wrap that will stick out below the vertical beams below.

d-man
10/26/2018, 09:52 PM
It’ll be fine. As stated the weight it all supported and it’s just the protrusion of the frame that isn’t directly on the stand. Plus the 3/4” plywood can handle that extra lil but nooo problem

Blue Tang Clan
10/28/2018, 02:24 PM
Thanks for the encouragement!

I'm currently talking to Custom Aquariums for the tank, and Modular Marine for the overflow. There are some incompatibilities to be worked out, but both are custom jobs so I'm not too worried about it.

My goal right now is not to have anything under the display tank stand. While there are some conveniences of having a sump down there, putting it off to the side is easier given the proximity to other equipment like the frag tank, chaeto tank, and UV.

I've mapped out my garage (using blue painter's tape) with a 1:1 scale layout of what my fish room will be. It looked so big at first, but then I started adding more and more shelving and gear and it shrank pretty quickly! I'll try to posts some pics videos soon.

Blue Tang Clan
11/19/2018, 10:50 PM
Here is an update on the 1:1 mockup that I am making in my garage right now. The new fish room will eventually be much better looking!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7mcxIp4kjE

Sisterlimonpot
11/20/2018, 07:25 PM
A question on overflows:
I want to have a long long skimming area. Modular Marine can actually do a 96" custom version, which would be insane. Here is a pic of the 60" version.

The question is, since the overflow is so long, does it make any sense to have an extra pipe put in so I could potentially do 2 siphon overflows? Not 6 pipes, but 4 total. I really don't think I want to do two separate overflows, as tuning two can be tricky and I don't want 6 pipes. Is 4 doable? 2 siphons, one ball valve trickle, and an emergency?

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1015/4529/files/DSC_4586_large.JPG?v=1484940117
I don't know if you already worked this answer out, but if you're doing a bean animal design then a single 1.5" full siphon is plenty, plus the emergency and open pipes are there in case something happens.

I made my own 72" coast to coast overflow (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=25442204&postcount=131) out of acrylic and used the bean animal overflow design, which I'm extremely please with.

Blue Tang Clan
11/20/2018, 07:58 PM
This is awesome! If I was more handy with acrylic -- I would definitely do more custom work!

Nice job -- it looks 100% professional!

Sisterlimonpot
11/21/2018, 12:31 PM
I was amazed at how silent the bean animal overflow is. Our last tank had a dorso overflow and it would slosh water and gurgle all the time. This one is as silent as it can be.

FlatBrokeMedic
11/25/2018, 04:53 PM
This build is going to be fun to watch, what is the distance between your display and the “lab”

Blue Tang Clan
11/25/2018, 08:54 PM
This build is going to be fun to watch, what is the distance between your display and the “lab”

The display tank is actually an in-wall divider between the "lab" and my eating/kitchen area. There will be a door on the side to get in, but mainly it will be 10ft of tank goodness.

Screenshot of conceptual layout attached

nemosworld
11/26/2018, 12:02 PM
The display tank is actually an in-wall divider between the "lab" and my eating/kitchen area. There will be a door on the side to get in, but mainly it will be 10ft of tank goodness.

Screenshot of conceptual layout attached

that rack system will rust in as little as 6 months, I would build the shelves from wood or powder coat the metal

Sisterlimonpot
11/26/2018, 12:53 PM
He says in the video that they are "black powder coated".

Blue Tang Clan
11/26/2018, 07:33 PM
that rack system will rust in as little as 6 months, I would build the shelves from wood or powder coat the metal

Yep, black powder coated. Search HomeDepot for Husky 77 Steel and you'll find them. They are amazing, and $149 is a steel! :lol2:

nemosworld
11/26/2018, 08:55 PM
Yep, black powder coated. Search HomeDepot for Husky 77 Steel and you'll find them. They are amazing, and $149 is a steel! :lol2:
Yeah I know them well, buddy of mine used them in his fish store, we bolted them to ground.

McPuff
11/27/2018, 07:12 AM
$149 is a steel! :lol2:

I see what you did there. :0)

Blue Tang Clan
12/04/2018, 09:37 AM
I am finalizing my overflow with Modular Marine right now (72” long!) and I was wondering if anyone had ever plumbed more than three drain holes in an overflow.

Could I use a fourth as a manifold feed or for some other purpose, or is it adding too much complexity?

Sisterlimonpot
12/16/2018, 07:17 AM
I haven't thought it completely through, one concern I would have with using gravity to feed a manifold is flow consistancy. Essentially having 2 sources that require certain amounts of water would be some cause for concern. I would imagine after dialing it all in, it would be ok, but anytime you made a change to the full siphon or flow rate to any of the valves on the manifold, you would have to adjust everything accordingly to get proper flow.

It would be cool to see you work all that out.

Blue Tang Clan
02/22/2019, 09:10 PM
Sump update:

I selected local Maryland builder PimpedOutAquariums to do my sump build. I have a 72" length for my steel stand so I went with 70" for wiggle room. There is an option for 7" socks, but I'll probably skip those other than for times when I'm cleaning the tank and stirring up stuff. There are a lot of bulkheads, as I will have my display tank drains (right side) and then Refugium and Frag Tank returns coming into the sump.

Blue Tang Clan
12/29/2020, 07:22 AM
COVID and a new baby have slowed down progress, but things are still progressing. I've had water in the tank since March and things are finally stable. Some of my woes were just from new tank syndrome and getting a massive amount of bacterial filtration instituted. As we always say, nothing good ever happens quickly in reef tanks.

My goal for 2021 is to take a more active approach to updates, so I made a quick Fish Lab video with some full tank shots as well. It's still has a ways to go, and my 4-month old takes all my time when I'm not at work!

Here is a quick video of the behind the scenes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNwmKkFvzXc

Blue Tang Clan
12/29/2020, 07:24 AM
To nudge myself toward creating new video content, I'm going to try to add some more subscribers to my YouTube channel.

At 11:59pm on December 30th, I will be giving away eleven $10 gift cards to Bulk Reef Supply. Anyone who subscribes to my YouTube channel is eligible and I will notify those usernames (chosen at random) so they can place an order on the 31st.

munna121
01/26/2021, 06:47 AM
Heres some motivation! I just completed a similar build to yours. https://youtu.be/PFTTM8AfkWw